Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Celtic Chick]

Wonder what the difference is between the incubright and the cool lite. I have the cool light and I'll tell ya it isn't cool. If you keep it on the egg to really look close it gets very hot !!!

When did the Packers win the Super Bowl years ago. Was it DD that did that Happy Dance when he made a touch down during that Super Bowl ? That is one game that I watched in it's entirety although I really didn't remember what was going on I do remember that little happy dance !!!

Thanks for all the well wishes! Still have the headache from he!!, though.

The Incubrite just looks like a small flashlight with a cluster of LED lights so it doesn't give off any heat. It also has a rubber lip around the edge for the egg to sit & no light gets through. I haven't opened it up, but it looks like it takes one AA battery. My Orp eggs are usually med. to large, FT. That is awesome news on Lilly!

I can't wait!

Years ago, the Pack went to the Superbowl & won in '96. We went again in '97 but lost. I think it was Freeman you are referring to about the endzone dance? But I could be wrong. Driver would be really old & decrepid if he played for us in either of those 2 games. Receivers can get creamed a lot, so to have some that are still playing effectively in their mid 30's is impressive.

Wow, DrH! Those chicks are just adorable! That 2nd one is really pretty. I see TO & FT think the same. Too funny! TO, you'll have to try to figure out what that one is & breed some more to share with us.

Hurley, that is a neat pic of your roo. He does look a tad annoyed, though.

It was snowing like crazy down here all morning. Now it is just windy as all heck. Not a nice day, that is for sure.

 

[Terri O]

Good afternoon! (almost) Now that I have finished my brunch I am going to comment on some stuff...no babies outside, so that is good!
RAIM--the goat that is a pygmy will always look plump because they just do! Maybe has something to do with their body style? I feed mine 2x a day when I feed everything else...and yes they never let me forget to feed them! I am glad that mine are out of the view of the back door of the house...when they were in the other part of the paddock they would see me come out and start up right away. The goats dont sound too bad but I have a few sheep with the most annoying voices EVER! My bucks and rams are in with them all the time. I just keep an eye on them in fall and then can usually tell when the babies will be born. I tried separating them but the males are pretty strong and broke down stuff or jumped over whatever I tried to contain them in! I do not feed much grain to them at all because I use 100% alfalfa hay for them. They get a half bale 2xday. IF I want to give them something I take a scoop of corn or sweet feed and toss it into their pen. I think there are a dozen +/- animals in there. IF they happen to miss a piece the chickens get it! In summer they get tree trimmings and garden scraps. I give them pumpkins and squash in fall until I run out. You have a nice looking set-up there...if they have all the hay they want to eat (probably better said "all they want to waste!") Then I would cut their concentrates to EO day.
CC I sure hope you are feeling better today! I hate having that headachy feeling...kind of screws up the whole day! I think if I asked people to but bags on their boots to go in my coops they would think I was concerned about their BOOTS! LOL! Especially now...I am fighting too many birds in too small a space. It is pretty "crappy" in there for sure! The coop itself isnt too bad but the area where dam^ waterer keeps leaking is a mess! I took it out of the coop because it was getting so messy (and slippery) in there! So now I have it in the entryway and I slog through it every day...might be switching back to the open dish concept for the winter!
About that DE and the taking of...I just stir it into the last inch of my coffee and down it before I think about it too much! It has worked for two days so far! I dont know if what they say is true about it giving you energy and keeping you awake...but I sure was awake last night! Third night for crazy dreams too...ya know the kind that you wake up a bit, turn over and it keeps continuing? I think I am going to start keeping a notebook up there...I might be able to write a pretty cool/weird book with all the things I "experience" in my dreams!
FT said:
Raim, the Disease, actually a virus I was referring to earlier is called CAE. If your Does test positive for it you will need to bottle feed your babies so they don't get it. You can send in a blood sample and get your herd tested for $4 each.
From what I read 75-80% of all goats are positive. People think because their goats look and act healthy they don't have it.
I had three lines of goats in my herd when I was milking them. I knew that one line did have CAE. At least that is what I think it was. THe hard part is that they dont seem to develop too many symptoms until they are older...by then you have many babies from them that also are carrying it. I didnt worry about it too much. I have one OLD girl left from that line. SHe is still looking really good this winter...probably will be having twins or a large single in the middle of February. Hopefully NOT on a snowstorm day like this! FT--that was way too funny that your house chicken was on your chest crowing! Sure wish your DH coulda taken a pic of that! Or a video...maybe you could win some $$$ on Funniest Animals?

Tom:
It sure is weird with just this little bit of snow on the ground. Almost doesn't seem like winter. At least the temps have been relatively mild thus far. I get nervous about not having enough snow to insulate my drywell run (takes kitchen sink, washer, laundry sink and sump waste water). Although I'm not sure, I think it's only a couple of feet below ground. I guess if the weather starts to get REAL cold for an extended period of time, I can cover the run with bales of straw...
So are you worried that it will freeze and then the water wont go down? I am wondering if that is what is wrong with my washer drain...it used to pool in the backyard if I did a LOT of laundry....until DH filled that hole in...now it doesnt want to drain at all! He says he wants to dig it all up...oh yeah, that means a huge hole in my yard right out the window for the rest of my life! NOT HAPPENING! I already lived through that with his "repair" of my barn well....TWICE! (yes CC, seatbelts did not work on that one either! LOL)

SO on these bugs on your birds FT...are you sure that they are fowl mites? Those ones that dont stay on the bird all the time and hide in the cracks of coops? I have never seen mites on my birds or their surroundings but have sure seen plenty of LICE! THose are the ones that crawl around by their vents and lay the masses of white eggs if they get really bad. That is the one reason I stopped using the hen aprons. I picked up one of the girls and the bottom side of the apron was just caked with louse eggs!

I HAD to go to the Smilies for that one because it was disgusting for sure! When I went out the other day to get DE for household use I also dumped a bunch in their nest boxes, dusting places and wet areas. I mixed some in the mash too. When I got it in I also mixed it into the cat and dog food, into the calcium for the torts and the inside bird food. Figured if I was going to eat it I might as well give it to everyone! So anyhow...do you have lice or mites? I think wild birds can carry both. From what I have read the mites are nearly impossible to get rid of though...I guess I would rather have lice?

I think I better get dressed...yeah it is 12:30 already! Tonight I am making ring balogna, sauerkraut and apples. Parsley buttered baby potatoes and broccoli too!
Have a great afternoon! TErri O

 

[kristip]

Oh Hurley both that gorgeous rooster and those cute boys warm my heart! So sweet. Do they get along well? My kids are in fight mode with winter keeping us in more. We have done tons of art projects and lego cretions so gotta come up with something new since winter just started!!!
FT- those showgirls are something... def like the ruffle rather than solid bare neck... but I dont like turkens/naked necks either.

Dr Ha... those babies!!!1 Love them. Cant wait to get my coop/run enlarged and add a few more good layers. Iw ill be soliciting from the experts around here... thinking a wyandotte, andalusian, aracauna and leghorn maybe... we will see. Cant get my timer working right now for a week so eggs are dwindling. Bummer.

So far my little Solo chick ( cukoo marans chick) is 9 weeks old and looks girly, need to post pics, but is driving me nuts with flying out of the basement coop. The silkies just keep looking at her like What are you doing flapping those wings???? And boy can that chick poop!!!
Oh and of the two new silkies ( 4 mo) the splash is making me second guess roo or pullet at this point. They either had their feathers clipped around their neck or the 6 month old roo had nibbled them off(?maybe) but as they are growing in, some longer feathers toward the back of the head are coming through... might be streamers. But not a huge comb yet. The white silkie looks all dainty, tiny girl. She loves to burrow under my chin to snuggle.

Otherwise I am starting to plan my garden. Trying to plot what to start inside when and where it is all going. Little flowers this year, just maintenance and get my fruit and veggies better. Need to focus on weeding.
We had such an issue last year with weeds beating the plants... what are your best solutions? We have about a 15 foot by 7 foot garden and then a 4 x 5 raised bed. Also had a tiny plot I threw some corn in last year- will have to work on that space better, but threw my last fall load of hay/chicken poop over there, so should be happier come spring!

 

[Terri O]

Couple more things to say...ODrH--they are getting sooo big! The baby certainly isnt a baby any more! I love his blue blue eyes! (nice car set up too!)
Kristip--I just found my seed savers handbook yesterday speaking of gardens...now why couldnt I find that in fall when I needed it? It was right in the bookcase! Probably my lost (again) camera is in there too! On the weed thing...I think I have got it solved in my veggie garden. I use carpeting strips between rows. First I lay the seeper hose down and then cover it with carpeting or backing. It lasts a good long time--maybe 3-4 seasons? before I have to ask DH to save some from work or go trash picking again! I roll it all up and store it in the shed for the winter. Then all I have to weed is right around the plant. Easy to do when picking stuff or checking plants. In my flower beds I have used Preen in the spring when cleaning up. My BFF suggested it and even though I dont really like to use that chemical stuff it really make a difference that year! The spring got away from me last year so I didnt do it in the yellow tulip garden and man, could you ever tell come mid-summer! I wrote that garden off as a lost cause last summer! I am totally overextended in the summer with weeding, planting, animals etc....the flowers took the hit this year...and so did the pond. This spring I am planning on redoing the rock garden by the driveway. I also want to fix up the pond garden and the yellow tulip garden. So much to do! I sure wish I could start some seeds in the house...might help with the winter doldrums...oh yeah, I have a solution for your kids...they are called SNOWSUITS! Get 'em on and get out to play! LOL!

CC--funny that it is windy by you! I am thankful once again for the huge hill to our North and West! The trees arent even moving out my window! But when I was down in the yard it was blowing like crazy! It is not unusual for us to think it is much warmer outside...until we get away from the hill!

OK--getting dressed now for sure...everyone STOP posting so I can quit answering! Good luck on the boards Hurley! Are you moving into a different area of your career? or is it like teachers that have to have continuing education?
Later! Terri O

 

[Celtic Chick]

Kris, when I rake out my coop, I just dump the used litter right in the garden for mulch. If you have vining plants that require a lot of space, I flatten out soda boxes & lay them on the bare ground & throw some rocks, mulch or garden staples on them to keep them from blowing away or moving. Any cardboard or thick layers of newspaper would work too. And it decomposes right into the soil over time.

TO, you crack me up. Snowsuits!

 

[raimnel]

TO said, ...if they have all the hay they want to eat (probably better said "all they want to waste!") Then I would cut their concentrates to EO day.
so true about the wasting hay

and EVERY OTHER day?

REALLY? they're gonna starve! or at least they will think that. lol as far as I know I can't find 100% alfalfa "hay" I had a hard time finding partial. any-who back to schooling lol

 

[Celtic Chick]

Anyone looking to sell some white silkies?
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/grd/2803378480.html
Kinda hard starting seeds indoors with all the cats, hey TO? My little snots like to dig in the dirt & sample all the tender greens.

Speaking of creepy crawlies, one of my PRs had some bugs on her before she passed. They were super tiny & dark, resembling finely ground black pepper. I was assuming they were some sort of mite? I checked most of my other hens over & didn't see any, but these things were so darn small, I'm sure I could have missed them. They do have a huge dust bath area of dirt, wood ash & DE, but I don't know if that one PR was using it much. She also was having a hard moult. Any ideas on the bugs?

 

[Hens and Roos]

Those are a type of mite, I know that the wild birds are good at sharing with the chickens and some chickens just have the right feathers to attract the mites. My Marans are the hardest to keep clean

Anyone looking to sell some white silkies?
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/grd/2803378480.html
Kinda hard starting seeds indoors with all the cats, hey TO? My little snots like to dig in the dirt & sample all the tender greens.

Speaking of creepy crawlies, one of my PRs had some bugs on her before she passed. They were super tiny & dark, resembling finely ground black pepper. I was assuming they were some sort of mite? I checked most of my other hens over & didn't see any, but these things were so darn small, I'm sure I could have missed them. They do have a huge dust bath area of dirt, wood ash & DE, but I don't know if that one PR was using it much. She also was having a hard moult. Any ideas on the bugs?

 

[Terri O]

CC that does sound like a mite...the ones that my birds get that are lice are kind of flesh or pink colored. But they are not that tiny! I am thinking I might have to pick up a few of mine and inspect them with my headlamp on (greatest invention EVER!) I have so many darn wild birds in that coop it isnt even funny. I sure wish there was a way to fence them out...if only they were a bit bigger I would EAT them! LOL!

Hey I was just reading a thread about "Hating the new BYC" and I found out a few cool things! You know how the avatars are kinda blurry? The thread said that the new BYC is using more pixels or something now so you should go and upload the pic again and resubmit. Unlike a lot of features on here now that one is SIMPLE to do...like 2 buttons! So now you can notice that I a looking the other way in my pic! LOL--Terri O

 

[Celtic Chick]

Thanks H&R & TO. I figured they were mites of some sort. Which one, however, I don't know? I do have an awful lot of wild birds getting into the carport because they are so darn small. They just land on the ground & hop through the cracks.

I haven't been getting many e-mails telling me that someone posted on here for the past 2 days. Even though I'm subscribed & have it set to notify me immediately. More bugs, but of a different sort...............

So any idea what DrH's silver chick is, TO?