What did you do with your flock today?

[PopoMyers]

Oh I love that part of Christmas!!! A few things I started doing with my kids. 1) getting a real tree. That started when my I married my husband. Kinda makes me sad because my last Christmas as a single mom, I bought a large fake tree for my kids and it hasn’t been used since . But that is something my husband wanted to do and I’m cool with that as long as he takes it out and cleans up the needles. 2) when we decorate the tree we listen to Christmas music and drink hot coco. 3) there is a town about an hour away that has a drive threw Christmas lights that move with music on a local music station. I took my kids there every year when they were little babies. I also took my brother every year with me. And to this day he still goes and takes his 2 girls. 4) we decorate cookies together while listening to Christmas music. We ALWAYS make WAY more candy and cookies than we eat. So we started sending it to my husbands mom and giving it away as “gifts”. 5) And surely not least but one of the last major things we do is on Christmas Eve we watch Christmas movies (not that we don’t anyway throughout December) and drink hot coco with a peppermint stick in it (my favorite things) or the kids can pick a candy cane off the tree that my husband always over loads.

I’m not really sure yet how often I HAVE to change it. When the last set died, we left the water alone. We changed it the day we were getting these guys. I cleaned it but not VERY WELL AT ALL!! And when we filled it we had to use our well that has a lot of Iron in it. And unfortunately it isn’t ran through our softener. We were going to use the well that isn’t hooked up to the house and has no iron but it was soooo low we couldn’t suck any of it out. But this time, I spent 3 hours cleaning it and we went to town and got water from the water plant. When it gets to be spring I plan on buying a sucker fish to maybe help it out. I also have heard of Barley bundles, I might try that. I just don’t want to put a fish in the water with how cold it’s going to be getting. I would rather have a tank in the house for it to go in when it does get ucky! I don’t like using so much water either…and the time it takes to clean it. I want filter plants but I’m not sure what would be best. I know they will eat it so I would have a back up area for the main plants to grow.

I think you said it better than I did about technology. And it is taking jobs. For example I like self-check outs. But I also hate them because if something goes wrong I have to wait around for someone to come by and help. And with 6 kids, more often then not I just want to leave the store without anything when I have to wait forever for a person to help me. The grocery store in town also started the self check out and it is FAR WORSE than Walmarts. I can’t even start on that one…

I have friends with kids who swear by using the buy online and pick-up services some stores have. A life saver, time saver, headache preventer, extra stuff in cart from kids saver. Many are free with a minimum purchase.

 

[PopoMyers]

@FBMcrazy8 so sorry for your family's loss. Sounds like a life well lived.

 

[PopoMyers]

All 17 can’t use that nest box alone…

But they may all try.....like my 9 girls. So, I have 5 normal size nesting boxes in the main coop, and a old cat litter pan with shavings in the smaller, used to be temporary coop. Guess which one they all lay in? The litter pan. Sometimes, two girls are in there together, and sometimes I hear some loud complaining, kind of like when someone takes too long in the bathroom.

 

[Shetland lover]

But they may all try.....like my 9 girls. So, I have 5 normal size nesting boxes in the main coop, and a old cat litter pan with shavings in the smaller, used to be temporary coop. Guess which one they all lay in? The litter pan. Sometimes, two girls are in there together, and sometimes I hear some loud complaining, kind of like when someone takes too long in the bathroom.

Mine have literally a nest box each and still squabble over one! It doesn't matter which one is occupied, that's the one they all want Contrary little buggers. And Penelope laid another egg at my feet this morning, just ran up to me, squatted and dropped it! Dunno what she's trying to tell me, she's always laid in the nest box before.

 

[Shetland lover]

Kurby22, they are the cutest!
And how are your little bundles of fluff doing now, Gammas Bearded Babies?

 

[TropicalBabies]

Happy Saturday!
I actually really like my ceramic eggs and even though they were ridiculously $$ I don't regret them at all ♡ Would love to run across a basket with beautiful eggs like @FBMcrazy8 but that stuff does not happen here... ever.

@PopoMyers sounds a little crazy farm/weather drama. Glad you got your rooster sorted b4 the rains come.

@kurby22 fricken rats. You have the biggest jerk rats ever. They sould get an award for being so bad ⚰ Id be livid. After all that $$ and effort to keep the chooks safe with your super cool and groovy doors ugh! .

I think the musical nest boxes, or pile ons or secret spots are funny. My favorite is changing out nesting material and watching the matriarchs have to be the first to check it out. Chickens are funny.

 

[TropicalBabies]

So, still dark here for a few more hours. We have the no tradewind southerly sticky still and warm feel to the early morning. I think we have thunderstorms looming out at sea too. I do feel a little coolness coming down from the mountains now carrying the smell of dried grass with it. Nice reprieve.

Hope is doing pretty good @ Kurby. She has not integrated with the flock- still very low in the PO and hard to get a photo of. When I toss scraps or treats she is in the mix just fine. She is very me friendly and I really like her company. I have noticed a little swelling again but no change in behavior. I flushed and inspected yesterday and all looked fine. She is in my sights.

Share I believe appreciated the drain. It is pretty quick and easy after getting over my initial nervousness. But we are def at the end. Her breathing is more labored, comb color blueing and I don't think she has much longer. After the second fluid extract and rest I closed the run for her and 2 friends and then lifted stumps so we could bug hunt. I think she appreciated the gesture. She spent the rest of the day resting in the sand with the flock. I placed her in the hospital at bedtime where she ate pretty good b4 bed. It has been a good 5 years ♡♡♡ I will miss her.

I think my cleft beak chick is a roo and will dispatch off him when the time comes ☹ Not a culler but can't pass these genes, can't let him go.

Ah, more flashes of lightning, the sound of thunder and light rain now love it!

As far as caring for the sick and wounded- I find it more my pleasure to be of service to these sweeties who serve me well. Having the cages, housing, supplies and meds to do it absolutely helps with my attitude.

 

[FBMcrazy8]

I have friends with kids who swear by using the buy online and pick-up services some stores have. A life saver, time saver, headache preventer, extra stuff in cart from kids saver. Many are free with a minimum purchase.

Yeah I don’t do that. I don’t want someone picking out my stuff. I would rather do all that. But thank you

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Well the girls are using other nest boxes. Which is good cause now I’m not having every other egg being broken. @TropicalBabies I get needing those eggs. And I know that there is a lot of things of higher price there than there is here. The great thing about them though is you can use them over and over again.

Today is just gross outside. Wind is supposed to be at 27 mph but out here in the flat land we are looking at closer to 50mph again . I can’t wait until some of these wind breakers we planted this year get big enough to actually break the wind.

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Today was a busy day and I didn’t have a ton of time for the chickens, but had to make time for them tonight when I checked the coop cam and saw that their auto door was still open at 8:20. Went out to close it and discovered that a rat had chewed the electrical wire and the door now won’t shut So we all went out in the dark with head lamps and iPhone flashlights and tried to scare away the rats and find something to block the door until morning when we can try to fix it This of course had to happen 7 days before we go on a trip to idaho and have a pet sitter… stupid rats! I ordered two extra replacement cords but I’m sure they won’t make it before we leave and this is of course the only coop that now has no door at all to use if the auto door isn’t working either So annoying!

I did get a bit of time with the new babies, and a couple of the chickens outside before it got dark, but they’ve been a bit neglected due to work stuff this week! They were very happy to get their treats though!!

Edited to add**the waterer looks gross but it’s got meds and apple cider in it to cut the taste of the meds. And the other waterer is empty so I can force them to drink their yucky meds. They’re not being neglected I swear!

They are just so precious!!! There is never enough time to spend with em all!
I really need to stop hatching!!!

Rats! Thats such a pain! And u r fixing to be gone too! Ugh! Hopefully those cords will come asap!

Kurby22, they are the cutest!
And how are your little bundles of fluff doing now, Gammas Bearded Babies?

Well....the 2 are about the same as they were yesterday...the runt back to pecking its feet and chirping loudly and the possible wry neck had fallen over before I got up this morning and where I'm giving them all the vitamins their poo is little wetter and it had it all over its side from fallin underneath the heat plate.
So quickly washed it off and blew dry it...soaked runts feet and blew dry it....it's crop just is barely there. So I'm wondering if the nearly constant chirping is failure to thrive.
Made more mash with vit e, b and poultry cell and nutridrench. All small doses for the 5 to eat.
May give em some sesame seeds to help with runny poo ....
Someone here had told me months back whenever one had the splay legs and a slipped tendon that the sesame seeds were quick easy treat to help with vit B deficiency....then someone else said no it constipates em...so idk.
Maybe it'll help in this case?!
I added some pine flakes to their paper towel bedding to distract runt from its feet pecking...things are a little quieter finally!