What did you do with your flock today?

[PopoMyers]

Require a portion of money spent on fireworks to go to humane societies, veteran support groups. Fireworks is just money going up in smoke.

 

[Shetland lover]

Oh my goodness Ive been MIA from the forum and this thread for so long!

Hope everyone is doing well and had a wonderful holiday (if you celebrate). It's been so busy over here with holidays and kids on winter break from school I just haven't popped on.

My flock updates: My 4 chicks are 7 1/2 weeks old and have been spending every day outside in the see/don't touch pen with the big girls. We're hoping to have the run extension done this week so we can attempt to set them free. Im definitely nervous about the full integration process but likely overthinking it. My big girls are still pretty young (almost 7 months) and while they are definitely interested and curious about the babies they haven't displayed any real aggression or protest. I think the run extension will help a ton with integration and plan to release the babies and the big girls into the new space on the same day. Hoping it will be a distraction (new ground! new grass! new places to explore!) so the main focus isn't the babies. Also wondering if it can help with any territorial issues as the space will be new for everyone. We shall see!

Other big news is my Easter Egger FINALLY decided to come into lay this week. Her first egg was blue tinted/olive green, and her second egg today was definitely more olive green. So beautiful! One issue- today she completely missed the nesting box and I found the egg on the coop floor. Im assuming it was just a newbie mistake. maybe she stuck her tail feathers too far to the back of the box. thankfully the egg didnt crack. Im hoping it's just a fluke. The other layers always face with their heads outside the box so that never happens. Only one more left to come into lay (No one warned me how slow Buff Orphingtons mature...)

Wow that was a mouthful. Going to click back some pages now and read what the rest of y'all have been up to!

Hope the integration goes without a hitch! Sounds like a great idea, adding the extension to provide a distraction. I sometimes move the aquarium decor around for that reason if I'm introducing potentially aggressive fish. Never thought about doing it with the chickens though!

 

[Shetland lover]

interesting! Mine won't touch tomatoes. We have our tomato plants growing right near the run too so it would be really convenient if we could just toss any damaged fruit in there, but it just sits and gets covered in ants.

My lot only like the seeds and jelly out of the tomatoes. Did I mention they are fussy and spoilt?

 

[Shetland lover]

Today is the 28th so I am buttoning up a few deferred chores and then will get ready for the great New Years Eve mountain escape. Little trickier this year... but gotta do it. Hate leaving my chickens behind but mostly hate all of the illegal fireworks. Hawaii has the honor of being dubbed the worst state for illegal fireworks and I can attest to the truth in that. Especially being a block from the beach where people like to set them off... and a block from the park where other people to set them off. Sure wish we had police who enforced our illegal firework laws... sure wish I had more thoughtful neighbors. So much noise an ddisruption for days. So much and cost in vet visits and animal welfare. just foolish. Not happy about NY at all, lol

Picked Waihona up a friend from another foster mom View attachment 3713878
Meet Flo. I think Waihona will be worth the efforts ♡View attachment 3713879

Chooks are awesome They are giving me (on average) a dozen eggs a day. So, egg drought is over for a bit. Flock dynamics are terrific, poop is plentiful. Spider, is a bada** keeping out the ferals. He has attracted the locals roos for challenge and then reasserted his rule, all without a bruise or blood. Just love watching that boy do his magic. Spider does not mate all of the girls, just his select few. Beetle is mating the rest, though most all girls seek Spider's approval and protection. Spider and Beetle quickly started working as a team again. Beetle knows he is #2 and it works beautifully. My girls seem as happy as can be.

Love my morning view of the complaining captives.View attachment 3713906
Loving the cool workable weather. Lots to do today. Be good, stay well all.

Everyone looks amazing and beautiful as ever. New foster kitty is sooooo cute
It's so cool watching the boys work in tandem, isn't it? I'm loving watching Ferdy and Stan co-operate more and more as time passes.

 

[Shetland lover]

I'm sure Ferdy heartily agrees that you are a good cook as well.

His favourite dish is nachos, which is definitely DH's baby!

 

[Shetland lover]

Awww, Flo looks like a sweetheart. Waihona is progressing in trust with your care and attention. So glad the 4 that came to WA already have forever homes.
Fireworks here, even though we have a lot more space, are plentiful, legal and illegal, with the Native reservations that sell them. The law is that you are not to light them off the reservations, but no one checks. Hubby, who was in law enforcement, said that his department was told not to respond to fireworks calls. Not enough officers to field all those to have time to respond to higher priority calls. We have people who shoot them off before and after the designated times, and even off season, scaring the $&!+ out of my girls, cat, and I. No bueno! Late night, etc. So inconsiderate. I was in HI for New Years, and the smoke alone is so thick. We saw a drone checking for illegal fireworks around my sister's neighborhood. Heard of one bust on my nephew's friend's street. Can't catch them all. Hope you will be sane, and glad you have a getaway.

There are so many people setting them off in our town, often during daylight hours. I mean, where's the fun in that? I hate that people can buy them here with little restriction. I've always wished for them to be restricted to public display but it sounds like it wouldn't make much difference judging by all your experiences

 

[Shetland lover]

I got out for a few with camera in hand for the first time in a long time. I must spend more time out with the kids. Here is my body guard in training.
View attachment 3714083

So beautiful

 

[Shetland lover]

We did our quarterly big cleaning of the coop. The poop boards are cleaned daily, and the straw on the floor is added to as needed, in deep litter fashion. But once every few months we take out all the old straw and start over with a half a bale of fresh straw.

So, we tossed the other half of the bale into the run on a few muddy spots and the chickens had a blast. But poor Cooper. This was his first straw day and he didn't know what to think of that stuff. He walked the whole perimeter, keeping plenty of distance between it and himself, and watched the girls scratch and peck and have a good old time. After several minutes, he finally made his way around the straw, only stepping on it briefly in front of the coop door, and watched them from inside.

I wish I had my phone with me to get pictures of him.

DH just went out to hang a fresh cabbage for them and said they were all in already. Half an hour early. It seems that if Cooper was in, it must be time to go to bed.

He sounds a bit like Stanley, highly suspicious of new experiences

 

[Shetland lover]

My lovely birds kept me sane today so I thanked them in treats. Can you tell the girls rule the world at treat time? All of my boys are so very deferential to the girls when it comes to food. They do eat some...but they spend more time making offerings and keeping an alert eye out even when they're locked up in the runs. Such good boys.View attachment 3714120View attachment 3714121View attachment 3714122View attachment 3714123View attachment 3714124View attachment 3714125

Your babies are all so gorgeous
Ferdy is the same with the ladies. In fact, he spends so much time ensuring they get the pick of the food, he forgets to feed himself (that's why he ended up a part-time house chicken). He will even tid-bit Gladys then run a mile when she accepts it!
With Stan, it depends on the treat. At the moment he's got a taste for blueberries and yesterday he barrelled through the ladies to get to them

 

[Shetland lover]

I've come to hate the fireworks industry as a whole for what it does to animals and people with PTSD. Why not just have a pizza party?

Me too! I didn't even care for them much as a child. Fortunately, none of my current lot are bothered by them unduly.