Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[KNAndrs]

Well I tried to incorporate the older chicks with the new ones on Friday. They are about 4 weeks apart, I checked every couple hours and when I went out yesterday morn all the little ones were hiding in the corner and the older ones were playing rough. So in came the little ones and a sickly looking featherless one... If only I could find the camera that the oldest DD took pictures with that would be great.

The oldest DD turned 10 on Friday, we celebrated with her choice of restaurants for a Daddy/Daughter Date. She picked Red Lobster and I got a little faint. She made it halfway through her meal before she realized how rich it was and had to stop. She had the rest for breakfast yesterday morning.

Spent yesterday morning at the church property cleaning up logs, branches and leaves. We had 12 or so trees cut down and needed to clean them up. 5 hours and 4 trips to the free day at the dump later it was looking great! Grandma and Grandpa came up to celebrate birthday dinner with us, had burgers and fries and more at Gordy's (look for it on diners, drive-ins and dives). Then she picked up a friend for a sleep over.

I was exhausted by the end of the day and fed the kids ice cream for dinner and went to bed.

Luckily I had my sermon mostly done and didn't need to work on it early this morning. My Brother-in-law is supposed to be coming for lunch and we will have Chicken Gravy and Mashed Potatoes after church.

My pullets that hatched last November are ramping up to lay, hanging out in the nest box and doing the hen squat. They are getting loud to with their hen songs. Now I will have to see which 12 will make it through the summer into next winter. I will ask for advice before I sell to see what I should do.

I think that is about it, I gave myself until the coffee was done to write and now I am going to grab a cup and start the process of editing the sermon.

Have a great day,
KEN

 

[vickiw]

Good morning Ken and all us cheesehead early risers

just sitting here with my coffee

watching the horefrost roll in across our field from the spruce bog. Another "crispy" morning, sigh.

At least nothing froze in our new little coop so I guess we did a pretty good job on the insulation.

Supposed to finally get near or above 60o and sunny today so my sunshed should be plenty warm enough to do the planned butt washing on my one lady, ointment on the red butts of my other ladies and the mite checks. Wow, and I was feeling guilty for not rescuing more of them.

I hope I can get these girls 100% pretty soon as I would like to add 1 or 2 younger hens as I don't really expect these older ladies to ever be super layers with the horrible start in life they had. I still can't believe none of them has any kind of respiratory issues. I can only believe they were at least vaccinated. The guy that had them really was nice and I honestly believe he never set out to be intentionally cruel to 200 18 month and 200 8 month old hens and close to a dozen roos. He just very quickly got in wayyyy past his knowledge base, ability and understanding of what it really takes to keep these animals in a healthy, humane environment. Didn't help he was getting his feed from a mill I wouldn't get deer bait from

Spring is coming, right????

 

[Dooner]

Good morning everyone-
Just finished filling up the girls water and cleaning off their poop trays. Beautiful morning after the cold and rain. I leave for business again today. Routine is getting old but I am thankful for a job to pay the bills until I can sell the house some day or die in it.

I got my fifth and final hen yesterday, a beautiful buff. That gives me a black austrlorp, the BO, the bantam SLW, and two prduction chickens which are half featherless. If anyone talks to WI Chick, let her know I tried reaching her for the last couple of days and did not hear back from her. I appreciated ger offer, for now I am maxed out at five. Chicken math. Originally, I built the coop for three, 20 square feet (6x4) outside measurements. The screened run is 3x8, with room under the coop. Am I pushing it with five chickens? I kind of figure one of the production chickens may not make it. I keep applying blu kote to the red featherless area, but then it gets all over the eggs somehow.

 

[Dooner]

I know it is important to keep a balanced diet,in other words a bagged feed, but how many of you use table scraps as well as regular feed and not just for treats?

 

[vickiw]

Morning Dooner!

I am beginning to wonder if several of us on here didn't get our "production" hens from the same guy! He did sell a total of 400 birds and from what I understand a neighbor who got some of the first, even tho I got some of the last, they were all pretty much in the same shape. Mine came from Langlade County. Just wonderin'.

 

[KNAndrs]

My neighbors are great friends of ours and are as close to Hippie Organic as 29-year-olds can get. They add their scraps from their vegetarian diet to our chicken coop all the time. It is great as long as they do it in moderation and not just on shopping day. For a while there I would come out and find a big pile of veggie scraps in the coop and the hens would slow down laying for a few days. Then they would ramp up again and the next shopping day would come around. I broke them of that habit of over feeding scraps pretty quick.

They now just prep their food every day and throw in a bit everyday.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Morning

sunny here so far and hopefully it will be warmer.

Good luck with your production girls

We feed veggie and fruit scrapes to our birds as we have them but they eat primarily bagged feed- I have noticed with our if we don't fill the feeders beyond what they eat in a day or so there isn't as much waste.

off to another round of soccer games today!

 

[KNAndrs]

Here is the pic of the 4 week old sickly looking peep. Besides looking sick it is just fine. Kind of ugly but fine.



Off to shower then church!

Have a great day everyone!

KEN

 

[chikenscratch]

Morning Everyone

I am enjoying the sunny day. Weather reporters say the clouds are rolling in and the rain will come tonight.

Just finished my morning routine with the chicks. Today they got some left over veggies, hard-boiled egg and shell, and some pulled greenery. I know chicks have their preferences when it comes to table scraps, but mine haven't turned anything down yet.

They are table scrap junkies! LOL

Sorry to hear about the cat, but it seems as though it might have had health issues for awhile (based on the urination issues). Often animals take out sick animals , maybe that will comfort your husband?

This weekend must have been a popular date for prom as we had alot of kids out here as well. Nice pics!

Considering making a dust box. Does anyone have an opinion on this? They do have access to dry dirt and could scratch up the ground on their own. My only concern is that the ground is too hard to provide enough loose material. Thanks.

K

 

[Terri O]

Good morning--man I feel like I did a marathon during the night! This chilly and damp weather sure plays havoc with my bones. There are more babies hatched upstairs...just have to get up the gumption to go back up and get them! All the ones I brought down last night are doing fine. The blue Ameraucanas are especially adorable!

Thanks for the thoughts on the cat. I guess we will bury him today. DH was going to go and till up the public gardens where my daughter works but thinks it is too wet. I said how about NOT doing it until I get mine done! Remember last year? I have a huge pile of compost to spread out before I can do anything out there. The other day before the rain I spread out some cedar mulch in some of my flower beds...really looks nice.

Well I guess I am going to go up and get the other babies...there are still a bunch of eggs in there to hatch. I want to get these out though...I think I could see one that was dead in the shell and I dont want it to start stinkin'!
Gotta get a move on...before I know it MXM will be tapping on the door! Later all--have a great one! Terri O

ETA: Ken--I had some chicks that looked like that in the last batch. I think they are just slow feather growers. I wouldnt worry too much!