What did you do with your flock today?

[Shetland lover]

Made a feather jar today...love keeping pretty feathers but don't like dusting them! So emptied my nut jar, gave it a wash and filled it up.View attachment 3648476Couple feathers have me confused. I know they came from my peas but I have no idea who! These feathers don't show on the birds so they must come from somewhere tucked away. View attachment 3648477View attachment 3648478

What a great idea! I hate dusting them too, I have a vase of ostrich feathers upstairs and they are the bane of my life! Love the mystery feathers. I found a fiery red one here and we haven't had any red hens for nearly two years. Finally figured out it was a stray hackle feather from very much blue coloured Stan!

 

[Shetland lover]

While picking apples, I lost a few choice ones to the chooks. Most of my fruit trees are in their fenced in area. They had fallen to the ground either by missing my picker or getting knocked off. I think they finally got full and ignored more that had fallen, so I was able to get to them before being pecked full of holes. We've had apple flavored eggs for quite awhile now. Well, no, not really.

Seriously though, do you find anything affects the flavour of eggs? Mine get all sorts of things that are traditionally said to flavour eggs, e.g. they get oily fish at least twice a month and they regularly gèt into my garlic bed, dig up the bulbs and gorge on them. They also go crazy for garlic bread if they can get their beaks on it. And they absolutely love my home-made veggie chilli. I really haven't noticed any of it tainting the eggs.

 

[Shetland lover]

DH set the rat traps last evening at around 7pm, by 7.30pm we had caught a baby rat. He wouldn't take it to our 're-homing centre' so it was condemed to a night in the trap. It was quite cold last night and I felt so bad about it sitting out there that I got up at 1am and set it free (I know, I'm too soft-hearted). Anyways, this morning the damn thing was back in the trap, alongside a companion! I don't rate it's survival skills in the wild too highly unless it wises up pretty quickly!

 

[Nomadicus]

Shuster my beloved pet rooster somehow found a piece of twine and got it wrapped around one foot and the other foot was also wrapped and he had 2 toes wrapped tightly together. He behaved like a champ while I preformed the surgical process of removing it. The last time this happened it was with a pullet that nearly lost her leg. As a treat for good behavior he got a boiled egg. The he was back to patrolling the coops checking on the hens. I'm sure he would like to get inside one of them. Especially the one with 18 RIR pullets that have just started to lay.

 

[Nomadicus]

Everybody is locked up for the night except for the ones that sleep and do as they please. Most all of them have been lucky not to encounter a predator like an owl or coon. I returned a White Giant pullet back to her flock after a lengthy stay in the clinic. She had all the skin and feathers torn off of one side of her neck. I am not sure how or when something got a hold of her but now she looks like new. She is laying too.

 

[fuzzi]

I killed a Copperhead snake, next to but not inside the coop. It's feeding the woodland critters now.

 

[Nomadicus]

I killed a Copperhead snake, next to but not inside the coop. It's feeding the woodland critters now.

I would have too. Even when I lived in TN where all snakes, even deadly snakes are protected by state law. Common sense before silliness.

 

[ChicksnMore]

I would have too. Even when I lived in TN where all snakes, even deadly snakes are protected by state law. Common sense before silliness.

Here too. I never let a rattlesnake live. Have had too many animals get bit by them, and raising kids made me intolerant of them. My kids are grown and safe but it's an automatic reflex now.

We do have a lot of snakes I'm always happy to see...but not poisonous ones!

 

[Nomadicus]

Here too. I never let a rattlesnake live. Have had too many animals get bit by them, and raising kids made me intolerant of them. My kids are grown and safe but it's an automatic reflex now.

We do have a lot of snakes I'm always happy to see...but not poisonous ones!

I live on the dividing line between Diamond Back Rattlesnakes and Timber Rattlesnakes. So far I have seen neither. If they are smart they will keep it that way.

 

[Smokerbill]

Venomous snakes are pretty much nonexistant west of the Cascade mountains in Washington. About the only thing I've seen has been little garter snakes. My chicken wouldn't eat this baby snake for some reason.



East of the Cascades is another matter. I camped a few days next to Banks lake several years ago and saw several rattlesnakes within 20 feet of my travel trailer. Even saw a pair of rattlesnakes mating. This is one that was sunning next to the culvert by my trailer. I just left them alone because I was intruding on their territory.



I found the picture of the mating rattlesnakes. Pretty cool to see that!