Utah!

[acemario]

I candled my eggs this morning. It looks like all 6 golden cuckoo marans and the one olive egger are all alive. The one maran looked.... funny to me. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it quits. It just didn't look quite right, but I can't put my finger on why.

Silly, when I did one hatch this past spring, we had to hand turn the eggs. They got turned at 8:30am, 12:30pm and 4pm. Then, they didn't get turned AT ALL from Friday at 3pm to Monday at 8:30am. We still had a pretty decent hatch rate.



I am really, really upset you guys. Today while I was at work, I got a voicemail from a neighbor a few doors down. "T" had gotten out and she was wondering if I'd seen him. I'm not clear on if that was HER son, or if it was another neighborhood child and she was helping call around (I should know the neighborhood children better, but I don't. -sigh-). I called her back and said I was at work and couldn't check. She said that she'd found him at my house, checking out the chickens.

A couple hours later, dh gets home from work and says that ALL of my coop doors are open, and chickens are out. He got the ones in that he could see, but he has no idea how many are in my flock, and didn't know if he got them all. I count when I get home, and my one frizzle from Diana (the broody with the babies, Diana) was missing. Can't find her anywhere in my yard.

of course. One of my favorites. So I text my next door neighbor, whose chicken habits make me look like an amateur. She's escaped before, and gone to his barn because his set up is WAAAAAAY cooler than mine. I explained the situation, and asked him to keep an eye out for her.

He just texted me. Good news/bad news. Good news is he found her alive and well. Bad news: all of his doors are open. At least 14-15 of his 4-5 weeks old wellsummer chicks have been stomped/kicked to death, and another 8-10 are missing. I went over there to try and help him. We found all of the missing chicks. All but one was alive and well. One production red chick had some crushed ribs. She was alive, but definitely had a punctured lung and needed to be euthanized.

I need to call the woman who called me in the morning. What a mess.

What an awful night!!!!! Good luck! Sorry to hear that. Does that mess up your breeding program?

 

[Cynthia12]

Gary, I have EE's in, Rhodebars again, and Buff Orpington. Man, I was sent 15 BO eggs, all of them are fertile. Now, if I can keep them going. I thought it might be good to have a nice large hen for a broody this year. My little buff silkie is so pretty, and my cochin, but they are small. I want a few out door incubators this year.

 

[kimmypie]

Gary, I have EE's in, Rhodebars again, and Buff Orpington.  Man, I was sent 15 BO eggs, all of them are fertile.  Now, if I can keep them going.  I thought it might be good to have a nice large hen for a broody this year.  My little buff silkie is so pretty, and my cochin, but they are small.  I want a few out door incubators this year. 

What are rhodebars? Any idea what you'll be hatching around the end of February? That's when I'll be ready for babies.

 

[Cynthia12]

Oh my goodness sphinx! Did that "T" go to the neighbors too? That is too sad.

 

[RedIII]

Aww Sphinx

I'm so sorry. That's terrible! I think I have had kids over here before messing with my birds. Remember last year, when a bunch of my Icelandic eggs went missing? Yeah, I keep precious cargo like that behind locked doors, now. Again, so sorry for such a rough day.

 

[the-bird-man]

I candled my eggs this morning. It looks like all 6 golden cuckoo marans and the one olive egger are all alive. The one maran looked.... funny to me. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it quits. It just didn't look quite right, but I can't put my finger on why.

Silly, when I did one hatch this past spring, we had to hand turn the eggs. They got turned at 8:30am, 12:30pm and 4pm. Then, they didn't get turned AT ALL from Friday at 3pm to Monday at 8:30am. We still had a pretty decent hatch rate.



I am really, really upset you guys. Today while I was at work, I got a voicemail from a neighbor a few doors down. "T" had gotten out and she was wondering if I'd seen him. I'm not clear on if that was HER son, or if it was another neighborhood child and she was helping call around (I should know the neighborhood children better, but I don't. -sigh-). I called her back and said I was at work and couldn't check. She said that she'd found him at my house, checking out the chickens.

A couple hours later, dh gets home from work and says that ALL of my coop doors are open, and chickens are out. He got the ones in that he could see, but he has no idea how many are in my flock, and didn't know if he got them all. I count when I get home, and my one frizzle from Diana (the broody with the babies, Diana) was missing. Can't find her anywhere in my yard. of course. One of my favorites.  So I text my next door neighbor, whose chicken habits make me look like an amateur. She's escaped before, and gone to his barn because his set up is WAAAAAAY cooler than mine. I explained the situation, and asked him to keep an eye out for her.


He just texted me. Good news/bad news. Good news is he found her alive and well. Bad news: all of his doors are open. At least 14-15 of his 4-5 weeks old wellsummer chicks have been stomped/kicked to death, and another 8-10 are missing. I went over there to try and help him. We found all of the missing chicks. All but one was alive and well. One production red chick had some crushed ribs. She was alive, but definitely had a punctured lung and needed to be euthanized.

I need to call the woman who called me in the morning. What a mess.

wow i am so sorry i think a lock would be smart. any idea why he would do that to yours and your neighbors chickens? i dont understand why someone could do that.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Sphinx--that is awful. Glad you found your frizz--horrible some chicks got hurt at the neighbors. It is hard to have the awkward "your child may have done something naughty" conversations with neighbors, but she needs to know. It is so stressful though I am sure, hope it goes well and does not occur again!

 

[Sphinx]

Luckily (for me!), the neighbor who called me was just doing a good deed- the culprit lives down the street a little bit and I don't know the family at all. 7 years old, was staying home from school sick, and got away from the sitter. I told my victim/neighbor that I'd find out contact information (because I am much better connected with the neighborhood than him) and give it to him.

Honestly, I'm a little surprised a 7 year old could've opened the enclosures. He opened two doors I NEVER bother opening in the winter because they're nearly impossible to get open due to wood swelling. (remember how a cow jumped into my chicken pen last winter, and the cow owner, a 200 lb man, couldn't open the door and cut through the fence in a panic? Yeah. Kid opened THAT door) He also managed to open the neighbor's barn door, which is really sticky and I practically have to hurl myself at it to get it to open. Then, he has the pens hooked closed with carabiners that are about neck high for me.

 

[sundancenbare]

Gary, if I'm unable to coax some fertile eggs out of the Seramas this week, I'm collecting several Icelandic eggs as a standby to put under my girl. She really is a good momma, and she's stubborn about sitting. She's small enough that I've never had her smash an egg - knock on wood.

One of my Icelandic hens was acting peculiar yesterday. I think she may have been trying to go broody, but I'm not sure. She was sitting in the pen and growling at anyone that got too close, so I put her outside for a little while. Five minutes later, she'd found a hidden nest from my Ameraucana and was happily arranging herself on the ice-cold eggs. Yeeeeah, I took those away. I think she got the point, much as I'd like to have an Icelandic broody. I hear they make fantastic mothers.

Sundance, no action from Sammy tonight that I've seen

I think he is very, very contented. I've only seen him drop a wing for the girls once since they've been vacationing here, and it didn't accomplish anything. He loves to find food for the ladies, and when I open the lid, he gets between me and them to let me know he's a big, tough man. But no manly business. I'll try to keep working with them in a way that doesn't stress them. I'd rather have them be happy and comfortable than try to force hatching eggs out of them.

I'm leaving tomorrow and going to Mexico for a week or so. Chola Bay. Staying with friends. Doing some beach time on the sea of cortez. Not sure what the wifi will be I'll let you know

 

[RedIII]

Sundance, be safe and have fun!

Sphinx, never underestimate the powers of children

Eeee! I'm so excited! I checked my little experimental wheat planter, and I have at least five sprouts pushing up!

Who would have thought chicken feed could be so entertaining?