Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[MustLoveHens]

Hot disgusting morning all!

Got half the critter chores done this morning and have decided I need more coffee. I keep tying words wrong. Thank goodness for the back space key!
DH informed me that Ben is slatted to go to the "Hold your reins"...nope that's not it...."Taking the reins" (that's it!) event in Madison next month. He gets to be the spokes rooster for the Nutrena booth. Hopefully he will be a good bird.

The rabbits are well and all sassy.

Cind-Sorry about your well problems. I really hope it's an easy fix.

Well, I need more coffee. Sorry I didn't reply more, just can't seem to focus yet this morning...
Laters

 

[Apyl]

Good Morning everyone. Let the chickens out and refilled the kiddie pools, hopefully I wont have to be outside much today. The kids and i also gathered up all the fans and have them all in the living room so hopefully it wont get to bad today. I keep reading about everyones gardens, heck the only thing I got out of my garden so far has been chives for a dip I made and 1 pea pod lol. Oh wait and a tomato from the plant I planted back in February lol. Oh well maybe it will turn out better next year.

Oh hey, I am curious. How long to pullets lay the smaller eggs? Also DH was wondering when do chickens go broody? He's wondering if we should keep our remaining boys penned up after we get rid of the extras. He doesnt want a hen hatching chicks in the winter.

Well I guess thats about it, stay cool everyone.

 

[vickiw]

morning everyone!

Whew! that took a while to get caught up! Been busy the last few days. My daughter, granddaughters & hubby (my 2nd son

) came up from IL for a visit. They even brought the boat with them so hubby could take my hubby fishing. It's a big boat that we gave to them several years ago because we were just not using it (it's a good size craft) and they love it and love us for giving it to them

. They brought all their little dogs too but it was fine. Every body was well behaved and had a great time running around our field. Sunday my son and his new wife joined us and we had a nice family picnic. First time everyone else had met the new wife or seen my son in more than 15 years so there was a lot of catching up. It was a nice day.

My daughter and family just left with the boat loaded down with gifts from Grandma&Grandpa for everyone. Sad to see them leave but boy am I pooped!!! The girls are all happily running around chasing bugs in the yard. They had to stay in their run the past several days because even tho the dogs were really good around them, their puppy (an Aussie terrier) and the springer spaniel REALLY wanted them to come out and play!

. The older Lhasa didn't even look at them. I kept a close eye on the girls to make sure they were ok in the heat and they came thru just fine. In fact they didn't even stop laying! (except broody butt of course). I've let her hide in the nest box in the coop while the company ws here, making sure it wasn't too hot (our coop is REALLY well insulated) but as soon as I am done her I am dragging her out and closing the pophole so she has to eat, drink, etc.

FT~was it you that asked why I needed the hay? I don't have any livestock other than the chooks but I use a lot of hay/straw year round in the gardens, I want a thick layer in the run by winter so the ground won't freeze and I plan to use it in the coop as well.

Amy~that's just horrible!!!

to everyone else, cute pics, congrats on the chicks and sympathy for the losses.

FT~hope the tests came out ok

about the longjohns,

done now, Vicki

 

[Terri O]

Good morning again! I am trying this for the second time...I hope I am more awake now. I fell asleep in the chair for a half hour or so and had another cuppa....

that I am awake enough now! I know just how you feel MLH--it has got to be the heat that is making "us" type wrong and fall asleep

LOL!


Apyl--my hens dont seem to go broody after August or so...but they usually have all had at least 2 batches by then so I cant say that for sure about all birds...mine do start early though (like January some years) and really dont have any problem keeping chicks warm! It is kind of amazing really. My Super Mama hatched 15 in the dead of January (that year it was REALLY cold) and raised them ALL! Those became the forerunners to my flock that lives semi-wild in the barn. THey have a lot of game bird in them so maybe that is why they do so well?

So this morning I was "hunting" the fox and I barely got the sleep out of my eyes at 5:35 and here he comes right around the brush pile! Came out after the guinea/duckling parade that had just passed by. OMG--got the gun up and shot at it--dont think I hit it though. It trotted off to the corn without a bird to eat. I just calm my heart at here it comes again!!! Now this is really a stupid fox or there are more than one! I did not see it cross the field but was not really expecting to shoot again so soon! So it came around the other side of the pile and was thinking about going in near the goats...I stood and aimed--dont think I hit it but maybe ticked it. Man they can run fast! I wanted to crouch to be more steady but the horses were behind the fox and I sure didnt want to shoot one of them! So I stayed out for another half hour or 45 mins and didnt see anything else. I think I need some target practice!

I have a woman from New Glaurus coming to buy more ducks today...seems that the ones I sold her a month ago got their enclosure torn up by a raccoon...I might have typed this already...seem familiar...CRS strikes again!

O anyway...I locked a few up for her to check out. I dont know if she wants to go with larger ones or babies again...of course I have BOTH!

I turned out BL4's calls last night and turned on the hose.OMG did they have a blast! THey churned up the mud area and were mud up to their eyeballs! That is something to say when it is so dry! It was an easy matter to heard them back in with some of the babies too. I think my lone male is happy to have the company but boy did the Rouen have fun chasing him around when they first came out! Sheesh--he must have thought he was gone for good!

So the little AC unit is on and running this morning! The air blows right across my shoulder so I cant even sit in my chair cause it's too cold! If I just could sit in this other recliner all day I would be happy (and cool) Wouldnt it be neat to have powers that you could just direct stuff around? Like I could picture myself cleaning out the chick tv and my "powers" could do it. (and I could sit here and watch it getting done?!) Yeah....I am lazy!

So last night I made grilled chicken and the girls put together a "packet" with potatoes, onions and carrots to go on the grill. THen some corn on the cob and a saute of kohlrabi, onion, mushroom, yellow summer squash and tomato....MMMM! It was soooo good! Absolutely no left-overs! Too bad cause I woulda had them for lunch! All of your dinners sounded lovely too! I couldnt believe that they are picking corn already in Cambridge! That is only 10 miles from here! I thought the guy would tell me that it was from IL or something. The man at the fair said they got theirs from TX. Last might's corn was certainly not as good as the fair stuff was. It was actually kind of overripe and mealy textured...maybe cause of the lack of rain?

Well, I guess I have rambled enough for this morning...I really want to make some GF bread today but dont want to turn on the oven...maybe I can make a box outside and the sun can bake it for me? Just might work today...
Have a great day...beware of the heat everyone! Terri O

 

[Apyl]

Apyl--my hens dont seem to go broody after August or so...but they usually have all had at least 2 batches by then so I cant say that for sure about all birds...mine do start early though (like January some years) and really dont have any problem keeping chicks warm! It is kind of amazing really. My Super Mama hatched 15 in the dead of January (that year it was REALLY cold) and raised them ALL! Those became the forerunners to my flock that lives semi-wild in the barn. THey have a lot of game bird in them so maybe that is why they do so well?

Awesome, thanks for the info.

 

[babylady4]

It is only 10 AM and already 90*...

Too flippin HOT!!!! I think I will wait for DH to come home from work before we head out swimming.... poor guy deserves to dip his tootsies once in a while.

So once again my house is a total disaster area. We are STILL getting that back bedroom finished

but I have given DH a deadline for finishing it; my daughters friend who moved to Alaska is going to return here for school and will be staying with us for a bit.... so he has something like 3 weeks to get everything in that room and our current bedroom finished. I think today I will attempt to get the windowsills painted and get the blinds back up so the solar heating can be curbed (the room has a huge window and is on the South side of the house with no shade). Sounds really ambitious for a day like today..... napping sounds so much more fun.

DH still needs to call his folks to see if we can house the ducks there temporarily (WHY he did not do this right away I will never understand), I guess he would like to pay the city a few fines.

I better get moving. TO, glad you are enjoying the ducks!

 

[kristip]

Gee Terri... wonder who that woman from NG is... that is where I live. So many people around here are losing the battle to raccoons. seems like they are coming out of the wood work for a food supply and they think our fowl is it! hoping ours are gone. especailly with us being gone for a week... although I am sure that carol, our chicken sitter will do great!
on a side note... i am having a rough morning because my babysitter never showed up this am. Suppose to be at work. Thank goodness they are a family company and understand these things. mY regular sitter is out of town this week so my neighbor kids were going to watch them. The high school girl we love had an orthodontics appointment this morning so her brother (who we have been training in) was going to come down for first few hours and he never showed up. grr... kids.

oh and I have realized that if my DH knew how bad my chicken math is out of control... he would flip. thank goodness he never has counted the girls. Hoping the April fools chicks start laying soon to help with egg production and that keeps him happy. At least I will probably be getting rid of my two chicks in the near future... pretty sure at 3-4 weeks they are roos.

 

[chikenscratch]

Good hot & sticky morning to you all!

We had a skunk come close last night, but something must have scared it off because it sprayed! And the raccoons seem to be satisfied with the garbage can contents! I figure as long as the city doesn't complain about my garbage bags being torn apart inside my can, I'll continue to let the coons eat left-overs instead of chicken! I am really tempted to put some poison in the garbage for them to eat, but there will always be more of them. Before they ate out of the garbage can, they were eating out of the composter which is right next to the coop. Either way, I think that the racoons have determined that it is easier to eat our left-overs whether they are from the garbage or the compost, than try to get into the coop!

Okay. I have a real concern about our mere 3 chickens surviving the winter. My concern is that without heat and insulation, the 3 of them will not be able to provide enough bodily heat to keep the coop warm. The inside coop size is 4x5. Once I add in a feeder and waterer it will be more like 4x4. What is everyone's opinion on this?

 

[chikenscratch]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures

I read this article pertaining to winter coop temps. It is really good, well-rounded advice from what I can tell. But since this will be our first winter with chickens, I still wonder whether anyone has additional advice.

I think that our coop size is good for 3-5 chickens, if I remember correctly. Our run attached is 5x10, so they will have plenty of room to stretch their legs on days that they can't (or don't want) to come out of the run.

 

[Amyable]

Okay. I have a real concern about our mere 3 chickens surviving the winter. My concern is that without heat and insulation, the 3 of them will not be able to provide enough bodily heat to keep the coop warm. The inside coop size is 4x5. Once I add in a feeder and waterer it will be more like 4x4. What is everyone's opinion on this?

If your coop is not drafty they will be fine. Heat is harder on them than the cold, remember they have mega-insulation with all the fluff. You might have big-combed birds get some frostbite; the area will blacken and then fall off. My birds have always come thru that unaffected.

Will be picking up a new trap, this morn the dead hen was gone and the trap not sprung. The mechanism is bent a little (borrowed trap.) Could be a fox, with the whole bird carried off. Whatever it be, it's days are shortly numbered.