What did you do with your flock today?

[PopoMyers]

I have ducklings hatching in the next day or so and hopefully some Turkeys. I am now down to 3 of them. I hope at least 2 hatch so I don’t have a lonely Turkey. I can’t remember if I said it on here but I had 2 of my chickens eggs not hatch. I check on them knowing they had internally pipped but they hadn’t broken through the shell yet and I really wanted to know if they were at least still alive. And no, no movement. I decided to open up the air cell and look and see if I could tell what happened. Both of them had cross beak.

I also decided 2 days ago to reach out and feel my goats stomach, just to see if I could see what was going on. And sure enough there is at least a baby, I’m guessing maybe 2 but I have no idea. Then yesterday I reached out touched her tail area to see if I could feel the ligaments and though I’m not 100% sure, but I’m almost positive that if they aren’t gone, they are close. Her utter is getting big, and she is just moving much slower. So now, I am going to be adding a little stall area to their house so she can be separated. I had to fix their feeder cause the wire I used was useless to them. They ripped that apart. This stuff they won’t be able to though cause I had to use bolt cutters to cut it to size.

Anyway, really busy and now that the wind has died, I can get some stuff done. Including planting my garden.

You are going to be a busy lady, lots of activity with all the kids! Pun intended. Babies, babies, of all kinds. They will be adorable. I love gardening weather. You'll be planting warm weather crops, yes? We have to wait at least until Mother's Day, or even later.

 

[PopoMyers]

Today again I took Sweety out and let her peck around in the Barn lot. She mostly stayed around me till it was time to go in.This time I took a pic of her. View attachment 3489738

Just love my Sapphires. I have 4.

 

[PopoMyers]

Well lovely coop progress happening on this thread. Inspiring! I'm also inspired with gratitude that I don't have to put in a new run or roof right now . Too hot, too old. Great job ladies!

I have Heilani in the top brooder. No beeeeebies for me ☹. We are supposed to have some really wet weather coming this afternoon. Still dry now but quickly clouding over as I write.
Hope she breaks broody quickly as it makes me sad to have her locked up lol.

She will get over it. I use broody jails for mine. Only takes 3 days. She will be fine. I think it's harder on us.

 

[Shetland lover]

I considered dropping the bony salmon scraps into the blender to break up the bones but didn't want the hassle of trying to wash fish smell from the blender jar. Maybe I should have saved the stripped bones and dried them, then crushed them as a supplement for the chicks.???

I eat the canned salmon bones myself. I like the texture contrast, and calcium boost. LOL

Drying and crushing the bones is a great idea.I sometimes get wild salmon from a relative. I hate the stuff but DH and the assorted animals love it. I might steal your idea next time he drops one over for us. I definitely feed them the skin, lots of goodies in that.

 

[Shetland lover]

Not trying to be contrary, but according to Wikipedia, ladders are non-venomous. Maybe your ladder snakes are something else?? The only snakes I've seen here in SW Washington are common garter snakes. But to the east of the Cascade mountains, rattlesnakes are common in areas. A few years ago I was camping by Banks lake and saw several rattlesnakes, and two of them were mating. That was cool to see!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladder_snake

Bloody predictive text! It should have read ADDER not ladder
As a teenager, I once walked through a patch of mating adders, roughly 15 pairs. I was with my Dad, out on the moors and we were already halfway through before we noticed them. Since they were preoccupied, we felt it best to just continue through them. They do a lovely synchronized mating dance. It was quite a sight, I'll never forget it. A real privilege to experience.

 

[Shetland lover]

View attachment 3491451
This weather has stayed just out of reach for the last 2 days, it was suppose to give us a whirl but just has not come ashore. Flash flood watch and all but not a drop from the sky for the Westside yet. May have to set up sprinklers today... so close, yet so far. Bet if I washed my truck it would rain .. . 🌧. Surf has been lovely and loud though
Meanwhile back at the ranchView attachment 3491466the lack of rain is obviously a crisis!
And does anyone know what kind of squash this is and the best way to cook it?View attachment 3491467

Such gorgeous horses!
What do they look like inside? The squash I mean? And is the skin soft or hard like a winter squash?

 

[Shetland lover]

I think they are birdhouse gourds.

https://gardenerspath.com/plants/annuals/grow-birdhouse-gourds/

Think you may well be right. They're known as bottle gourds here as they're shaped like old wine flagons. They're not used in cooking here.

 

[TropicalBabies]

She will get over it. I use broody jails for mine. Only takes 3 days. She will be fine. I think it's harder on us.

Yeah, I'm just whining she is doing terrific and will be out in another day.

Mo'o Mele goes to jail tonight and then I take him to Kapaa first thing in the morning for his tooth extraction.

I also will be taking in a spider carcass to the Ag dept, DH gets another boost, switching phone plans, shopping... yuck. Don't like long complicated days in town.

When I get home I am going to put Mazie in observation jail and give her a spa treatment. Her butt is poopy, does not look like vent gleet but gunna clean her and possibly give her an Epsom cleanse inside and out. Perk her up. Maybe put Indy in with her and give them both a once over. My spry little girls are showing some age. Mazie has been relaxing more in the dirt, kind of in weird spots while the flock is jamming around her. No swelling, crop is fine, just going to look a little deeper so I don't have any regrets. She/they are no young spring chickens anymore

We never got any rain on the Westside.

This eve I topped off feeders and scrubbed and filled all waterers so i won't need to do and chicken chores tomorrow morning.
Refilled my food safe too. Had some nibbles on the top of the feed bag. Not sure if that came from feed store or from home. Forest did catch me a big fat mouse the day b4 yesterday, chickens ate it lol not sure who, looked for a big crop but had a few suspects. Seems like I may need to keep an eye on populations

 

[TropicalBabies]

Such gorgeous horses!
What do they look like inside? The squash I mean? And is the skin soft or hard like a winter squash?

I have no idea. I guess some people eat them when big. I may try a smaller one and will let you know.

 

[Dough Hill]

Just love my Sapphires. I have 4.

Me too and I just have 4. I wanted to by more from Rual King but they never could keep them in stock so I’ve been hatching some out and been getting some Gray/Black ones that’s good enough for me.