What did you do with your flock today?

[ForFlocksSake]

Rounds made in the dark and all the doors closed. I've got to look for a New Hampshire cockerel. He is missing at coop check tonight. I hope he just chose a new place to roost with a new girlfriend. It's plenty to cool enough tonight to wait til noon tomorrow to gather eggs. Much to my delight I have a Dark Cornish hen setting on eggs tonight. Wish it was one of the Delaware or Rode Island girls for temperament but we take what we can get. Time to check the incubator and see how many more mouths to feed have decided to hatch. So far just 2.

I wish I could keep chickens like this. Roosters, broody hens sitting on eggs, just letting them live a bit wild. But sadly I can’t do that in our neighborhood. My girls have to be contained and we can’t have a rooster. It sounds so exciting when folks like you describe their visits with their chickens.

 

[PopoMyers]

She looks really good!! I hope her healing continues You are doing and amazing job!

Thank you, and all the help and advice from everyone is certainly contributing to her healing and recovery. She seems to be comfortable in her sling, hasn't given any indications of discomfort, and is even falling asleep in it. More good today.

 

[Nomadicus]

I wish I could keep chickens like this. Roosters, broody hens sitting on eggs, just letting them live a bit wild. But sadly I can’t do that in our neighborhood. My girls have to be contained and we can’t have a rooster. It sounds so exciting when folks like you describe their visits with their chickens.

I you could too. Being north of you up here in Lower Alabama in the county in the land of my roots I'm so happy being able to do what I am. No matter where I am I'm never far from one of the kids that is curious as to what I'm doing.

 

[Nomadicus]

If all goes as planned we have a small area of almost 1/2 an acre under some pines and a pecan tree we want to have as a show case with Indio Gigantes. It needs to be fenced with strong field fence and an electric fence to keep feral dogs and coyotes out. I can picture roosters 3' tall with a tribe of hens each on the grassy areas. They might stop traffic. Wish I could charge for the photo ops.

 

[Shetland lover]

Progress report, Day 11. She has attempted to also preen a little. Good signs, though she can't reach her oil gland just yet.

Atta girl! She is looking so much better ❤
Great work

 

[Shetland lover]

Well, I'm not as mad at hubby lately poor guy. He is getting better and is slightly ahead of schedule. He is certainly accident prone. I can count the times I have seen him tossed off a horse on 2 hands (🖐). Also, slide off a roof, scaffolding, ladders etc. Somewhere along the line i just started getting mad at him.

He sounds like a match for me - makes a career out of being accident prone

 

[Shetland lover]

I could have given him lessons on how to fall. I can trip on that blade of grass that the mower missed.

I can (and have) tripped over thin air!
My worst mishap wasn't even falling off a horse or anything exotic. I was on a night out when I broke my back. I slipped on a patch of frost. I was wearing flat soled boots and had had 2 drinks. Wish I'd had more - might have bounced!

 

[Shetland lover]

I love reading about your kitty rescue.

We moved here in 2006. In 2007 a stray gray tabby had a litter of kittens under our shed. Before I could trap her she had a second litter. I did manage to trap/TNR most of her kittens. For a short time I had 8 cats hanging around, but the attrition here is high. The tabby, Momma Cat, and her eldest daughter, Mittsie, were residents until a couple years ago. Now that they're gone the ferals are moving in.

So I am feeding them canned cat food to get them used to hanging around and eating here, the easier to trap them.

Breakthrough this afternoon:
View attachment 3683881
Little calico came up and started eating while I was still standing there.

The white/flame-point was more hesitant, but definitely less scared.
View attachment 3683883

Our local spay clinic has a weeks-long wait for appointments, so I am going to make a couple feral appointments and work on getting these kitties more comfortable around me before I trap them.

Oh, and the white cat likes to watch my flock. Typical cat fascination for birds.

Aww, they are both so pretty! I wish you success, it's an important thing you and Tropical Babies are doing ❤

 

[Shetland lover]

Hopping onto this thread only 1,524 pages later…

Oh well. I like talking chickens so this seems like the place. I’ve read some posts but it’s quite a bit to catch up on. Ok if I hop on now?

My newest chicks are a week old today and happy to report they hate me just as much as my first flock did at this age. Tried to do my daily butt checks and one managed to get out of the brooder and run behind my fridge garage. So that was fun! Why do they think I’m trying to murder them? My older girls are 24 weeks and 2 out of 5 are laying. Today my barred rock squatted for me so I’m expecting a 3rd layer any day now! My Easter egger is getting nice and red so I’m expecting her to start soon, though I can’t really tell with that breed. And my buff Orphington is taking her sweet time maturing. She’s still barely turning red in her comb.

Of course it's O.K! Welcome!
Everyone on here is so friendly and certainly made me feel welcome when I joined last year.
How many chickens are you blessed with? I have just 6 (DH has threatened to divorce me if I get more). 5 bantam Cochin (2 roos, father and son) and a Shetland hen. I've also kept ex-battery hybrid hens.
I've only had a handful of chicks but they've been great fun to raise. Except Penelope, who was intent on murdering ME!

 

[Shetland lover]

Thanks! Here are my new babies. It’s truly incredible how quickly they grow and change in just a week!

Cream legbar, partridge olive egger, green queen Easter egger, and my favorite my long awaited golden laced polish.

View attachment 3683952

Soo adorable! I love baby floofs