What did you do with your flock today?

[Smokerbill]

I got a couple extra large suet feeders and use that. Hung it on the fence. At face level. I can pack it full of kale leaves, cabbage, fruit, and they can easily peck at it without it getting dirty. I think it's also easier for them as well.

What a nifty idea!

I found what I think is a feeder that attaches to a rabbit cage. It's like one of these, but made out of heavy gauge 1"x1" galvanized mesh. I think it'll work for feeding cabbage leaves once I mount it on a board.

 

[Shetland lover]

I've been thinking about the cabbage likes and dislikes in the chickens and I'm wondering if it is the form it's in when they get it. I think it would be hard for a chicken to peck at and eat a leaf of a cabbage or to eat the shreds of a cabbage. When I give it to them it's whole. That way they can just peck at the sides. What do you think?

The only time the form the cabbage is in matters to my lot is if it is a Savoy. I generally hang whole heads but I also feed individual leaves with no problems. Gladys has taught the rest of the crew to stand on the stalk end of the leaf to anchor it to the floor before tucking in - clever girl! They will not employ this method with Savoy leaves or touch a hanging head. The only way they will eat it is if I blitz it into oblivion in my food processor and mix it with their normal food. I've concluded It's a visual aversion to it - much like when people look at a foodstuff and decide they don't like it without even trying it!

 

[Shetland lover]

Happy Aloha friday AND Mele Kalikimaka, Happy Hanukkah and wishing all the best. What a great bunch of eggs you all are!

Yum those cooked carrots sound delicious @Shetland lover

Welp, strangest thing. I lost Indie today. She was not even injured, just old and stressed. Then a few hours later I lost Eva. They were best pals. Eva could not overcome her injuries, poor baby and her comb would start bluing off and on. Then just on. Feeling a bit rattled though not completely surprised. Both were some of my oldest gals and I knew our days going forward were nearing their end. RIP my big girls ♡♡♡♡

On the good news side of things, Hope and Lady Ruby are almost 100%. They are back with the flock and you can not tell that they had been injured looking at them.
Got 9 eggs today.
All my foster kitties are adopted into their new homes already ♡♡♡♡
and Waihona ate snacks from my hand today. Now... it is just a mater of time b4 she becomes a real kitty ♡ I am looking forward to it as i miss her brother so much and she is so much like him ♡
I feed colonies on Xmas eve. I'm looking forward to being up at 3am on such a special eve with the bright stars and beautiful hungry kitties.
Again, happy holidays all!!!

I'm so sorry you lost your precious ladies ❤
In a way it was good they left close together since they were best pals - at least one wasn't left behind to grieve. It's taken almost a year for Gladys it get back to normal after losing Maud.

Go Waihona! Well on her way to a secure future by starting to learn to trust humans

The carrots ARE pretty good done that way, it's the only way I can bear them cooked, anyhow.

 

[Shetland lover]

The baby hamburgs are just so adorably cute!View attachment 3711123View attachment 3711124

Merry Christmas everyone!

Ooohhhh! Too stinking adorable for words!

 

[Shetland lover]

I fed my birds some watermelon
They loved it but got the juice everywhere, silly birds don't know how to eat neatly!
Can you believe it's almost 2024? I can't

I think they revel in making a mess. Mine wouldn't know how to do ANYTHING with finesse, no matter how many instructional videos I sat them in front of!

 

[Shetland lover]

Finally, 13 eggs yesterday! Six of them were blue Good ol Spider genes ♡♡♡♡
The air is cool and crispy and lovely. What a terrific day View attachment 3711470
Forest and Tally falling sleeping during play.

Forest really has taken him under his paw, hasn't he? So heart-warming to see - and unbearably cute

 

[Shetland lover]

I didn't see it but my wife did. Our Indio x Aseel rooster got the scare of his life today. He was out scratching around in the butterfly garden when a mockingbird slipped up behind him and scared him out of his wits. He used his long legs to get to the nearby tree that has limbs down close to the ground so he could hide there. Of course then the mockingbird flew to the same tree to investigate what was there. That's when Legs made a panicky rush back to his coop. Had that mockingbird got to close to Honey she would have tried to catch it and eat it. One day Legs will grow up into those long legs of his.

That's just too funny!
Ferdy was spooked by our resident male blackbird as a chick so now he hates it. He stalks it and screams whenever he sees it...

 

[Shetland lover]

Got some fun Christmas chicken presents! We also finally made a memorial headstone. This time for Aria’s favorite boy Ducky Jr. He never seemed to recover from mites and molting and finally passed on Christmas Eve Eve. Lots of tears. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas

So, so sorry to hear about Ducky Jr. If Aria's anything like I was at her age, losing him will cut her very deep. Extra hugs to her (and you!)

Such great.chicken themed gifts! I only got one chicken - related item - a 'merry clucking Christmas' t-shirt. I suspect no-one wants to encourage my chicken dependency...

 

[Shetland lover]

Well, Ferdy and I had a busy Christmas Eve finishing up my baking and decorations. He 'helped' nearly all day and into the night. I know he hated the high winds we had so he opted to spend the day with me and leave Stan to look after the ladies. Poor Stan was absolutely petrified of the wind and spent his day shouting 'instructions' to the girls from underneath some pine branches! Good job it's Gladys who's really in charge - she just remained calm and ensured the ladies were the same.

Anyway, amongst other things,

we recycled some old plastic baubles to make them look a bit like Wedgwood 'jasperware'.
Some of you might remember I decorated my brother and SIL's wedding cake with sugar paste roses back in September? Well, it sparked an interest to try more sugar paste work. So, armed with trusty YouTube, we set to work:

I can confirm that it is not easy to decorate a cake with your cut-price parrot on your shoulder, intent on eating the marzipan

 

[Shetland lover]

Christmas day and Boxing day was mainly spent with my mom and other family members so I didn't get to spend much time with the gang. Here they are with thier new feeder though

Being highly suspicious of anything new appearing in the run, Ferdy decided to keep watch over the feeder just in case it sprouted legs and teeth, becoming a chicken gobbling monster. Nobody else (apart from Stan hiding behind the hanging feeder) gave a flying fig about it appearing. It was filled with food, after all!