The Front Porch Swing

[LindaB220]

Hey, ladies!!!

What's everyone into tonight? I'm hoping you all had a blessed day and are tucked into your homes safe and sound.

Blooie, I love that pic! Such grandeur! Would love to see that side of the country.

Need to go up and fetch the wooden eggs out from under my Dragon Broody tonight...not looking forward to that. That will give her more space for her real eggs. She had a record breaking broody poo in the brooding pen...truly earth shatteringly large. The largest I've ever seen. Need to get that out or covered before she tracks it back into the nest and onto the eggs.

Everyone's broodies still doing well?

So envious of everybody's broodies. But my 16 6wk old girls and 1 boy are doing fabulous. All the study and planning and buying has certainly paid off. They are in a great coop. Lots of room. Try to get pics shortly. And so healthy and happy. So am I. Still a LOT to research and plans to make. My garden is a bust. No stamina. So I'm going to get a few plants to have some greenery and veggies. I have 3 fig trees living after the winter and 2 mulberry plants I need to set out. After I paid $20 on Ebay for the 7" high bushes (twigs) I found that i have a large mulberry tree right over where I have my coop.

At least these 2 have grown and will grow into bushes fast. Not gonna put them in the run. My comfrey plants are coming along and should be ready for the first harvest shortly. Every 6 wks until Nov. They have almost 30 % protein. And grow fast.
I'm working on the idea of buying an incubator. Too unskilled to do the natural I think. My money ran out doing the coop and stuff so I let this years good chicks pass me by. Not many are still doing them. Oh well, one step at a time. I'm happy, so happy.

 

[Beekissed]

So envious of everybody's broodies. But my 16 6wk old girls and 1 boy are doing fabulous. All the study and planning and buying has certainly paid off. They are in a great coop. Lots of room. Try to get pics shortly. And so healthy and happy. So am I. Still a LOT to research and plans to make. My garden is a bust. No stamina. So I'm going to get a few plants to have some greenery and veggies. I have 3 fig trees living after the winter and 2 mulberry plants I need to set out. After I paid $20 on Ebay for the 7" high bushes (twigs) I found that i have a large mulberry tree right over where I have my coop.

At least these 2 have grown and will grow into bushes fast. Not gonna put them in the run. My comfrey plants are coming along and should be ready for the first harvest shortly. Every 6 wks until Nov. They have almost 30 % protein. And grow fast.
I'm working on the idea of buying an incubator. Too unskilled to do the natural I think. My money ran out doing the coop and stuff so I let this years good chicks pass me by. Not many are still doing them. Oh well, one step at a time. I'm happy, so happy.

It's good to hear when folks say they are joyful...the world usually doesn't like it when folks are joyful and joy is just not "in" any longer. Everyone wants drama or complaining and finds happy folks annoying. I LOVE being joyful and love being around joyful folks, so all that really puzzles me.

We haven't put in gardens around here yet because we aren't really past the last frost date...this year everyone is being especially cautious, after this winter's harsh temps. But I'm chompin' at the bit to get stuff in that garden!

PS....was looking at pics of comfrey and I have that growing all over here but the chickens never touch it. Some even growing up near the coop but I've never seen a chicken eating any of it.

For folks feeding this plant, are your birds penned or free range?

 

[OHhappychicks]

Good job!!! That's a fair sized fox. Without her partner, the female will be driven more than ever to provide food for her pups, so the predation may escalate. I tell you what may help until you can get a dog...electric poultry netting. It's surprisingly reasonable in price and I can't see a fox getting through it...they are pretty powerful and will even keep out black bears.

We do have the netting fence. It has holes in it where our other GP apparently got tangled in it or something when we were not at home. Then I think it gets old as there are other holes in it, in different places. It worked for awhile until the solar charger quit working. Something broke off of it. We just never got another one. We have two lots. Even the newest fence, which is a 2-3 years old has holes in it. I assume that the current is broken when that occurs. Some of the hens can fly up on the roof of the coops or on the downs spouts and gets out that way. We tried to fix the holes and keep them in this past weekend, but some of them still got out, one way or the other. But thanks for the suggestion! Hopefully we will trap another one tonight or tomorrow, since it didn't get a meal today. We live next to a small working stone quarry and we know their den is there somewhere. We spoke to the owners and they see the fox a lot. They said if they get a good shot they will take care of it for us. We actually heard shots from that direction this evening.

So hopefully, between the neighbors and the traps, we will catch most of them this week. I only have to work Mon & Tues this week, so I can be home. Will keep the flock in till about noon, then set up watch. My little mini-schnauzer went back with my DH, and he said she was biting at the fox. She knows when they are around, so I will keep her out with me. Maybe if the traps don't catch any more, I can at least keep them scared off!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

These are the next two to hatch ... both clutches will hatch at the same time.

Oh man ... I have my bedroom windows open and the cats are at the window seat ... chattering their little hunter chatters!

 

[chickenboy190]

Hello Bee. Here is a pic of a fox that we caught in the snare trap. My DH went to check the traps and found it snared by it's foot. DH had to shoot it. Also it had the 1 hen that escaped from the coop this morning. We have been leaving them in the chicken coops until we can be home to watch them. This hen is #7 this week that we have lost to the fox or foxes. I'm looking into finding a guard dog, but it doesn't look like there are any pups or young ones available around here that I can afford anyway. I have a friend that is going to breed her GP/Maremma mixed soon, but it won't be in time. In the meantime, hoping the traps will take care of them. I'm hoping this is the one that has been doing all the pilfering!!

I really dislike having to keep my flock cooped up all day, especially on these warm sunny days!

Now nice job!! Hope your chickens stay safe!

Actually watching The Voice. DH loves The Voice. I can't keep track of the contestants although I kinda like the judges' banter. I'm checking BYC while watching The Voice. Feel about thirty minutes away from the old "heat up the heaties" (those grain filled things you heat up in the microwave) parked in the small of my back and the small of another place not worth discussing,

I like the Voice too!

 

[Blooie]

Hon-eeeeys, I'm hoooo-oome!

 

[Beekissed]

We do have the netting fence. It has holes in it where our other GP apparently got tangled in it or something when we were not at home. Then I think it gets old as there are other holes in it, in different places. It worked for awhile until the solar charger quit working. Something broke off of it. We just never got another one. We have two lots. Even the newest fence, which is a 2-3 years old has holes in it. I assume that the current is broken when that occurs. Some of the hens can fly up on the roof of the coops or on the downs spouts and gets out that way. We tried to fix the holes and keep them in this past weekend, but some of them still got out, one way or the other. But thanks for the suggestion! Hopefully we will trap another one tonight or tomorrow, since it didn't get a meal today. We live next to a small working stone quarry and we know their den is there somewhere. We spoke to the owners and they see the fox a lot. They said if they get a good shot they will take care of it for us. We actually heard shots from that direction this evening.

So hopefully, between the neighbors and the traps, we will catch most of them this week. I only have to work Mon & Tues this week, so I can be home. Will keep the flock in till about noon, then set up watch. My little mini-schnauzer went back with my DH, and he said she was biting at the fox. She knows when they are around, so I will keep her out with me. Maybe if the traps don't catch any more, I can at least keep them scared off!

I hope you get them all! That's a miserable life having to worry about the chickens all the time.

 

[Beekissed]

Hon-eeeeys, I'm hoooo-oome!

BLOOIE!!!!!!

Ahem....I mean...welcome home, dear.

Glad you had a safe trip!

 

[Beekissed]

These are the next two to hatch ... both clutches will hatch at the same time.




Oh man ... I have my bedroom windows open and the cats are at the window seat ... chattering their little hunter chatters!

I love it when they do that!

What you got under these broodies, LJ? More Dels?

 

[perchie.girl]

Hey, ladies!!!

What's everyone into tonight? I'm hoping you all had a blessed day and are tucked into your homes safe and sound.

Blooie, I love that pic! Such grandeur! Would love to see that side of the country.

Need to go up and fetch the wooden eggs out from under my Dragon Broody tonight...not looking forward to that. That will give her more space for her real eggs. She had a record breaking broody poo in the brooding pen...truly earth shatteringly large. The largest I've ever seen. Need to get that out or covered before she tracks it back into the nest and onto the eggs.

Everyone's broodies still doing well?

No chickens I need to order hay for my horse.... I went to get some clothes and actually found a couple of T shirts and shorts that fit at Walmart. Then went to Cathryns for size 5x PJs. All cotton dont like anything else. Found a really pretty Hawaiian print shirt there in 5x as well. AND a couple of pairs of 4x shorts. Cathryns 4x is like Walmarts 5x... And the material is five way stretch without looking like it.

I am doing good started drinking a meal replacement drink.... High protien Low carb and I like it. Cheapest one at Walmart. So I went and bought a bunch. Its not very sweet.... I dont like too much sweet stuff even if it is Low cal. Only 100 calories per 11 ounce serving. Youd thing some of thes "Smart" diet people would come up with a Chicken soup flavored one.... Or heck even Pea soup flavored. Youknow Savory.

I probably could make my own.... Hmmm ... use Eggs for the protien.... some Mushrooms... Onions of course.... and chicken stock. I have some sweet Vidalia onions and some garlic... need to buy mushrooms. With Atkins I only have to count Carbs. So I can have Olive oil, coconut oil, Real Butter, and animal fat.

hmmm... Any way I am comfortable now with clothes that fit and are cool... And I am formulating some sort of plan to get into my 4xs.

deb