YO GEORGIANS! :)

[Tabasco Jack]

Anyone else making an end of the summer dump run? Those feed bags sure pile up fast.

 

[ShadesofSable]

@ShadesofSable
- we're in Lakewood Heights - which is just a bit south of Grant Park - it's kind of wild down here - I've been listening to intermittent gunshots for the past 10 minutes - but it also means I don't really have to worry about "what my neighbors will think."  I know there's another chicken keeper in my neighborhood - I can hear their rooster at times.  One of these days, I'm going to figure out who it is, so we can become acquainted!

I'm in Capital View, so I too know about the wilds of Atlanta! XD
I have at least 2 neighbors with chickens, too! One has and "eggs for sale" sign up, and the other(s) have a rooster somewhere too!

I put no-crows on my boys to help keep the volume down, but I haven't had any neighbor complaints yet either.

 

[choonook]

Hey all - thanks for replies - I have roofing over the whole set-up and then hardware cloth under the roofing.  Those of you who mentioned rats - how do you mostly see them impacting your coop?  If you're wrapped up tightly in HW cloth, can you keep a food source in the run, or do you take yours in/cover it up at night?

You can try keeping it in the run. If you start seeing some (or all) missing in the morning, then you'll know you need to remove it at night. Since my coop has two full pallets for the floor and it's 2ft off the ground, I just put mine under a pallet and don't have a problem. My run is open though and something will come in and pig out if I leave it on the ground.

 

[GAMarans]

Metal trash can(s) with lid for feed. That'll keep the rats out of it. And if you keep it in the pen that'll keep the other critters from tipping it over, etc.

I could see the roofing (very nice) but couldn't ell if you had the wire, too. Nice set-up.

 

[choonook]

You're right GAM, I should have clarified that a bit. We keep the feed bag inside our house. I wash and reuse aluminum trays that we buy with pre-made meals in them every now and then for their feed dish. Just recycle when it gets dirty. That's what I fit in the pallet. I took it to mean feed dish, but could have been all of the above.

 

[katsdar]

Metal trash can(s) with lid for feed. That'll keep the rats out of it. And if you keep it in the pen that'll keep the other critters from tipping it over, etc.

I could see the roofing (very nice) but couldn't ell if you had the wire, too. Nice set-up.

Hey, I keep meaning to tell you the kitties are doing great, the grey one (Sassy) is a doll and very much a kitten. I keep them in my sewing room when I'm not home. So many things to play with and so little time, lol, The black one (Sara) is finally coming out of her shell. Both are the sweetest babies!!!

 

[ShadesofSable]

Hatch report!
24 eggs went in, 4 from the fridge.
6 eggs total were infertile and 1 fridge egg did start developing but quit at about a week old.

So 17 eggs made it to lock down.
6 chicks hatched. Once again, it was only that small zone in the front that hatched in spite of moving the eggs around throughout incubation. Eggtopsies revealed 12 almost perfect chicks, (half had even almost totally absorbed their yolks) and one that quit sometime in the 3ed week.

It must have been the slight difference in temperature in those last few days. No signs of shrink wrapping, and no signs of deformity. One chick looked like it pipped into a blood vessel, but otherwise all 12 seemed perfectly good.

We'll be taking these 6 to the auction next week (provided that is a small livestock day) and I'm going to try again, this time with the addition of a fan! Hopefully that will eliminate hot and cold spots and improve the hatch rate.

Pics of the babies (most seem to have the polish rooster as their daddy, but for now I only know moms for sure)

The silky mixes:

SBEL mixes:

And a Red Sexlink mix:

All are available if anyone's interested.

 

[ShadesofSable]

Hey, I keep meaning to tell you the kitties are doing great, the grey one (Sassy) is a doll and very much a kitten.  I keep them in my sewing room when I'm not home.  So many things to play with and so little time, lol, The black one (Sara) is finally coming out of her shell.  Both are the sweetest babies!!!

You keep saying you have kittens, but I don't see any pictures! Show us those precious babies!

 

[JoshFig]

@ShadesofSable - What kind of incubator do you have? I have a Hovabator and bought a $5 usb PC fan off amazon - it fit perfect and has done a great job (even bought a spare in case that one goes out).

btw - do you know what what you get at auction for the mixed chicks. Is this the auction out in Villa Rica?

I just hatched 17 - Once I can sex them i'm going to want to get rid of the cockerels. Would be nice to know what they go for.

Thanks

 

[GAMarans]

Hey, I keep meaning to tell you the kitties are doing great, the grey one (Sassy) is a doll and very much a kitten. I keep them in my sewing room when I'm not home. So many things to play with and so little time, lol, The black one (Sara) is finally coming out of her shell. Both are the sweetest babies!!!

Funny ... I was playing with the other two today and was wondering how your two were doing. So glad they are settling in.