What did you do with your flock today?

[Shetland lover]

Thanks!! That is my hope for reducing the mud! I wish I could do it in all the runs but that would be really expensive!

My thought process was this…if I dig down a ways and then put down pavers that have spaces between them…I reduce spaces rats can tunnel but it’s not a restrictive layer for water, there’s plenty of space for that. Then I put hardware cloth over the pavers…just in case small critters find the holes, but also to slow dirt infill and create a matrix for water flow. Then some dirt, then covered heavily in all purpose sand. The more organic soil. The organic soil has wood chips too…so mixed with the sand, it should minimize the muddy puddling and poor drainage. Sand works miracles for infiltration We shall see how it goes!

I'm finding my sand is working miracles for drainage in my run too. And it's keeping their feet clean and dry too - and super smooth from all that exfoliating!
Really easy to poop pick too, I'm using a long handled mesh scoop.

 

[Shetland lover]

Mine totally ignore my Lamb'sEar, but then they do have chickweed as an option.

Mine are weird. Gladys, Pru and Clara won't eat chickweed at all. Ferdy, Penelope and Stanley love it. I have a theory though. When those three were chicks I made it part of their diet from the start. I knew if I didn't offer it, Pru certainly wouldn't. I think a lot of their likes and dislikes are formed when they are chicks and are very dependant on what mom offers them, as obviously, she guides them on what's safe or good to eat. For instance, Pru (who raised Ferdy, Penelope and Stanley) loves strawberries. She would give them bits of very ripe strawberries as chicks and they all love them now. Gladys and Clara won't even look at strawberries but I got both of them at over 3 months and have no idea what they were exposed to as little 'uns. Foods Pru won't touch are off the menu for the chicks she raised. For example, redcurrants. Pru looks at them like they're poison. Now, Ferdy LOVES them BUT I fed them to him when Pru wasn't there. Stan, on the other hand, was hatched well out of currant season so I couldn't sneak him any. He looks at them in exactly the same way as Pru!

 

[Shetland lover]

I have 1 chicken, a hen, she honestly sounds like she honks. When I 1st got her, she honked, I spun around looking, I thought a wild goose had joined up with my flock. No other Copper Marans here make that sound, she is unique. I'm not sure where she lived before, she was a rescue...maybe she lived with geese? Anyway, I had to name her
Miss Lucy Goosey

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She's lovely, even if she does honk!
Penelope crows exactly like Ferdy when the mood takes her. In fact, I was convinced it  was him until I saw her doing it

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Ugh this weather is crazy!
I'm so over winter!!!
It's like we are being teased by it going back up to nearly 80 then it drops back down to 20s again!
Patience...

Ditto here in Delaware, outside in a T-shirt one day, then back to Long underwear, turtlenecks & 3 layers of clothes! And the wind never stops, no fire pit for 3 months so far. Of course cold, windy rain every weekend, too. I already figure we will probably go directly from freezing our butts off, to sweating to death weather in June. That's what happened in 2020, cold rainy, wet spring, so wet that farmers couldn't even get spring crops in on schedule, then actual frost end of May, cold 1st day of June, then bam, hot & dry as a cat on a tin roof the rest summer.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Mine are weird. Gladys, Pru and Clara won't eat chickweed at all. Ferdy, Penelope and Stanley love it. I have a theory though. When those three were chicks I made it part of their diet from the start. I knew if I didn't offer it, Pru certainly wouldn't. I think a lot of their likes and dislikes are formed when they are chicks and are very dependant on what mom offers them, as obviously, she guides them on what's safe or good to eat. For instance, Pru (who raised Ferdy, Penelope and Stanley) loves strawberries. She would give them bits of very ripe strawberries as chicks and they all love them now. Gladys and Clara won't even look at strawberries but I got both of them at over 3 months and have no idea what they were exposed to as little 'uns. Foods Pru won't touch are off the menu for the chicks she raised. For example, redcurrants. Pru looks at them like they're poison. Now, Ferdy LOVES them BUT I fed them to him when Pru wasn't there. Stan, on the other hand, was hatched well out of currant season so I couldn't sneak him any. He looks at them in exactly the same way as Pru!

One hen, a Barred Rock named Sweet Pea, used to love clover. She'd eat other greens too, but always went for clover 1st. She loved Wood Sorrel & wild strawberries, too. Miss my chunky Sweet Pea, she was a lot of fun to garden with, my very 1st hen. Rest & peck in peace in that big Heavenly garden little girl. Mama loves ya.

Sweet Pea & Rocky

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Despite being down to 20s at night this week, the Robins are still hunting Spring worms & getting them, too

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Look how happy they were this morning! Treats on semi-dry soil!!

OMGeeze u have some beautiful babies kurby!!! The porcelains!!! What's the one that is porcelain but no feathered feet?!

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

@kurby22 they are just gorgeous!!! That dang blue waterer is the one that just cracked on me...ugh guess thats what i get for being stubborn and not getting the heated one back out.
Like I could really be insistent on Spring coming on - gosh I got a lot to learn!

Today was cleaning water bowls, veggie treats and baby shuffling. The oldest chicks got moved into the coop today. It didn't take them long to decide they love dirt baths and sunshine.

Henivere hatched her eggs and I decided not to give her the rest of the spangle babies from the incubator. I usually bring mom in with the babies for a little bit and give her the incubator chicks, but Sir Clucks and crew were all excited and trying to help Hennie so I decided to just let them enjoy. Henivere's used to my help so I brought her wet chick starter in shallow dishes just like indoors and she got busy teaching her babies. Switched their water bowl to a super shallow baby depth wide bowl too. I'm a little nervous having them outside so young, but I know what a good mom Hennie is overall. I let her keep 6 eggs this year.
The first hatched died...think it didn't get food or water while she waited for the rest to hatch. And one egg failed to hatch. So she has 4 little ones to fuss over. It's adorable watching the whole flock with the babies. I'll have to take the time to get pictures tomorrow. The whole flocks being adorable.

Oh gosh! That makes me wanna give few more thoughts to letting my broodys raise em!
Can't wait to see pics though!!!

Peaches being PeachesView attachment 3436183View attachment 3436182
Uilani photo bombView attachment 3436186
Indie with the first saddle of Spring on.View attachment 3436185
Rode Boo up to refill the boys feeder. Ride was good, Koke'e was stunning.View attachment 3436188View attachment 3436187

Thank You so much! Sure needed this after going out to 20s and frozen waterers, breaking one and trying to fix the dang thing while a gallon ran right down my arm and into my sleeve good morning! Lol

Despite being down to 20s at night this week, the Robins are still hunting Spring worms & getting them, too

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Wow! Look at your grass!?! I'm in TN n mine is still half dead everywhere!

Well DH decided to fix the slide area of the playground set so they could have something outside still. Then he got a wild hair and decided he's gonna build em a swingset using 6x6 in the ground 3'. So DS came over and just picked that thing up like it was nothing! He's still got his football muscles from high-school I guess! He had a blast using the massive auger and the jack hammer LOL!
Wanted to show off my coop addition so he came over and showed me how he'd screw the screw in...practically went through the entire board when he did it but stuck out an inch with me.
DH helped me cut the last 2 pieces of LP smartside and fit em into place...hated to ask him to but I'm taking forever to get it done and my 4 boys r starting to get Fiesta.
I do have a pondering though...
Instead of doing the run on the addition alongside the main run....should I go out to the left making the entire thing more like an 'L" shape? That way I can still use the arra there like I did last year for sunflowers and free cantaloupe from compost that took over the side of the run?
Pic from last yr as reference.
OMGeeze I can't wait for green grass again!

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

How are the rottie puppies n the newly hatched babies all doing @FBMcrazy8

The wind and cold is so bad again I broke down and cover the end that gets it the worst...depressing in there!

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

I have one that sounds worse than that…it’s like when your speakers are blown. It just doesn’t sound quite right. Or he sounds like an awful siren…

I honestly don’t know how to explain the sound but it for sure can’t be called a crow…

Lol I have some."honkers" and some "hoots" they sound like an owl when trying to cockadoodledoo!