The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TeaChick]

We have a SLW, Juanita, who is a year old this month. She has never layed an egg. The other two Wyandottes we have started laying at 6 months...Oprah finished her molt, is looking beautiful again and layed our first egg yesterday in quite some time. Tina is molting now so not laying.....Juanita has not molted yet. What's the deal with Juanita? Is there a chance she will start laying or is she barren for life? And no, we will not eat her. :-D

Yay for Oprah!!!

I have a Cochin (my avatar pic) that will be a year in March; I'm told she might start laying in the spring.

 

[TeaChick]

I'm sooooo far behind!!!!!

 

[TeaChick]

Handsome fella! Firm hand and a kind word and he will be an excellent protector. (In all truth, I wouldn't want to be a stranger, walking up to my chickens). My farm is remote, isolated and the back door is where the 1plus mile gravel drive ends. The property on both sides of the road belongs to me...so strangers have NO business there.

I'ts well known that I brook NO visitors unless they are invited or someone calls ahead.

Here's a pic of my door bell.

Just about half kidding but you get my meaning...

 

[TeaChick]

@ ki4got:

I've grew up in So Fla; we went camping one summer and I saw one outside our tent as I was going to go to the bathroom (I was about 8, mind you). I scrambled up onto the picnic table yelling for my mom to come out and look at the amarilis; she said sleepily, "Won't it be there in the morning?" "No, Mom, it's going away, NO, NOW IT'S COMING TO ME!!! Mom, MOM, GET OUT HERE NOW!!!"
Well, you get the idea; anyway, yes, there are amadilloes in Fla and even in So Fla; although, I have to admit that I didn't see them where we lived, just when we went camping. Unlike the alligators, they didn't frequent the same places as ppl. ;-)

 

[Leahs Mom]

Guess which egg came from the pullet...

 

[TeaChick]

This is my girl Sasha. She is a German Shepherd - DDR lines. The best dog ever! She loves her blue ball and really big sticks. She will stop to pick up her ball before chasing a squirrel. Silly girl! She is 6 years old now and people think she is 2 years old. I can't wait to get another GSD pup from the same breeder. She will be a sable female and her call name will be Hope. Ya, I like to plan ahead.

She's gorgeous!!! I like black for a working line GSD female, and sable for a male.

 

[TeaChick]

One of my "little kiddos" (who are really "mid-sized" now rather than "little") Laid an egg today!

ETA: 21 weeks old

So small it didn't move the scale but she laid an egg! I noticed there was finally a nest in the "temporary nest box" on the younger kids side and there in the middle was a tiny egg.

I "think" it's this kiddo. (Photo is from a couple weeks ago and she's a bit larger and much redder in comb and wattles now.)


I still get excited about first eggs! And it's only 1F right now!

first egg happy dance!!!

 

[TeaChick]

Guess which egg came from the pullet...

It's pretty. =)
(I assume it's the top left.)


Oh, BTW, (although I know you ppl who live with really cold weather won't care about this, but....) we're supposed to get "a winter storm" this week. We might have snow flurries on Wed!!! The kids will enjoy it! (and I'll stay inside)

 

[armorfirelady]

AFL - we're getting that negative weather and -50s wind chill supposedly tonight. All the counties are under travel restriction...may get stuck in tomorrow. They're talking about $2500 fines if you're on the road and one of the police is in the mood to give a ticket.

Quote: Exactly. It's insane. People can't go to work if they do that.

I think it's because of the "coddling state" that we seem to be heading towards. When I was in High School we'd have these kinds of temps and snow and they'd let school out. Then us kids would get in our cars and go wherever we wanted...to a friend's, shopping, etc. No one told us we couldn't drive!!!!!

They're having a lot of trouble with blowing, drifting snow that closes over the north/south roads. If folks are out driving around and get stuck then they have to deal with getting them out..and they're in the way of keeping on top of the plowing. I guess I can look at it that way.
A lot of schools were closed today & already closed for tomorrow. Unless we get a lot of snow that will cause a blizzard we wont have a travel ban. Here you can be ticketed if your pulled over driving during a ban. But a lot of people don't listen and drive & depending whats going on in the towns is highly unlikely you will be pulled over. Unfortunately I can't use a travel ban as an excuse to not go to work.......

Guess which egg came from the pullet...

Beautiful !!! Upper left is my guess

As for the cabbage......it was 39 cents so even if they don't like it I can just toss it in the compost bin. I am hoping they like it but time will only tell.

Hopefully the resident bunny doesn't eat it. Poor thing is sheltering anywhere he can in this weather. I see his tracks in the old run, under their A frame & even in the dog crate feeder. I do not want to trap him since he doesn't bother the hens & can not get in the coop

 

[delisha]

@ Delisha:

Does your ammonia tennis balls trick work on coyotes?
We don't have a raccoon problem with our chickens now, but we had a coyote scare a couple of weeks ago.

We have Coyotes and they come in if the geese are hard to kill. Usually we do not have problems with Coyotes. In 35 years I have lost very few birds to Coyotes. From what I have read, they are not bothered by odors like Racoons are. Racoons are one of the few predators that can be removed from an area or building with the use of ammonia alone.

Guess which egg came from the pullet...

I love those first eggs..I was delighted when my White Orpington layed her first egg and it was large. Very exciting when they give you those big ones first. You know they will have x-large eggs.