The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Sally8]

Well Cecilia is all done hatching her eggs. I put 6 under her. She hatched 4. A 5th one was nearly all unzipped but Cecilia took her 4 outside all day yesterday and the unzipped part was face down. The 6th one hasn't done anything. I stuck it in the incubator with the 8 I took out from under the Twisted Sisters. Just as I said I would not do.
I followed the ambulance with my mother in it to the hospital this am. It's after midnight and she's very restless. Her liver has some serious issues going on. Am hoping the cancer hasn't moved there. More tests tomorrow. At dinner time I ran home, snuggled with the bunny, checked out the new babies, got pecked for my efforts, pet the dogs and cats, kissed hubby and was back. Not bad and no speeding ticket. NYS does love giving out tickets!

 

[lalaland]

Sally,
am so sorry your mother isn't doing well.

take care of yourself and hang in there.

 

[aoxa]

am totally traumatized but all are safe and sound.
worked from home today - all was well. left about 5 to go out to dinner, came home at 8:45, about dusk, to find half the chicks roosting outside as close as they could get to the door - they couldn't get in because they were on the wrong side of their tunnel/run/enclosure. Others were in the coop, but wedged into boxes, rafters, whereever they could take cover. I collect them all and they are piling in the corner, cheeping distress calls, and crawling under and over each other, all vying for the "safe" corner spot underneath everyone else.

I"m kneeling in chicken droppings, trying to count them by flashlight and it takes about 5 tries til I figure I am missing two. searched otuside, inside, and found one literally wrapped up in the bird netting roll that covers the doorway - the extra length is rolled up at the bottom and tied with twine, looks like a big sausage. how she got rolled up I dont know. I used scissors to extricate her. another 10 minutes and I find the last one wedged behind a tool box.


THe adult hens are all in their section of the coop, but totally huddled together on one roost, instead of their normal places.

I scouted around the outside of the coop and the interior run and the chick pen by flashlight, and I can't see anything amiss.

But something happened.....what?

feel like Justine, I need a hug! I hate that adrenaline rush. But very grateful everyone is safe and sound....only....I have to leave early for work tomorrow...not sure what happened. how did they all get on the outside?

I hate not knowing, but it's really hard to say how they pulled that off.

I'm glad all are well. I've seen them get into the worst predicaments. Can they squeeze UNDER the tunnel thing?

 

[Sally8]

am totally traumatized but all are safe and sound.
worked from home today - all was well.  left about 5 to go out to dinner, came home at 8:45, about dusk, to find half the chicks roosting outside as close as they could get to the door - they couldn't get in because they were on the wrong side of their tunnel/run/enclosure.  Others were in the coop, but wedged into boxes, rafters, whereever they could take cover.  I collect them all and they are piling in the corner, cheeping distress calls, and crawling under and over each other, all vying for the "safe" corner spot underneath everyone else.

I"m kneeling in chicken droppings, trying to count them by flashlight and it takes about 5 tries til I figure I am missing two.  searched otuside, inside, and found one literally wrapped up in the bird netting roll that covers the doorway - the extra length is rolled up at the bottom and tied with twine, looks like a big sausage.  how she got rolled up I dont know.  I used scissors to extricate her.  another 10 minutes and I find the last one wedged behind a tool box.  


THe adult hens are all  in their section of the coop, but totally huddled together on one roost, instead of their normal places.

I scouted around the outside of the coop and the interior run and the chick pen by flashlight, and I can't see anything amiss.  

But something happened.....what?

feel like Justine, I need a hug!   I hate that adrenaline rush.  But very grateful everyone is safe and sound....only....I have to leave early for work tomorrow...not sure what happened.  how did they all get on the outside?  

I'm so sorry! Maybe a stray dog? I'm so glad you found everyone. It's amazing how attached we become. I've looked for, usually poults, after dark and that makes me feel handicapped. Poults are such knot heads.

 

[TexasLisa]

I followed the ambulance with my mother in it to the hospital this am. It's after midnight and she's very restless. Her liver has some serious issues going on. Am hoping the cancer hasn't moved there. More tests tomorrow. At dinner time I ran home, snuggled with the bunny, checked out the new babies, got pecked for my efforts, pet the dogs and cats, kissed hubby and was back. Not bad and no speeding ticket. NYS does love giving out tickets!

You and your mom are in my prayers!

Lisa

 

[midnightroo]

Lala sorry to hear about your chickens. Hopefully, the thing that made them get so upset won't come back.

Sally8 hope you hear some good news today. You and your mom will be in my thoughts.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

am totally traumatized but all are safe and sound.
worked from home today - all was well. left about 5 to go out to dinner, came home at 8:45, about dusk, to find half the chicks roosting outside as close as they could get to the door - they couldn't get in because they were on the wrong side of their tunnel/run/enclosure. Others were in the coop, but wedged into boxes, rafters, whereever they could take cover. I collect them all and they are piling in the corner, cheeping distress calls, and crawling under and over each other, all vying for the "safe" corner spot underneath everyone else.

I"m kneeling in chicken droppings, trying to count them by flashlight and it takes about 5 tries til I figure I am missing two. searched otuside, inside, and found one literally wrapped up in the bird netting roll that covers the doorway - the extra length is rolled up at the bottom and tied with twine, looks like a big sausage. how she got rolled up I dont know. I used scissors to extricate her. another 10 minutes and I find the last one wedged behind a tool box.


THe adult hens are all in their section of the coop, but totally huddled together on one roost, instead of their normal places.

I scouted around the outside of the coop and the interior run and the chick pen by flashlight, and I can't see anything amiss.

But something happened.....what?

feel like Justine, I need a hug! I hate that adrenaline rush. But very grateful everyone is safe and sound....only....I have to leave early for work tomorrow...not sure what happened. how did they all get on the outside?

We had a great horned owl come and sit on the fence near our movable coop last night. It really freaked out the hens and they have a light so they could see what was after them. DH came up with a temporary version of nite guard to keep the owl away. He put flashing lights outside. It worked and our chickens calmed down. It turns out the radio I had left on is not loud enough and of all things the station I left it on stopped broadcasting at dusk.
In the past month, I have seen a raccoon and multiple opossums in the road less than a mile from my house. I'm sure my chickens would freak if one entered the yard.
Now for the happy answer, my chickens freak out if a flock of wild black birds flies over and swoops down as if they are going to land, which they typically do but in my front yard.

Well Cecilia is all done hatching her eggs. I put 6 under her. She hatched 4. A 5th one was nearly all unzipped but Cecilia took her 4 outside all day yesterday and the unzipped part was face down. The 6th one hasn't done anything. I stuck it in the incubator with the 8 I took out from under the Twisted Sisters. Just as I said I would not do.
I followed the ambulance with my mother in it to the hospital this am. It's after midnight and she's very restless. Her liver has some serious issues going on. Am hoping the cancer hasn't moved there. More tests tomorrow. At dinner time I ran home, snuggled with the bunny, checked out the new babies, got pecked for my efforts, pet the dogs and cats, kissed hubby and was back. Not bad and no speeding ticket. NYS does love giving out tickets!

I'll be praying for you and your mother.

 

[Mrs Hutcherson]

One of my 9 wk boys tried crowing this morning! it was so cool, couldn't see exactly who it was though, still a lil too dark out. My husband heard it first, startled him, thought he had stepped on one of our cats! Lol

 

[TexasLisa]

One of my 9 wk boys tried crowing this morning! it was so cool, couldn't see exactly who it was though, still a lil too dark out. My husband heard it first, startled him, thought he had stepped on one of our cats! Lol

 

[echosrevenge]

My favorite pullet laid her first egg today! She's half Faverolles and half Kinardly ('kinardly tell what her dad was", other than that he was the best rooster I've ever had) and her egg is big for a pullet egg, dark tan with white speckles. Really neat looking. She's the one that used to fly out of the brooder every night so she could get pets and fall asleep on my husbands lap, and she still sidles over on the roost for chin scratches when I close up the coop at night. I'm a little extra over-the-moon because ALL of my adult hens are either broody, raising chicks, or molting and I haven't had any eggs in over a week from a dozen adult hens. hooray!