Saturday, May 24, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Throw together chicken tractor
When I bought the first 13 chickens through mypetchicken.com I wasn't worried about integrating them into the existing flock, or any of the stuff I probably should have been. It was only 13 of them after all... Then of course I went to TSC and found all those Easter Eggers (11) & Buff Orpingtons (2), bringing my grand total up to 26 at that point and making my job between weeks 4 & 6 much more difficult of course.
I've realized since they rolled over into week 4 that the stock tank they've been living in, is just too small for them to exist in during the day... The time has now come for me to think about a way for them to go outside without getting loose (their not all "tame" to my liking, and will not free range until I can be sure they will remain "home" and not wander off).
I think considering the gentle nature of the ISA Browns I have right now that I could put them into the adult coop if I wanted to, but I'm not 100% convinced they are ready yet. They are only 4-weeks old after all... Not to mention I wanted to use up all of the adult layer feed prior to integration into the flock so I don't need to be concerned about the beepla's getting too much calcium and damaging their kidneys in the process.
There were some hog panels laying around, some chicken wire, some baling twine, some ice cream pails for water... so after working really hard on Monday, this is the resulting contraption. The beepla's go back into the stock tank at night (handling each and every chick in the process, thereby taming them a little more every day) and they go out into the yard and garden during the day to learn to scratch for bugs and worms, dust bath etc.
The first day, they were all terrified to even move. They huddled up into a big pile and wouldn't do much of anything. It was rather discouraging... but then the second day, they did better, and were less wild when I went to put them into their box to come outside. The third day (today) they had become so accostomed to the idea that when the "tall noisy lady" comes that they go outside that 3 of them jumped into my hand when I put it on the ground to catch them! Yay!! THEN as if that wasn't exciting enough... one of my prized Light Brahma's caught her first worm! All by herself!! OMG I was so proud I came inside and told my mom & sister! They laughed at me and didn't understand but I was so proud! :-D
So anyway... I've done this system the last 3-days, and although it does not look pretty, it works really really well for our needs.
Its amazing what two hog panels, some chicken wire, baling twine, small pails and ingenuity can accomplish...
I've realized since they rolled over into week 4 that the stock tank they've been living in, is just too small for them to exist in during the day... The time has now come for me to think about a way for them to go outside without getting loose (their not all "tame" to my liking, and will not free range until I can be sure they will remain "home" and not wander off).
I think considering the gentle nature of the ISA Browns I have right now that I could put them into the adult coop if I wanted to, but I'm not 100% convinced they are ready yet. They are only 4-weeks old after all... Not to mention I wanted to use up all of the adult layer feed prior to integration into the flock so I don't need to be concerned about the beepla's getting too much calcium and damaging their kidneys in the process.
There were some hog panels laying around, some chicken wire, some baling twine, some ice cream pails for water... so after working really hard on Monday, this is the resulting contraption. The beepla's go back into the stock tank at night (handling each and every chick in the process, thereby taming them a little more every day) and they go out into the yard and garden during the day to learn to scratch for bugs and worms, dust bath etc.
The first day, they were all terrified to even move. They huddled up into a big pile and wouldn't do much of anything. It was rather discouraging... but then the second day, they did better, and were less wild when I went to put them into their box to come outside. The third day (today) they had become so accostomed to the idea that when the "tall noisy lady" comes that they go outside that 3 of them jumped into my hand when I put it on the ground to catch them! Yay!! THEN as if that wasn't exciting enough... one of my prized Light Brahma's caught her first worm! All by herself!! OMG I was so proud I came inside and told my mom & sister! They laughed at me and didn't understand but I was so proud! :-D
So anyway... I've done this system the last 3-days, and although it does not look pretty, it works really really well for our needs.
Its amazing what two hog panels, some chicken wire, baling twine, small pails and ingenuity can accomplish...
Monday, May 19, 2014
Photos of Daddy Frog's new chickens
** All of these chickens are rescues. They were being kept all together and were feather picking each other etc.
This is the male Mille Fleur d'Uccle that we hadn't planned on getting, but Daddy Frog has decided that he likes him because he's a highly neurotic chicken. He's been dubbed "Spaz"
We believe this to be a female Porcelain d'Uccle? ... but we're not sure of the gender because it's so feather picked that it's hard to tell right now. When it was placed into a "private" cage it collapsed from exhaustion and stress. It's been fed 3 extra rations of high protein feed and now, 24 hours later, it's doing MUCH better.
One of the three Silver Duckwing Roosters. Daddy Frog is thinking of keeping at least one... possibly all of them, we'll see.
The Silver Sebright hen. We are not going to keep her, either
butchering her or re-homing! I can fix the splay beak, but it's a
genetic defect due to inbreeding, so she isn't a good candidate for my
husband's planned breeding program.
We do not know what breed this is but we have 4 of them! They are available to be re-homed!!
Silver Duckwing Rooster! We have 3, 2 are possibly up for re-homing!
Daddy Frog's prized Golden Sebright rooster. He has named him Larry,
and he is a very cocky little guy LOL. He and I have already had to
have a chat about who is going to be the top rooster and who is the
submissive one.
"Look at me! Aren't I pretty!?"
Larry has been properly reminded who will be top roo. Obviously he is humiliated. LOL
Daddy Frog's been biten by the Chicken bug!
Well, he did it. He got bit by the chicken math! Ahahaha!! He can't say a word to me anymore!
He was supposed to pick up 1 Golden Sebright (Bantam) Rooster... but he came home with 10 + 1: 1 Golden Sebright Roo, 1 Silver Sebright hen, 3 Silver Duckwing, 2 Mille Fleur d'Uccle (1 roo for sure, possibly 1 & 1), & 4 of a white breed I'm unfamiliar with that when googled comes up as an "Red Pyle Old English Game". Hmm... interesting.
I've put them into the empty rabbit cages temporarily until he can built his planned chicken coop/run. I would let them free range if 1) I knew my standard breeds wouldn't kill them & 2) If I knew they wouldn't get eaten by a hawk.
I think he plans to use an old swing set, cover it with chicken wire and formulate a house for them within it, then put wheels on it so he can roll it around the yard. Sounds like a good plan to me! :-)
I imagine it will turn out looking something like this:
He was supposed to pick up 1 Golden Sebright (Bantam) Rooster... but he came home with 10 + 1: 1 Golden Sebright Roo, 1 Silver Sebright hen, 3 Silver Duckwing, 2 Mille Fleur d'Uccle (1 roo for sure, possibly 1 & 1), & 4 of a white breed I'm unfamiliar with that when googled comes up as an "Red Pyle Old English Game". Hmm... interesting.
I've put them into the empty rabbit cages temporarily until he can built his planned chicken coop/run. I would let them free range if 1) I knew my standard breeds wouldn't kill them & 2) If I knew they wouldn't get eaten by a hawk.
I think he plans to use an old swing set, cover it with chicken wire and formulate a house for them within it, then put wheels on it so he can roll it around the yard. Sounds like a good plan to me! :-)
I imagine it will turn out looking something like this:
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Daddy Frog's First Bird
My husband is officially responsible for bringing our first bantam onto the homestead. After giving me over a year of ribbing over my quaint hobby... he's finally begun to be won over to how neat they can be.
It's kind of funny because although he has had his heart set on either a white silkie bantam, or a golden sebright bantam for the longest time, and I've always told him no, that we didn't really need bantams, that they would most likely get picked on and fight with the other chickens, a friend of ours bought straight run G.S.'s & has too many roo's, so she's giving as many of them away as she possibly can.
Since I don't have an official photo of the "new guy" this is a photo pulled off google to help you all understand what the new guy will most likely look like. :-)
From what I've read on these birds, they are almost entirely ornamental in their body posture, attitudes, breast's & large tails. They don't lay many eggs, so when you're breeding, you have to make them count.
I am not entirely thrilled with ornamental birds to begin with, but this combined with the fact they are bantam, and will lay very tiny eggs if we get a female... I am reserving judgement on this bird!! LOL
It's kind of funny because although he has had his heart set on either a white silkie bantam, or a golden sebright bantam for the longest time, and I've always told him no, that we didn't really need bantams, that they would most likely get picked on and fight with the other chickens, a friend of ours bought straight run G.S.'s & has too many roo's, so she's giving as many of them away as she possibly can.
Since I don't have an official photo of the "new guy" this is a photo pulled off google to help you all understand what the new guy will most likely look like. :-)
From what I've read on these birds, they are almost entirely ornamental in their body posture, attitudes, breast's & large tails. They don't lay many eggs, so when you're breeding, you have to make them count.
I am not entirely thrilled with ornamental birds to begin with, but this combined with the fact they are bantam, and will lay very tiny eggs if we get a female... I am reserving judgement on this bird!! LOL
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Beepla's @ 3-weeks old
 | |||
| Unusual coloring isn't it? |
 | |||||
| I believe this to be a Silver Lace Wyandotte... but I'm not sure. Either way, my husband believes it to be a rooster; or a very pushy female! lol |
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| 1/7 Dark Americauna's |
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| 1/3 Light Brahma's. So pretty... each of them have unique coloring... it's going to be so much fun keeping these babies |
 |
| 1/4 Jersey Giant's |
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| 1/4 Jersey Giant's |
 |
| 1/4 Jersey Giant's showing off her newly clipped wing. |
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| 1/3 Buff Orpington's. I'm not thrilled with them so far, but they are pretty so far... |
 |
| A lighter Americauna |
 |
| She got comfortable on my hand... I wish all of them were this calm... |
 |
| "Ooooooh what's that thing??" |
 |
| Mom thought I needed to take a photo of the brooder tank so you all could see how much room they do (or don't) have lately. |
 |
| This is an Americauna, but she is the only one like her. She looks "brown" here but is actually more grey than anything. :-) Really pretty. |
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Neighbor's needing help, Egg eater troubles & Beepla's are 3-weeks old
Even after clipping their wings and placing a hog panel covered in chicken wire over the mouth of the milk tank, the beepla's still are trying to fly out of it. Rather annoying really... BUT they are growing growing growing at an unbelieveable rate! Goodness gracious! I think they are almost ready for the grow out pen! I had thought perhaps they might make it to the 4-week mark, but at this rate, they will need to be moved before then! I'm just glad they are healthy!
*******
In other news, we have an "egg eater" in the flock. She is consuming between 2 & 3 eggs before I can get out to collect them for the last 3 days, and to say that I am unhappy is an understatement. I have no idea which chicken it is, but if I catch her, that will be that. I'm tired of these shenanigans!
*******
Also, in the course of my daily activities yesterday, I rode my bike up to deliver eggs to the neighbor and his wife. She had facebooked that when I had extra eggs she would like to have at least 3-dozen. Great. Cool. Problem is she has Huntington's Disease and doesn't leave her house some days (more days than not lately), so I end up delivering them, or having their son show up and take eggs, sometimes without asking. Sometimes it's a big deal, sometimes it isn't. I decided this week I would make sure she received them because there have been times when she's called asking where they are, after her son has already picked them up. This tells me he is "snagging" them and sometimes forgets to give them to her.
All of that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, other than it came out in conversation that they are really struggling financially. Apparently, they are so broke they don't have money for food, and are literally surviving on bread, milk & eggs. Way to totally make me feel responsible for them to eat!
I came home, told mom, and we decided something must be done, because they need more nutrients than what can be had from just bread, milk & eggs. So, taking some chicken stock she had just made, she threw together a big batch of chicken noodle soup for them and took it down. I had planned to do something similar, she just beat me to it.
*******
In other news, we have an "egg eater" in the flock. She is consuming between 2 & 3 eggs before I can get out to collect them for the last 3 days, and to say that I am unhappy is an understatement. I have no idea which chicken it is, but if I catch her, that will be that. I'm tired of these shenanigans!
*******
Also, in the course of my daily activities yesterday, I rode my bike up to deliver eggs to the neighbor and his wife. She had facebooked that when I had extra eggs she would like to have at least 3-dozen. Great. Cool. Problem is she has Huntington's Disease and doesn't leave her house some days (more days than not lately), so I end up delivering them, or having their son show up and take eggs, sometimes without asking. Sometimes it's a big deal, sometimes it isn't. I decided this week I would make sure she received them because there have been times when she's called asking where they are, after her son has already picked them up. This tells me he is "snagging" them and sometimes forgets to give them to her.
All of that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, other than it came out in conversation that they are really struggling financially. Apparently, they are so broke they don't have money for food, and are literally surviving on bread, milk & eggs. Way to totally make me feel responsible for them to eat!
I came home, told mom, and we decided something must be done, because they need more nutrients than what can be had from just bread, milk & eggs. So, taking some chicken stock she had just made, she threw together a big batch of chicken noodle soup for them and took it down. I had planned to do something similar, she just beat me to it.
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