Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[birds4kids]

Tractor Supply keeps chicks in stock, I have struck out nd they haven't had the Red Rangers I wanted so I ordered last night from Purely Poultry.
Both Berlin and Appleton Tractor supply are currently carrying chicks though.

 

[corewassen87]

i bet the shawano tractor supply has them. They always seem to be pretty well stocked up. Got my calf hutch home. Got a lot of little prep stuff to do before I get the piggies Sunday. Glad the cold weather looks to be behind us for the most part. Only around 30 at night from here on I'm hoping. The guy I'm getting the pigs from said they'll need a heat lamp for a while yet but if there's 3 of them burrowed in straw in a calf hutch out of the wind I'm not sure now necessary heat will be if it's only gonna get down to 30?

 

[jvls1942]

Taco Thursday here tonight.

That shooting in Schofield ended up with the shooter getting shot at his apartment . My daughter lives just across the street and about a half block away from there.
The Hmong guy was getting divorced by his wife and taking it out on everybody else.

it is almost certain, the goose has a nest hidden behind the garage. I caught her hanging around back there with the gander standing guard. I couldn't get over the high frozen snow bank to check closer.

only 5 eggs today, but I collected them before noon.

...jiminwisc......

 

[jvls1942]

good morning,
corey, don't be too reluctant to give the pigs a little heat.
these rainy cold damp days are tough on young livestock.
hang a tarp over the door to help keep the heat in.
don't be surprised if they chew the tarp away, though.


I moved my shroom farm off of the floor and up onto a counter top. just a tad warmer than on the tile floor, I think.

Annie is going to pick up her 1999 Buick this afternoon.
it has less than 90,000 miles on it. owned by a 97 yr old man. always kept in a garage and seldom driven in the winter .

this is the replacement car for the 2003 Honda CRV that I totaled out for her a few weeks ago.
I think she is going to miss the all time 4WD ..
I know I will.

.........jiminwisc......

 

[bigzio]

Yep, I agree with the needed heat for the piggies......you can bet that there will be a lot of nights in the teens and 20's yet. It takes forever for night temps to become mild here in Wi. Most of the month of April will have cold nights for the most part.....little piggies are more fragile than you might think.

Yep rain and chilly for a few days here in a row.

bigz

 

[chikenscratch]

CC- I love my one hen that I have from you! She is so sweet, but she is not a good winter layer and has never gone broody. The orders I've placed are intentional based on the few breeds I've had and the desire to give other breeds a chance. I do love the orps! I have 2 good sitters that are from vicki's blk orp stock, but they are old and not laying frequently. I've ordered speckled sussex to hopefully replace my sitters and they are supposed to be good winter layers. The welsummers have a good production rate & are a non-sitter. Keeping my fingers crossed on the breeds! I get the eggs tomorrow and Monday.

Brent-I definitely plan for some stock at the minimum from my culls!

I went out this morning and had a dead hen. Just on her back dead. Last night, I left them out until about 5:45pm and went out to corral them in and Alice (the now dead one, a blrw-splash) and my lav orp had nestled to the ground while the others had already gone to the coop. I picked them both up as they seemed to have already set into "sleep mode". But when I went out this morning, she had not moved all night and was upside down where I had left her. I gave her a good looksie and no apparent reason for death, so maybe just old age (as I had mentioned my flock is aged and hence why I need to get some chicks hatched). I'll keep a good eye on the rest of them just in case, of course!

Hope you are all having a great Friday and have a great weekend!

 

[bigzio]

Yep, another FFF is at hand, with baked haddock and shrimp along with ho-made Cajun fries.

It's always good when a hen dies from old age cs, versus a health problem among the flock at a whole. I had one die late this Winter also, and she was aging as well as some others I have here. I have some hens pushing 9 years old, and that's longevity at it's best in chickens...they sure had a good life here. I'm still deciding whether to hatch some or buy some this Spring...time will tell with that decision.

Sure is chilly and dreary here today.

bigz

 

[corewassen87]

soaked up a few hours of overtime this afternoon. Prolly do 8 or 10 hours tomorrow too. I planned on giving the piggies heat but just was curious how necessary it really was but I know I'd rather give them a little heat than have sick critters on my hands. I'm thinking it's gonna be a Chinese nite. Maybe I'll whip up broccoli and beef in the pressure cooker. Only takes 12 minutes...can't beat that

 

[bigzio]

Good to hear you are up for the added heat cw...I know they are pricey, but the electric heat pads that pork raisers use even though they have the heat provided by the sows are sweet. I used them for raising puppies too. I gave my last one to a friend for raising puppies...otherwise i'd share it with you if I still had it. Good Luck with the piggies!

bigz

 

[chikenscratch]

I checked on the flock when I got home today and the lav orp (from CC) that was out with the now dead blrw yesterday at dusk, is still acting not right, kinda sluggish/tired/slow. Either I have 2 in my flock dying off from old age together (kindof like when spouses die close together) or something happened to the 2 of them. The others are all acting peppy per usual: attentive, mobile, responsive, feathers/eyes/beak normal, eating & pooping. Hmmm, time will tell. Of course they could all have something too. But I'd have no idea what. They haven't been around new birds/animals and neither have I, their eyes, skin, legs look normal. I will say that the lav orp looks "saggy in her feathers" this evening like she is relaxed and she seems to have labored breathing. Egg bound? Any suggestions? I had wondered whether Theo had ruffed them up at all yesterday. I haven't seen him attack the chickens since he was a pup, but it was my first thought as it was always these 2 that he bothered.