What did you do with your flock today?

[ChicksnMore]

Today should be the last day the plumbers are here!
Then we get a weeks break while I help Tami wrap up everything here so she can move to Flagstaff next weekend. The following week we'll get the drywall repairs going. We decided to hire someone for it since the holes are so extensive and include three large ones in our ceiling. Can't wait till life's back to normal and I have my house back in order! On the bright side ...I haven't done much housework in my torn up home lately .

Todays a car maintenance appointment and someone I've never met coming to buy the hamburgs I hatched with Biscotti. There's one I want to keep... just a super friendly one that comes running when it sees me and pecks my fingers ...but we'll see. I should behave and sell it if I can .

 

[Smokerbill]

That cabbage feeder I put together for my chickens seems to be pretty popular with them. It makes it easy for them to rip off bit size pieces.

 

[Nomadicus]

I filled all the coop feed bins so that is done now for a week. Couldn't resist picking up and making small talk with a few of the original hens that came here as hatchlings in mid September of 2022. There are a few that just expect to be given attention. They can't be hungry as they all needed 3F size belly bras today. They got some scrambled eggs yesterday and probably were wishing for more today. Their coops are open from both ends so they can get back inside quickly no matter which side of the coop they are on.

 

[Smokerbill]

I went ahead and put a roosting bar ( a smooth cornered 2x4) in their coop this afternoon. The coop floor is 4' x 8', half of it is 4 feet tall, the other half 5 feet tall.

I ran the 2x4 right across the middle, about 16" up from the floor. The bar is 43" long, so the stragglers might have a hard time getting up there. If so, they can still use the old roost in the run. The old roost bar is about 39 inches long, and all 7 seem pretty comfortable on it when they get settled for the night.

They'll have good protection from the wind when it gets really cold, with plenty of ventilation well above their heads. I think there's about 12 square feet of venting around the top of the coop.

 

[4eyesnoheart]

I spent a big part of the day looking for Linda the rescue chicken! She still hasn't integrated with my flock and being a bantam OEGB can jump my 8 ft fence quite easily! My flock is small consisting of Dipper EE/Austrolorp Roo, Mabel mixed flock mystery hen, and Lazy Susan SLW.
They aren't chasing her anymore but she also doesn't seem to want to hang out. Eventually, I heard a kerfuffle and found her sitting on the fence.
Then I pied pipered them into their run

because a huge storm is rolling in!

 

[kurby22]

Today should be the last day the plumbers are here!
Then we get a weeks break while I help Tami wrap up everything here so she can move to Flagstaff next weekend. The following week we'll get the drywall repairs going. We decided to hire someone for it since the holes are so extensive and include three large ones in our ceiling. Can't wait till life's back to normal and I have my house back in order! On the bright side ...I haven't done much housework in my torn up home lately .

Todays a car maintenance appointment and someone I've never met coming to buy the hamburgs I hatched with Biscotti. There's one I want to keep... just a super friendly one that comes running when it sees me and pecks my fingers ...but we'll see. I should behave and sell it if I can .

Yay for no more plumbers!! I’m sure you’re loving looking at all the giant holes in the walls and ceiling! Hopefully that gets done soon and done well!

Biscotti is such a trooper! I’m really rooting for him! I think ya gotta keep the really friendly one of the Hamburgs though!

 

[kurby22]

All the new baby chicks are still alive but I got a bit worried for the baby B today. She seemed a bit droopy this morning under the brooder plate so I got her out and held her and noticed she had a doughy crop. They all did when I got them yesterday—I’m thinking they may be dehydrated. So I sat with baby B and massaged her crop and she just sat there on her hocks with her eyes closed. Only reason I got chicks and it seems not well. Super. So after massaging the crop a bunch I fed her a syringe full of egg yolk, water, poultry cell and a splash of olive oil. After napping together on the couch for two hours she seemed to peel up a bit so I put her back in the brooder with her friends. I took the rest of the eggs and mixed them into their food dish and now they’re all eating and baby B ate the most and got herself water Fingers crossed! They’re all back in the food dish as I type. The egg mix is a hit I think!

 

[PopoMyers]

I'm cautious with vitamins and try to use natural foods to do the same job. Some of the vitamins are bad in excess. But in Olenas case perhaps. I agree on C... there's no known excess limit with it. B vitamins are trickier. Some there's no known limit on and some there are. So those might be ones to try supplying through feed. I'd add taurine as well. Taurines another one you can't overdose on and a major nutrient to boost healing. There's been some interesting studies on taurine and healing, longevity etc.
I've been feeding Biscotti taurine supplements since hatch trying to boost his overall health. I buy it as a powder and sprinkle small amounts over his feed.

Just a thought. Would cat food supplement supply both more protein and enough Taurine? It contains .10 % as stated on the crude analysis label.

 

[PopoMyers]

I went ahead and put a roosting bar ( a smooth cornered 2x4) in their coop this afternoon. The coop floor is 4' x 8', half of it is 4 feet tall, the other half 5 feet tall.

I ran the 2x4 right across the middle, about 16" up from the floor. The bar is 43" long, so the stragglers might have a hard time getting up there. If so, they can still use the old roost in the run. The old roost bar is about 39 inches long, and all 7 seem pretty comfortable on it when they get settled for the night.

They'll have good protection from the wind when it gets really cold, with plenty of ventilation well above their heads. I think there's about 12 square feet of venting around the top of the coop.

And it's gonna get frigid for us. Stay safe!

 

[PopoMyers]

Today I went out to do a check. It's going to be rainy for the next few days. How is everyone's forecast looking with this winter blast coming? The weather news says that 48 states have weather warnings.
Filled the one feeder, looked in the water bucket, and found just a little old feed which had molded in the other unused feeder. Promptly took it out, and gave it a good washing, along with a wagon which also had molded food and bag labels in the bottom. That wagon is handy for transporting feed from my car and storing it in the summer, but I don't think it will do in the damp cold. I will put it away when it dries. Had 3 eggs today. Toying with adding supplemental light to make up for our latitude. We are only getting about 8.5 hours from sunrise to sunset. Looking forward to 15 chicks arriving in 2 months. Ordered from a hatchery in a neighboring state so as to decrease transport time. 5 Dominant Coppers, 5 white leghorns, 5 Colorpack blues. I'll receive the overnight. Hopefully no roos.