What did you do with your flock today?

[LTAY1946]

No rain for us recently and none in this weeks forecast.

 

[LTAY1946]

I got all of the White Jersey Giants back together in one coop. It was an ordeal getting the pullets back together as they have been sleeping under a storage shed. To catch them I left a door open to the coop where there were only 3 CxR Roos that came out to get some grass and wander down to check the CxR pullets out next door. The White Giant girls wandered in to check out their feeder and I closed the door behind them. Everyone of them screamed bloody murder and the roosters carried on like it was the end of the world but I caught them two at the time and put there little white fannies where they belonged. Now I'm beat and they are upset about loosing their freedom to wander the whole farm. That's what they get for not roosting in their safe coop.

 

[ChicksnMore]

We finally got a decent amount of rain at our house yesterday

Todays all about cleaning coops and seeing if I can flip the dirt in any of the newer ones. Need to clean the brooders as well and move a couple Java pea babies out to the integration pen with the adults and older babies.

My oldest coops been sitting empty for a bit and I'm thinking I'll rearrange and move one flock out there. I have 12 coops, with three of them empty right now. Think I'm going to break my dwarf flock up into three little flocks. That'll still leave me with one empty coop.

Keep wanting to downsize but everytime I try to pick birds to go...I can't pick any I'm actually willing to say goodbye too. They're all birds I know and love for one reason or another at this point. Definitely no more babies for me until old age whittles down my bird numbers a bit. Well, except for the green peas. I have a bunch of people hoping for babies from them still...but that's next year.

 

[kurby22]

We finally got a decent amount of rain at our house yesterday

Todays all about cleaning coops and seeing if I can flip the dirt in any of the newer ones. Need to clean the brooders as well and move a couple Java pea babies out to the integration pen with the adults and older babies.

My oldest coops been sitting empty for a bit and I'm thinking I'll rearrange and move one flock out there. I have 12 coops, with three of them empty right now. Think I'm going to break my dwarf flock up into three little flocks. That'll still leave me with one empty coop.

Keep wanting to downsize but everytime I try to pick birds to go...I can't pick any I'm actually willing to say goodbye too. They're all birds I know and love for one reason or another at this point. Definitely no more babies for me until old age whittles down my bird numbers a bit. Well, except for the green peas. I have a bunch of people hoping for babies from them still...but that's next year.

Sounds like you have my problem! Once they show their personalities you don’t wanna let them go! I was just thinking the same thing today while out with my Cooplex babies. I have too many, I have to thin out, but…they all have my heart in some way. I spent some time analyzing some of my May grow outs and they’re looking like a beautiful bunch!

This is Jessamy. She is looking like she will be a very nice blue Ameraucana hen. Her lacing is beautiful, the blue coloring is really uniform, her legs are slate, she has several black toe nails, and her comb is small and pea combed. She could use a better beard, but for a starter pullet, she is all I was hoping for!

This girl would not look at the camera properly but I did get a nice picture of her green sheen I just love the sheen on all black birds. I always thought of myself as a “pretty spots, barring and lacing patterns” person but I’m really starting to fall in love with black Look at all the pretty sheens!

THEN I made a realization that I have just chosen NOT to see and I feel SO blind and dumb haha.

This is Finley…the baby pullet I saved at the Feed Store in June. She is a Cuckoo Marans…and she is very clearly a HE Look at those saddle feathers and those curvy tail feathers (also—WHY do they INSIST on putting shavings in their fresh waterer?!?).

After that depressing discovery…I went to check on the bantam gen pop. Daisy was given a couple eggs two days ago that Aria didn’t find soon enough during our COVID haze…and she very clearly does NOT want me to take them from her I’m pretty sure she’s plotting my death if I try to remove them!

She has been broody ALL summer and I’ve taken them all away…so I gave in in hopes she will break and be a good momma. Not sure I’ll keep them, but I have a small amount of space now that Sia is gone to give her the satisfaction. She and Duchess are the only birds in that coop and the others just refuse to NOT cram into the green IKEA coop. Safety in numbers I guess? Weirdos.

Speaking of the Ikea coop—it’s hard to tell, but above Opal looms Elsafish—the Coop Door Enforcer. She goes to bed very early and then stands at the door, and pecks each one as they attempt to enter. You can see in the picture that Opal is attempting the “slide in so she can’t see me”—but she did not escape the Peck! Haha. I couldn’t get picture of it the other night, but Oliver is usually last to bed—he patrols until every lady is away—and Elsafish was fully blocking the door and when he finally headed up the ladder, she would peck his head each time he attempted to come in. So after the third try, he jumped up and landed on her head and walked over her into the coop! She shook her head and then got back to her door spot like it never happened. Was hilarious She’s such a brat!

 

[ValerieJ]

(also—WHY do they INSIST on putting shavings in their fresh waterer?!?).

I put mine up on bricks so this doesn't happen.

 

[kurby22]

I put mine up on bricks so this doesn't happen.

Mine are on 3 pavers! They just find a way! Although my child emptied too many shavings in this run so it’s way deeper than normal

 

[ChicksnMore]

Sounds like you have my problem! Once they show their personalities you don’t wanna let them go! I was just thinking the same thing today while out with my Cooplex babies. I have too many, I have to thin out, but…they all have my heart in some way. I spent some time analyzing some of my May grow outs and they’re looking like a beautiful bunch!



View attachment 3616665

View attachment 3616666
This is Jessamy. She is looking like she will be a very nice blue Ameraucana hen. Her lacing is beautiful, the blue coloring is really uniform, her legs are slate, she has several black toe nails, and her comb is small and pea combed. She could use a better beard, but for a starter pullet, she is all I was hoping for!

View attachment 3616668
This girl would not look at the camera properly but I did get a nice picture of her green sheen I just love the sheen on all black birds. I always thought of myself as a “pretty spots, barring and lacing patterns” person but I’m really starting to fall in love with black Look at all the pretty sheens!

View attachment 3616672

THEN I made a realization that I have just chosen NOT to see and I feel SO blind and dumb haha.

This is Finley…the baby pullet I saved at the Feed Store in June. She is a Cuckoo Marans…and she is very clearly a HE Look at those saddle feathers and those curvy tail feathers (also—WHY do they INSIST on putting shavings in their fresh waterer?!?).

View attachment 3616678
View attachment 3616682

After that depressing discovery…I went to check on the bantam gen pop. Daisy was given a couple eggs two days ago that Aria didn’t find soon enough during our COVID haze…and she very clearly does NOT want me to take them from her I’m pretty sure she’s plotting my death if I try to remove them!

View attachment 3616689
View attachment 3616690
She has been broody ALL summer and I’ve taken them all away…so I gave in in hopes she will break and be a good momma. Not sure I’ll keep them, but I have a small amount of space now that Sia is gone to give her the satisfaction. She and Duchess are the only birds in that coop and the others just refuse to NOT cram into the green IKEA coop. Safety in numbers I guess? Weirdos.

Speaking of the Ikea coop—it’s hard to tell, but above Opal looms Elsafish—the Coop Door Enforcer. She goes to bed very early and then stands at the door, and pecks each one as they attempt to enter. You can see in the picture that Opal is attempting the “slide in so she can’t see me”—but she did not escape the Peck! Haha. I couldn’t get picture of it the other night, but Oliver is usually last to bed—he patrols until every lady is away—and Elsafish was fully blocking the door and when he finally headed up the ladder, she would peck his head each time he attempted to come in. So after the third try, he jumped up and landed on her head and walked over her into the coop! She shook her head and then got back to her door spot like it never happened. Was hilarious She’s such a brat!
View attachment 3616694

O my gosh that's too funny! Elsafish sounds like a ham You have so many gorgeous birds! I think I might keep an eye out for some local puffy cheeked babies...I haven't had Easter eggers in a long time but I did always love those crazy adorable faces. Might have to look for some bantam eggers or Americana...Jessamy is just a doll

Oops. Ugh. Slap me back to sense . Out of room...at my limit for feed, work etc etc!
Your birds have me wanting more again! Nonononono!

 

[FBMcrazy8]

This isn’t even the worst of it!!! Luckily everyone seems to be doing ok! The goats are scared of their fan but it will still help.

 

[LTAY1946]

Our hottest day of the year will be tomorrow and I'll be out in it with the water hose filling as the kids empty. The strange thing is no matter how hot it is it's always cool enough for some crazy rooster to start a fight.

 

[kurby22]

This isn’t even the worst of it!!! Luckily everyone seems to be doing ok! The goats are scared of their fan but it will still help.

Ewwwww that sounds just awful