Utah!

[Cynthia12]

Oh my goodness Red, that made me smile too! That was so cute how she turned over, pushed her wing out like she was saying, right here, it's still a little wet right here. Tooo cute!

Lisa! So sorry! My Missy was a little too interested in my wheaton today as I bent down to pat her, because she always squats right in front of me. She was right by the fence, and Missy came over, boy, did she have that look/pounce look and stance. I know she would kill a big hen now. She's getting big. Goldens are flushing dogs. Not pointers. I do not know how some people get their dogs to be good around chickens! I did some yelling at Toby when he got into the yard with the chickens out. I know what you mean about them getting into that mode. He was usually good at coming when I called, right away, but not while he was on the chase. I lucked out. No big girls taken. He did get a few of my chicks that fit through the fence. My bad. They don't go out of grow out pens now until I know they don't fit through the fence, and I also have the small wire around the main coop, and grow out pens.
Man, one of your polish??

Red, that looks to be about the same color as my EE mix..leghorn/Am. A nice mint green. She sure is a stinker while broody! Mean little stinker. Especially to one bird in particular..my australorp pullet. Poor thing.

 

[Sphinx]

Lisa, I am so sorry for your loss! Which polish did you lose? I hope your other girls make a full recovery.

Red, I'm cracking up at that video. She loved that blow dryer didn't she? It reminded me of how they sun themselves in the warm sun.

Egg production: my birds are deadbeats. I have 10 hens who have laid in the past. The oldest turned a year old this month, and she's a pretty reliable layer. But, I'm getting 1-3 eggs a day. Marans hasn't laid in months. Same with my olive egger, my lavender ameraucana. I'm not sure if my Coronation Sussex ever started- never have seen her in a nest box. My legbar hasn't laid in about two weeks. So, all the eggs I'm getting are light brown. I think it's my RIR, my speckled sussex and then maybe my blrw? Not sure.

I candled all of my eggs and put them into lockdown tonight. All seven are wriggling around in there!

 

[themadchicken]

So, I wanted to post this here because it makes me smile when I see it. My BO got a session with the hair dryer the other day to warm her up. She ate it up. My mom termed thist a "Peach puddle".

I love this video! I could so see one of my buffs doing this. So has she came back begging for seconds?

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Aw Red that made me smile Cute video! Sphinx, glad to hear those legbars are doing well. Crazy that cracked one is still going!

Thanks guys for the understanding of the rotten dog. The Polish I lost was Cozmo- the buff laced--like Chiko's...from Cynthia. Such a sweet girl. The Polish cannot react as quickly, the eyesight is so limited. I love love love my Polish (except Elvis makes me a little crazy and she still has never laid an egg lol) but I have lost a few now to the dog, one to the crazy bird that came down and pecked its eye out , they are not as predator savvy as the bigger girls.
Cynthia, I still have Gizmo, the little white with black crest from you, she is teeny I swear she is a bantam, she is 5 months, and just 1/3 maybe 1/2 size of the other Polish. I am glad he did not get her, she is sweet too, always the first one to come see me when I go out. The other day I cleaned the coop out, they all ran out, but she came in and jumped up on the roost to supervise. I swear she was just content to be where I was. Plus I think she wants to lay already. Anyway, rambling, sorry, but I do love those girls. I have to keep watching that dumb ole dog he just cannot handle being around the birds. Hindsight....again...argh.

 

[Daloorashens]

Mesha thanks so much for that info, I did not know that about Wheatens! That is COOL! I am glad you saw our posts and responded, if Blujems eggs hatch then this will be so helpful. I think this is right because I picked out the girlie one of the 4, and it is the only one with no spot. AND her feathers sex female...the others look male.

Blujems, so these next ones you are sure the dad is the Wheaten right? Does the mom lay darker than Jezibel? If so, I would love to get a girl chick from your hatch if you have an extra. Better chance at olive or green eggs. I hope you get lots with no white spots on their heads. How cool is that if they are sexed link like Mesha is thinking....no more guessing on babies!

Haha Lisa, I'm certainly no expert... and I could be TOTALLY off b/c of the wheaten being blue, but boy, wouldn't that be cool if they did turn out to be sexlinked!!!

I am loving the pictures everyone. I was suppose to go to orem today to get health certs for the two cats i'm shipping to China next week. Thats not going to happen. Hope the roads are better tomorrow. I found a really really good housekeeper. He has been coming everyday. My whole house is going to be so clean when hes done. I just candled my sizzle eggs 2 out of twelve are quitters. So far so good.

Can you send him to my house, too?? I have at least a years worth of house work to do ... sheesh

We did ok with no heat in coop with temps overnight of 5 to 7 , but they are forecasting minus temps. The girls have small amount of frost bite on their combs from the blowing snow two storms ago. With this being our first time rasing chickens I am a little worried about the minus temps. Any comments?
Thanks everyone. still getting 4-6 eggs a day.

I have not added any heat this winter at all.... the birds at my mom's do have a light that I run on daylight hours, but that is all... Maybe I'm a big meanie, but I want my birds to be hardy, and, sadly, this is a good way to find out which ones are hardy and healthy.. Have only lost one chicken, the RIR to the cold, early when the cold started...
BUT... I do lock them up at night and my coop is secure from drafts... here at my place, I opened up the grow-out pen so the birds would have a little more space to run around, it has a small house in there, too... the other night I locked everyone up in the big coop and thought everyone was accounted for, well, that night it got to like -10... next morning, I was HORRIFIED when I saw 2 of my older hens out trying to warm themselves in the sun!! They had spent the night in the smaller house, with the door open!! They looked cold, but I did not bring them in or anything, I gave them some warm mash and let them fill up before I let the other birds out and they are fine... Needless to say, I have been checking inside that other house rather than do a head count at night...

Quote:

wow is that even legal to fine you like that? i would fight it. sorry they are being so mean to you. it would be nice not to have to rely on them at all for power. we are working on getting our wood burning stove in because it would be a lot cheaper to heat our home and we would not have to rely on questar gas so much and we would not need to worry about rocky mountain power so much because you cant use a furnace if you do not have power. i am what you would call a prepper. i know if the government wanted people out of a area they would cut off utilities because it would force most out of their homes. you are smart for doing solar

I want a wood burning stove, too... for similar reasons...

Sorry, this is getting to be a long post... have been busy the past few days and there's lots to comment on!!!

Red; so sorry about the situation with your BF... hoping it will get worked out sooner than later for both of you!!

Love all the pics that have been posted.....

Lisa that pic of your showgirls with the smaller chicks had me

, also soo sorry about your Polish, soo frustrating... one thing I know, once a chicken killer, always a chicken killer, grrrr

Sundance, glad your dog is getting better!!!

Cynthia... your son that is in the hospital, is he the one on his mission??

So sorry for everyone that is sick, I have had a cold 3 times since Thanksgiving, and the last time I got it I started ODing on Vit C and echinacea and Vit B, orange juice, salad, good protein, etc... I am NOT getting sick again, lol!!

One of the GNH hatched tonite!! quick too, a nice clean hatch!! It's still wet, will take a pic in the morning and post... there were 3 looking good at lockdown... I put one under my broody bantam cochin, I would love it if at least one more hatched... either way, I'm going to try putting the chick under the broody girl... Always worked for me in the past, especially the bantams, so

for that... I just love watching the broodies with their babies... it's fun

I recently found out some of the people I am getting eggs from in the spring are going to send me chicks instead!!! I'm so excited!!! Hopefully that means I will end up with more chicks than I would have had I tried hatching the shipped eggs

Hi to everyone and sorry if I forgot to comment on something I wanted to, it's late and time for bed and my brain is mush, lol...

 

[sundancenbare]

Lisa, I am so sorry for your loss! Which polish did you lose? I hope your other girls make a full recovery.

Red, I'm cracking up at that video. She loved that blow dryer didn't she? It reminded me of how they sun themselves in the warm sun.

Egg production: my birds are deadbeats. I have 10 hens who have laid in the past. The oldest turned a year old this month, and she's a pretty reliable layer. But, I'm getting 1-3 eggs a day. Marans hasn't laid in months. Same with my olive egger, my lavender ameraucana. I'm not sure if my Coronation Sussex ever started- never have seen her in a nest box. My legbar hasn't laid in about two weeks. So, all the eggs I'm getting are light brown. I think it's my RIR, my speckled sussex and then maybe my blrw? Not sure.

I candled all of my eggs and put them into lockdown tonight. All seven are wriggling around in there!

OHHH I am so excited to see what you get. Legbar babies awsome.
Lisa sorry about your polish that sucks
Red feel better funnt\y video loved it
Cynthia hope you get an olive egger pullett for me

 

[blujems]

Ah, Lisa, sorry about your chickens. Don't know what you are putting on it but if you have vetricyn spray it is good stuff. I used it on my goats after the last attack because it was so cold and I didn't want them to get chilled with washing it twice a day. They healed twice as fast as my doe last summer and they were worse than she was. I used the gel spray it seemed to stay better than the other.

 

[Cynthia12]

I got my olive eggs today! First here is a picture of dad..a French Blue Copper Marans..she's says he's a big boy. And then, I am sending pictures of how she wrapped! My DH saw those and sasy, if you don't want those, I do when you get your eggs out. He can have them, then he helped me get them out by holding the tubes apart. None broken of course.

She said she had bred the first generation with Ameraucana X Marans,
both black and cuckoo..spelling..anyway...
and most babies were black, she then bred those hens back to this big boy,
and now she gets mostly blues.
She also said, that these hens should lay a darker color than
these eggs! I'm so excited! Isn't this guy beautiful?

Nice packaging! That big bubble wrap was on top of the tubes.

She put those peanuts in the ends, and used a tape that I love,
easy to pull off, but sticks to keep things in.

Look, olive colored eggs! My hubby is holding it open for me
so I can pick them out.

I put my red sex link girls' egg next to a couple. She lays a
pretty dark red/brown egg doesn't she? I see green! whoot!

More green. She sent me extras.

One more picture with the sex links egg in with them.
Sundance, I hope I have a good hatch, I would love to give you
pullet!

 

[Sphinx]

Those eggs are gorgeous Cynthia, and that rooster is very handsome. Good luck with your hatch.

 

[Lilwanis]

Daloorashens said, "I have not added any heat this winter at all.... the birds at my mom's do have a light that I run on daylight hours, but that is all... Maybe I'm a big meanie, but I want my birds to be hardy, and, sadly, this is a good way to find out which ones are hardy and healthy.. Have only lost one chicken, the RIR to the cold, early when the cold started...
BUT... I do lock them up at night and my coop is secure from drafts... here at my place, I opened up the grow-out pen so the birds would have a little more space to run around, it has a small house in there, too... the other night I locked everyone up in the big coop and thought everyone was accounted for, well, that night it got to like -10... next morning, I was HORRIFIED when I saw 2 of my older hens out trying to warm themselves in the sun!! They had spent the night in the smaller house, with the door open!! They looked cold, but I did not bring them in or anything, I gave them some warm mash and let them fill up before I let the other birds out and they are fine... Needless to say, I have been checking inside that other house rather than do a head count at night..."

I don't know how to do multi quote or how to cut out parts of a quote, so I just cut and paste

. Anyhow, I am glad to see someone around here that does not heat their coop. I have been feeling really guilty as I read what everyone is doing to heat. The most that I have done is keep them locked in the coop on the days that we got below zero. We have not had any frostbite or sickness, and they even are OK to wander in the snow. Being in the land of the Mormons, I keep asking myself what the pioneers did to keep chickens, and I don't imagine that they did (or could do) much. I am not LDS, but I am born and raised in SLC, and my family is LDS. Anyhow, every time I feel guilty I keep thinking about where chickens breeds come from and try to think of what is really needed to keep them healthy.

Cynthia, that is a beautiful rooster! Here's hoping for big, good OE layers for you!

Today is my daughter's 9th birthday. I am in shock that she is growing up so fast! My son turned 13 in November, and that was also a shock...but my baby girl is 9! Well, she is not the baby anymore, I have a 2 year old now, but Rowan (birthday girl) was the baby for seven years, so I still think of her as the baby. Anyhow, how is everyone?