TULSA area Cluckers

[Reagor]

Thanks Jen. That is a beautiful silkie. I am pretty sure it is a he now. I should have done my reaserch and looked at the birds more. Lesson learned, unfortunately the hard way.

Rinda- how is the farm going today? Are the chicks looking better? How many eggs are you getting out of the lakenvelders?

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Thanks Jen. That is a beautiful silkie. I am pretty sure it is a he now. I should have done my reaserch and looked at the birds more. Lesson learned, unfortunately the hard way.
Rinda- how is the farm going today? Are the chicks looking better? How many eggs are you getting out of the lakenvelders?

Well I'm not so hot in the collar today- soon I will be able to laugh about it! The treatment seemed to work all but 1 had normal crop this morning, I'm just monitoring it for now. Put down the barred rock with the prolapsed vent, it was popping out multiple times per hour and just didn't seem to be getting any better. Apparently it is fairly rare for chickens to get this condition until they are laying. I seem to have all the luck in getting chickens with all the rare health conditions!!!

No eggs at all from the lakenvelders, but they are probably still in shock from the auction/move. When we got our Ameraucanas it was almost a week before they began to lay regularly (after a few that were still "in the works" came out). I'm not worried yet.

Did sell one silkie already. Since we weren't prepared for a massive influx of chickens I now have 3 brooders in the dining room (legbars from 2 weeks ago, chicks from this week, and hospital for the 3 silkies with eye wounds) and a cage of silkies in the kitchen LOL! At least we had the grower pen finished and threw the barred rocks in there with the last two poults from our first hatch. Forced the Ameraucanas and FBCM to share a coop and have the Lakenvelders in the other coop. Going to make hubby finish at least one outdoor pen tomorrow for the silkies, as well as a run for feed and bedding.

We've lost 3/8 from our hatch, no idea what was wrong, they just grew weak, went to sleep, and never woke up.

Lost 1 black isbar (

) and two black ameraucanas. I wonder if they were affected somehow by the incubator cool down, we've never lost that percentage for no apparent reason. The others look good so I hope we don't lose anymore.

 

[Elbert Garrett]

Good morning friends and neighbors!

It`s a cool and clear morning out there! I think I will head down to the barn this morning and work for a little while.....Hope y`all have a great week ahead!

 

[Reagor]

Wow, it was an amazing day. I really hope we are finally done with the 100's. I could really get used to this.

Well, no eggs today. I really can't wait to get a steady 5-8 eggs a day. More would be nice, but I don't want to push my neighbors too much. Haha.

So how's everyone else doing? Get everything setup for your future chickens, Elbert?

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Wow, it was an amazing day. I really hope we are finally done with the 100's. I could really get used to this.
Well, no eggs today. I really can't wait to get a steady 5-8 eggs a day. More would be nice, but I don't want to push my neighbors too much. Haha.
So how's everyone else doing? Get everything setup for your future chickens, Elbert?

Haha speaking of neighbors, talked over the fence with one of our back neighbors today, he said how nice it was to hear our rooster every morning.

Gotta love neighbors like that! He's older and I guess it is just a reminiscent sound for him.

 

[jens-hens]

Haha speaking of neighbors, talked over the fence with one of our back neighbors today, he said how nice it was to hear our rooster every morning.

Gotta love neighbors like that! He's older and I guess it is just a reminiscent sound for him.

Wish I had neighbors like that! I really, really want to keep this frizzle cockerel, he's the sweetest baby chick we've had.

 

[Elbert Garrett]

Wow, it was an amazing day. I really hope we are finally done with the 100's. I could really get used to this.
Well, no eggs today. I really can't wait to get a steady 5-8 eggs a day. More would be nice, but I don't want to push my neighbors too much. Haha.
So how's everyone else doing? Get everything setup for your future chickens, Elbert?

Closer by the day! The pens/barn is now secure,clean and ready......Thanks for asking!

 

[Reagor]

Rinda, how are the new coops/ runs coming along?

 

[lonnyandrinda]

VERY slowly... a friend gave us their old run when they ugraded and we started framing up a coop to go with it on Monday but haven't gotten any further yet. Current plan is to place them in the garden area (we let the garden rest this year) which is fenced, and make it our freezer camp coop for our extra roos and the roos that the same friend is going to give us (they only want hens from their chicks). He got a large metal water tub at work (not water tight) to use as a brooder (sometimes it's not a bad thing he works at a metal recycling place). The silkies are in there. Hopefully selling some tonight. We have the "chicken yard" 95% fenced off just have to figure out gate system near the coop. But we sold an extra vehicle today (YAY!) which took time, Lonny had a job interview yesterday, and had to make some phone calls about some medical stuff too, so hopefully he can catch up on sleep today and we can get going on it again tomorrow.

We sold all but 1 barred rock yesterday- YAY again! That really eased up the space issues. Kept one female for ourselves. Worked out really well for us, made money AND got a hen to keep. Someone is coming tonight to get some silkies, hopefully 4 or 5. I don't think we will keep any of those, but IDK yet. I don't see any point in keeping a roo and they are really hard to sex until about 6 months old, not sure I want to hold onto one that long "just to see." Still no bites on the lakenvelders, no eggs either. Eh we'll see what happens. They aren't a problem where they are. I think once they start laying again we can get a better idea of what they are and push the sale differently. I have to say they are VERY flighty, don't even like to be caught and held after the roost for the night- our other chickens are surprised when I do that but don't fight like the lakenvelders can. Also we have a very small gap at the top of our coop above the divider- and they can get up to it!!! I had read they are great flyers.

One silkie is still in isolation with an eye injury, but this was the first morning its eye was actually OPEN without me prying/unsealing it open. I was beginning to lose hope. If it's not significantly better by Friday cull may still be an option. Been putting antibiotic drops 2-3 times per day. Swelling is noticably down. At first I thought the poor thing's eye was gone, but thankfully now I can see it's not.

I'm a little surprised with the drop in heat our Ameraucanas haven't picked back up with the laying. Maybe they are getting ready to moult? Dunno. We get one egg roughly every other day, I'm pretty sure they are ALL coming from the little black hen, none from the big blue. Before the heat wave we were getting an egg from each nearly every day.

Our Black Copper Marans we got in June are getting big- Lonny saw the oldest roo trying to mount the oldest hen yesterday! Hopefully she will start laying soon?!? They are a beautiful pair we got from NEOCS, nice colors, good leg feathering, etc. The ones we got from the lady in Claremore are turning more and more into a motley crew, mostly destined for the chopping block or a layer only flock. Not to mention our stupid dog somehow has ONLY killed hens so most of them are roos! Now that they are bigger she leaves them alone. I can tell she still has trouble leaving little ones alone so we are very careful with our new little ones around her.

 

[cathiesue]

I'm hatching!!!!! A friend loaned me his LG forced air incubator with turner. I'm getting at least 9 Swedish Flower eggs Monday.Whee!!!!!