Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Cindlady]

Hi All!

Very cute chick pics everyone!

LOL... After I just bragged about how easy it is to move a broody hen... I had one today that gave me issues! Got the nest ready with the eggs... moved her over and she ran right back to the empty nest. So I went in after dark and tried again. We'll see if she sticks. Might have to pen her.

Well, headache all day.... going to bed...Night All!

 

[JustJohn]

Getting a well tested every year is a good idea. God only knows how far the reservoir you're tapped into branches out. It could run under an old cemetery or a farm with lots of runoff. Ground shifting could cause new fissures. A bunch of new wells had to be drilled in our town just before we moved here, word is there was contamination from a large farm that seeped into the groundwater. We live in southern Brown Co on the Ledgeview karst and there are lots of surface fissures that can lead into the underground reservoirs. Don't wanna be drinking E.coli.

The state university extention will test well water for free if you have a new baby in the home. just a heads up for the knocked up.

 

[Angiebubs]

schools closed due to number off trees down and snow lol

 

[Gallus Sapien]

Quote:

I agree......some big Dairy Farms around here had to pay for new wells to be drilled for the land owners who had good lawyers that proved that their manure caused the problem...other people just sold the house to the farmer who wanted the land any way.....

Radon gas should also be checked.....

 

[delisha]

Brrrrrr..

Good chilly morning cheese heads. I put the heat on for the new chicks last night, and glad I did. Wow it is cold. It was 70 and dropped all the way down to 40. The last chicks are supposed to ship out next week. I hope the weather improves for shipping.

 

[GhostRider65]

Well morning ya all........
Not much new here, same old cold weather is back, 87 on Tuesday, today its 37...........argggghhhhhhh grumble.........
Well had a 100% hatch rate with the new brinsea, SORTA set 11 good eggs into lockdown Friday Sunday 9 of them hatched 2 slow ones pipped but taking there ole sweet time, so left everyone in there till tuesday, 2 littles still not zipped, no progress at all, so took out the 9 and added a rag for extra humidity, and still nothing so I unzipped them very carefully, yolk sack was absorbed but they were starting to get dry in the shell was sticking to them........... well both are still alive in a box in my room with a lamp, but neither can move well, one leg on the pullet chick, is weak or something and she can't stand, so she is in a sling hoping she makes some sorta progress, the other seems not to even be able to hold its head up......... so not sure what to do? .feeling about now I should cull them..........but they are still peeping up a storm but won't eat or drink anything except when forced and that isn't going so well......... so thought maybe I could get a few ideas from you all on what to do,? I have never had to cull a chick and it just seems wrong to do so, but I have little hope for these 2 making it longer than a a few days............and I really can't make myself do the deed, even if I knew how.......?? help guys I'm a chicken when it comes to my chickens............ Kim

 

[kristip]

So i decided to try the two younger chicks that Heather sent my way in with the bigger chicks ( 4 weeks vs 6 weeks) and they seem to do fine. It is a big enough space for 8 birds, they had plenty of room to get away when they wanted. And no one was too crabby. Bigger birds perched some and all seemed fine. Checked them during the day just fine. everyone was getting along. So decided to leave them overnight. Wake up and the two little ones have jumped out of the kiddie pool, squeezed through the fencing around it and are walking around the garage. Had a pickle of a time catching them and dont know if someone picked on them and they "ran away" or they just decided to play Freebird and make a run for it....needless to say, they are back in the plastic dog kennel for another week and we will try again. Trying to figure out how to switch some birds around my big coop when we bring the babies outside... I have a few birds I will be selling from my current coop but babies wont give me eggs until August/september probably, and dont want to be down for my customers... what to do!!!

thanks everyone for fruit suggestions...need to look at the trees rather than bushes for this space...so many good ideas. love the fruit everywhere... especially if I am unemployed soon...garden and fruit trees will help so much! And we get our first CSA share tonight from one of the farms we get shares from. Spring greens are so yummy!! Cant wait.

 

[flocksalot]

Kristip...I mix ages all the time in the brooder and never have a problem. Right now I have 4,5,6, and 7 week olds together in one, three day up to three weeks in another, and newly hatched with two week old turkeys. The last is pretty funny because it makes the turkeys look huge and they are Midget Whites.

So don't give up hope it can be done! The biggest trick is to add them as early as I can. The younger chicks will accept easier.

If I were to guess I would say your younger chicks got scared and went looking for their normal sleeping spot. All my brooder a have covers on them to prevent that. Turkeys are really quick to jump/fly out and come looking for someone to cuddle them. I don't relish cleaning the poop, so covers are required. The added benefit is that I don't have to try to chase down flighty chicks.

 

[kristip]

Thanks Flocks... there is a cover on top...they squeezed through the holes of the fencing I have around the outside of the kiddie pool. SO they hopped up (one was even a silkie) to twice their height or more and then squeezed through during the night..then we had to play catch the chickies while running to the school bus in the morning...picture comedy of errors...These two also have no desire for dried meal worms like the older chicks do. They all figured it out by week 2 and now they hear the bag and jump in my lap for their treats and pettings.

oh well.
Just heard my mom is coming to visit for weekend! Yeah! We really need to try to drive down to Milwaukee to visit her more often...kids are getting older that it works better. We have a kid who gets easily car sick though and there is not much to do at my moms so we have to pack a car full for a few hours. ( and DH wont sleep there because my mom is a smoker) but she is 74 and I worry about her and her boyfriend of 25 years (who is 80 this year). So it is nice she comes to visit and when both are here, we can sneak out for a few hours. Hubs wants to see Iron Man 3. I also have to return some clothes I picked up on clearnace in the hope I might get one of these fancy pants jobs I applied to. Got two regrets and one told me I was Way over qualified. Guess the summer of mommy and kids is meant to be!

 

[199787]

Well morning ya all........
Not much new here, same old cold weather is back, 87 on Tuesday, today its 37...........argggghhhhhhh grumble.........
Well had a 100% hatch rate with the new brinsea, SORTA set 11 good eggs into lockdown Friday Sunday 9 of them hatched 2 slow ones pipped but taking there ole sweet time, so left everyone in there till tuesday, 2 littles still not zipped, no progress at all, so took out the 9 and added a rag for extra humidity, and still nothing so I unzipped them very carefully, yolk sack was absorbed but they were starting to get dry in the shell was sticking to them........... well both are still alive in a box in my room with a lamp, but neither can move well, one leg on the pullet chick, is weak or something and she can't stand, so she is in a sling hoping she makes some sorta progress, the other seems not to even be able to hold its head up......... so not sure what to do? .feeling about now I should cull them..........but they are still peeping up a storm but won't eat or drink anything except when forced and that isn't going so well......... so thought maybe I could get a few ideas from you all on what to do,? I have never had to cull a chick and it just seems wrong to do so, but I have little hope for these 2 making it longer than a a few days............and I really can't make myself do the deed, even if I knew how.......?? help guys I'm a chicken when it comes to my chickens............ Kim

Difficult decision, but I would give them some time myself. I am still in the midst of my first hatch and I looked up euthenasia a few days ago just in case. You can use a ziploc container and add baking soda to vineagar. If you google it you will find the ratio to use. It quickly gives them carbon monoxide poisoning and if you do it in the right ratio then it is analgesic and painless. Wrong ratio causes a lot of burning to their eyes and resperatory tracts before they go out.

I was up so late last night. I fell asleep by the incubator and never went to my bed. I woke up to 4 more little chickies! One more pipped (this is day 21 for that one). Another with today as 21 isn't doing anything and there is one more on day 22 just chillin. So far all the others are black as expected. Just my one little sport