What did you do with your flock today?

[ChicksnMore]

Busy busy busy lately. Just one of those spells where it feels like everyone and their uncle wants a bit of my time. But, this evening everyone got a flake of alfalfa to munch and scratch around...my go to alternative to grass in our green challenged area. They'll all get a few days of fun out of it.
My dwarfs are laying like crazy and no one's gone broody yet! Feels like a miracle and I better go knock on wood now!
Called my friend Pete to see if he was ready for his geese and found out he passed away. Think that's the worst part of aging...loosing people.

 

[ChicksnMore]

On my way home this eve.View attachment 3656923View attachment 3656924

I love the one wearing orange socks!

Today I completed some new nest boxes for the ladies, and not a moment too late. I found 5 blue eggs hidden in the loose hay on the floor of the barn. Not sure how long a couple of them had been there, but my 3 Azurs have been laying eggs in this loose hay and I normally find those three eggs.

4 of them…
View attachment 3657541

Now I have a few new nest boxes for them to try out, and they sure were interested.

Twister inspecting my handy work…
View attachment 3657542

Happy hen checking it out!

Well, I finally found out why I have such a problem with bumble foot here.

Spoke to a vet yesterday (I finally found one that will talk about chickens) and found out that the grasses that have spears when seeding tend to have barbs on the seeds, and they will work their way into a chicken foot.

... I live in cow country. Hay and wheat are kind of a big deal here. Also explains why only one breed of chicken seems to have this problem.

I'm claiming this as my birthday present.

My birds are all getting a bunch of hard boiled eggs later, as the temperature is dropping by about 10⁰ overall.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm rather worried about one of my cats. He's lost a bunch of weight and keeps wheezing. He's going to the vet today. Wish me luck!

Happy birthday!

 

[Shetland lover]

Do yours talk back? Seriously?

I greet my flock as I approach the door, and they run up to it, making all sorts of little chirping noises as if they're responding!


Rainy day here, coolish, light jacket weather but the mosquitoes were fierce. Must be the last rush before first frost, usually at the end of October.

It appears two of my girls took to heart my gentle scolding yesterday, I found two good-sized eggs this afternoon!
View attachment 3658268

I cleaned the waterers, put out more oyster shell flakes, and gave the A-frame roost a good scraping. And I threw a couple handfuls of green weeds in the coop. Some of the chicks gobbled them, others acted as if they couldn't care less.

My girls and boys constantly back chat me! No respect!
Gladys, my oldest hen is very chatty with me in general, she makes lovely little enquiring noises whenever we spend time together.
Penelope is incredibly talkative and it often sounds like she is asking me questions then replying to my responses. I enjoy our little 'conversations'.
Connie, my ex-battery hen (now sadly passed - l miss her every day) used to talk to me all the time. She was very expressive and was good at making appropriate noises in response to certain situations. For example, she was house-trained but would very occasionally have an 'accident'. She would look over her shoulder at her poop and make a noise that for all the world sounded like "Oh No!"

So, yes, they do talk to me. Either that, or I'm totally insane '

 

[Shetland lover]

I don't know if anyone remembers me saying way back how Penelope was a serial biter until she went broody for the first tome at 5 months old? Well, yesterday she bit me 6 times for the first time in 19 months!
She's in a foul mood (no pun intended) as she's started a hard moult and is still recovering from her respiratory infection.
She's not eating enough so I've been bringing her in to 'target' feed. She was on my shoulder and decided she would eat some broccoli and pecans. Evidently, i am not quick enough feeding them to her as every tiny floret was followed by a sharp peck to the back of the neck!
She then pecked my face and drew blood, I think that one was just for good measure

 

[PopoMyers]

I didn't close the layers up until after dark. They never give me a problem. My only worry is for the extra roos that roost on top of the hoop houses with no protection from weather. It's not that bad in the winter here unless it is cold and raining. A couple more weeks and they will have a Gentleman's Club of their own.

I don't think they will have any problems finding shelter as the weather gets wetter. If not, you might have a few cock-cicles.

 

[PopoMyers]

Well, I finally found out why I have such a problem with bumble foot here.

Spoke to a vet yesterday (I finally found one that will talk about chickens) and found out that the grasses that have spears when seeding tend to have barbs on the seeds, and they will work their way into a chicken foot.

... I live in cow country. Hay and wheat are kind of a big deal here. Also explains why only one breed of chicken seems to have this problem.

I'm claiming this as my birthday present.

My birds are all getting a bunch of hard boiled eggs later, as the temperature is dropping by about 10⁰ overall.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm rather worried about one of my cats. He's lost a bunch of weight and keeps wheezing. He's going to the vet today. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday! Hoping your cat will be well. Never thought grass could be so dangerous.

 

[PopoMyers]

I don't know if anyone remembers me saying way back how Penelope was a serial biter until she went broody for the first tome at 5 months old? Well, yesterday she bit me 6 times for the first time in 19 months!
She's in a foul mood (no pun intended) as she's started a hard moult and is still recovering from her respiratory infection.
She's not eating enough so I've been bringing her in to 'target' feed. She was on my shoulder and decided she would eat some broccoli and pecans. Evidently, i am not quick enough feeding them to her as every tiny floret was followed by a sharp peck to the back of the neck!
She then pecked my face and drew blood, I think that one was just for good measure

You need some good PPE (personal protective equipment) for times like these. What a grumpy girl!

 

[PopoMyers]

Busy busy busy lately. Just one of those spells where it feels like everyone and their uncle wants a bit of my time. But, this evening everyone got a flake of alfalfa to munch and scratch around...my go to alternative to grass in our green challenged area. They'll all get a few days of fun out of it.
My dwarfs are laying like crazy and no one's gone broody yet! Feels like a miracle and I better go knock on wood now!
Called my friend Pete to see if he was ready for his geese and found out he passed away. Think that's the worst part of aging...loosing people.

I and my classmates and church family are all at the age of losing loved ones. So sad that your friend passed.

 

[PopoMyers]

I learned a new word recently. And experienced it today. Parasthesia. Tingling or pin prick or bug bite feeling on skin for no outward reason.
Today as I was on poo patrol, I opened the coop door to clean and saw a strange bunch of red specks. I dragged my metal tongs over them and they popped red. Oh, no! Mites! I had found their sleeping/hiding area between the door and the frame it closed against, and it seemed like they were all congregated there. After spraying the heck out of the door, cracks, etc. with Dawn soap water, I inspected one of the girls, and no evidence on her of any bugs. My scalp and neck had parasthesia after that. Does this happen to anyone else if you hear the word lice or mites?
I am hating the possibility of having to wash down their coop, as it may not dry very quickly with our cooler, wetter weather. Any suggestions?

 

[TropicalBabies]

I learned a new word recently. And experienced it today. Parasthesia. Tingling or pin prick or bug bite feeling on skin for no outward reason.
Today as I was on poo patrol, I opened the coop door to clean and saw a strange bunch of red specks. I dragged my metal tongs over them and they popped red. Oh, no! Mites! I had found their sleeping/hiding area between the door and the frame it closed against, and it seemed like they were all congregated there. After spraying the heck out of the door, cracks, etc. with Dawn soap water, I inspected one of the girls, and no evidence on her of any bugs. My scalp and neck had parasthesia after that. Does this happen to anyone else if you hear the word lice or mites?
I am hating the possibility of having to wash down their coop, as it may not dry very quickly with our cooler, wetter weather. Any suggestions?

Yes, I get that too. I call it healthy paranoia

Can you use a fan to help dry things out if needed? ♡ Sorry, hope your coop is clean.