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Jul 29, 2023 01:12
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Doom Rooster posted:Speaking of… Good news! Processing and eating was stated clearly as an open option on the post, but the woman who picked him up is all over pictures from a farm 90 minutes drive from here, so seems unlikely that she’s just trying save $15 on a preprocessed grocery store chicken.
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Jul 29, 2023 01:22
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Doom Rooster posted:Good news! Kinda ironic he's in for a long happy life given your username.  Either that or you just released a curse on that poor woman's farm... 
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Jul 29, 2023 02:34
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Doom Rooster posted:Good news! Congrats to Dalí! Living the rooster dream!
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Jul 29, 2023 02:41
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a little morning foraging and first-time watermelon nomnoms
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Jul 29, 2023 16:32
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Ours take it down to the dark part of the rind. We stopped giving them non-protein treats during mulberry season. For almost two months, they got a steady rain of sweet berries from the tree overhanging the run. Colby (our gold laced Wyandotte) especially has a sweet beak and is third in the pecking order, so she got more than anyone. She ended up with crusty butt feathers because of all the sugar. We thought about either giving her a bath or trimming the grosser parts back, but she'd probably just be traumatized by the ordeal. So we're leaving cleanup to her or molting.
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Jul 29, 2023 16:42
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Got home from visiting my mum and the chickens had been in their run all day, so I decided to pour myself a negroni and sit in the garden with them (we have some really aggressive foxes, so they can’t be out alone), what a pleasing way to spend a summer evening
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Jul 29, 2023 18:30
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Scientastic posted:Got home from visiting my mum and the chickens had been in their run all day, so I decided to pour myself a negroni and sit in the garden with them (we have some really aggressive foxes, so they can’t be out alone), what a pleasing way to spend a summer evening Agreed and same MrUnderbridge posted:Ours take it down to the dark part of the rind. I call ours “watermelon leather” because the leave a perfectly clean, floppy, transparently thin skin still in a bowl shape and nothing else.
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Jul 29, 2023 19:17
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Uggggh, my heart when the goose caught up and the face I made when the little black lamb joined in the fun.
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Jul 30, 2023 18:57
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 One of the cockerels scalped this poor pullet, and one of the older pullets has a smaller head wound. This gal is in the hospital kennel in the garage so no one can peck her head flap off. It’s full depth and only attached on one side. We had her bandaged but she wouldn’t eat or drink with it on, so she may have to go without.The 3 older cockerels with the raging hormones are now in a bachelor pad. I think we’ll keep them there until the pullets start to lay, maybe. Or maybe they just get to live there until we need baby chicks… Stupid jerks.
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Jul 30, 2023 22:10
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Joburg posted:
Oh nooo, hope they'll heal up alright Peanut Hamper sat in on D&D tonight. 
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Jul 31, 2023 00:34
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I’ve mentioned this before, but my sebright lays way more eggs than any source says she should be able to. I used to have two sebrights so it was just an average I saw. I now only have one sebright and she lays 4-5 eggs per week this time of year. She is past 100 for the year already when sources usually say they lay ~50-80 total for an entire year. I think she will pass 170 or 180. There is definitely no way to mistake her eggs for anyone else’s. Repost of this chook’s portrait 
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Jul 31, 2023 21:53
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freeedr posted:I’ve mentioned this before, but my sebright lays way more eggs than any source says she should be able to. I used to have two sebrights so it was just an average I saw. I now only have one sebright and she lays 4-5 eggs per week this time of year. She is past 100 for the year already when sources usually say they lay ~50-80 total for an entire year. I think she will pass 170 or 180. There is definitely no way to mistake her eggs for anyone else’s. My mom had sebrights and they laid a lot of eggs too. Mostly in the tall grass in the tree line or on the top of the 8’ tall shelves in the garage. I think the estimates are for shownlines, maybe.
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Aug 1, 2023 02:04
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We just got back from my mom's wedding last night at like 3am. Today, the quail are all surprisingly excited to see us. Unsurprising: Peanut Hamper is overjoyed to see me, and is very excited to be in the holding pen for advanced chicken camp this afternoon.  Her companion today is Become Ungovernable, who solved two little mysteries for us at once. She turns out to be the hen forgetting to sign her work and laying these spotless eggs, and also the one going broody and trying to hatch them. 
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Aug 9, 2023 20:27
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Our broody girl Florette is back at it, only a month after her last round. She growls at me when I shove her aside to collect, but she has never pecked. Pecking she saves for Abbaye. None of the other four have an issue with Abbaye, but Florette mounts and grabs her. Poor Abbaye has lost feathers at the base of her wings, and now in between them. So she gets the saddle again. Current thinking is that almost everyone else goes after Florette, so she's targeting the mildest hen to displace her frustration. Except for Edam who never chases anyone because she's fully focused on becoming the fattest chicken. Which she has already won. We're considering possibly, maybe rehoming Florette, but wouldn't know where to begin. Culling isn't an option for us, or knowingly passing her to someone else who will.
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Aug 10, 2023 02:27
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MrUnderbridge posted:We're considering possibly, maybe rehoming Florette, but wouldn't know where to begin. Culling isn't an option for us, or knowingly passing her to someone else who will. As much as I hate Facebook, you may find a local group with likeminded people. Rural groups seem to have more people that want a broody hen but they also are more likely to cull a chicken after a few years… it’s a crap shoot. There’s also state threads on backyardchickens.com. That site has a lot of people who are willing to ask for help with chicken health problems, etc so I rank them higher than most FB chicken people that perpetuate conspiracy theories.
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Aug 10, 2023 15:32
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Nextdoor is also a good route for that, if you're willing to use it sparingly and then close the website and never think about all the old people screaming about how MS-13 is going to bomb the Wal-mart.
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Aug 10, 2023 15:38
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If there's an active local facebook then that's always a good option. When I needed to rehome my hens I had offers within minutes from there. Facebook as a whole sucks, but for local community stuff, as long as the groups mods are on top of stuff and you block the idiots, it works fine.
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Aug 10, 2023 15:47
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I made some cockerel decisions today. Out of the three I kept from the Welp/Privett order: Black Band has been aggressive with me  Pink band is overly pecky and I don’t trust him  and No Band is good with me but a jerk to the other cockerels  Based on behavior, No Band is getting a reprieve, the other 2 are not. I think No Band is the better of the 3 as far as the official Standard goes but I prefer the looks of Black Band. Go figure. I am wondering if the more hands-on way that I raised this group contributed to their misbehavior or if it is part of the Privett Hatchery flock. The younger group from McMurray hasn’t shown any signs of aggression and I raised them more hands-off but they aren’t very hormonal yet either. I’ll be making some choices with the McMurray group today but no personalities are standing out so it will all be based on looks. So handsome   
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Aug 10, 2023 16:42
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And today one of the 20 week old pullets laid her first egg!  
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Aug 10, 2023 23:51
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So this happened... It's Phoenix, our Head Roo for years (son of Jack, namesake for Jacks Henhouse, my chicken site) and my very special man! Phoenix was a total pet and always hung out with me. I won a drawing from @SuzyTheSilkie (Twitter), she does amazing bird artwork. I MEAN, she even got those few wonky feathers that stuck up on top of his head, caused by his silly comb! She was kind enough to create this during a Twitch stream so EVEN BETTER, I got to watch this beautiful thing being made! I LOVE IT. The original pic she worked from:  I'm hoping she'll add it to her site so I can buy myself a Phoenix coffee mug to go with the others in my Chickam collection... Someday I'm gonna save up and commission Suzy to do a full-body art of Phoenix with him all decked out in full 'courtly knight' regalia... 
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Aug 13, 2023 23:47
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aww, that’s awesome 
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Aug 14, 2023 04:10
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Here's an update from our flock of four: Today is the anniversary of Sky, Blossom and Liv coming to their new home. Then:   Now, Sky:  Sky has had ups and downs medically due to complications from her crossbeak. One side her nasal passage is easily blocked so she's been prone to sinus infections and has recently finished another double round of antibiotics. Our vet has kept her beak trimmed and she's very deft with preening and pecking now and doesn't miss out on taking snacks. Liv:   Liv is still top hen of the three and while physically in great condition, has taken a long time to come to terms emotionally with her new retirement. Only in the last month or so has Liv sat on our legs. Liv also doesn't like gulls flying overhead. Blossom:  Blossom is our thinking hen, who will spend time considering things before choosing to try them or not. She still has her small hernia, but the implant is keeping that from getting worse. On her last vet trip, he felt a mass in her abdomen which could be a serious thing (not an egg). The vet decided surgery for something like this was risky and so we have left things as they are for now as she's showing no signs of discomfort. Blossom is due for her next implant in the middle of September, so we'll talk with the vet more then. And Nova.  Nova is the big sister to the three and likes to spend as much time with her keepers as she does with the youngsters (who for some reason think she's at the bottom of the pecking order). Nova will be celebrating her 4th birthday at the end of August. spookygonk fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Aug 16, 2023 |
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Aug 14, 2023 12:11
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I always enjoy seeing the love, care and health that all of your retired hens enjoy. Even if Blossom's mass is concerning at least she enjoys the finest life has to offer in the days she has. Thank you once again for basically being the saint for ex batts. I love seeing how much they enjoy the finer things in life once they can, such as a nice sunny spot to nap.
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Aug 14, 2023 12:59
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Chaosfeather posted:I always enjoy seeing the love, care and health that all of your retired hens enjoy. Even if Blossom's mass is concerning at least she enjoys the finest life has to offer in the days she has. Ditto! We’ve been getting 3 eggs a day from the pullets. Two lay in approved locations and one lays under some sticks by the goat barn… today all ten older pullets plus No Name Rooster are locked in the coop+run learning about the nest boxes that have been there the whole time. I’m interested to see if we have more than 3 laying or not. So far it looks like this box is the most popular one. 
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Aug 17, 2023 16:46
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I finally got around to installing the automatic chicken door.  . Hopefully I should be receiving eggs within the next couple weeks.
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Aug 17, 2023 17:45
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Joburg posted:I made some cockerel decisions today. Out of the three I kept from the Welp/Privett order:
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Aug 17, 2023 18:08
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Elmon posted:I finally got around to installing the automatic chicken door. They're a godsend! With one or two caveats - "party hens"- who stay up past closing time! Doesn't happen too often. Even though we feel the run is pretty secure, we (meaning me) check with a flashlight after dark. Sometimes, it's just one, and they get tucked under an arm and put in through a nest box. If it's multiple, I have to pull the pin where the retracting arm attaches to the door, put a loop to hold it open, scoot the ladies in, and then give the screw arm a few turns to realign the hole for the pin. Ours doesn't have an open/close button. "It was a dark and stormy night..." - if the weather is really bad and it's dark from heavy clouds, the sensor can close the door early. Then, the ladies line up on the ramp and complain in the rain until the above procedures happen. It can also happen if it gets really dark during the day with a bad enough storm. Luckily, we have a tarp covering half the run, so they don't have to completely exposed.
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Aug 18, 2023 05:57
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MrUnderbridge posted:They're a godsend! What if you shine a flashlight onto the sensor
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Aug 18, 2023 06:03
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Takes quite a while for it to respond. I've had a lantern right by it for several minutes while trying to convince the hens they need to go in. And after each one goes in, they immediately stop and need a little gentle encouragement so their fat butt stops blocking the doorway and the next one can go in. So if all six are out it can be a production.
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Aug 18, 2023 06:07
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Elmon posted:I finally got around to installing the automatic chicken door. I love the Pullet Shut door. For those that have Party Hens, the Pullet Shut does a quick open and close after the door has shut for the night. If they are standing at the door they have a chance to get back in.
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Aug 18, 2023 10:48
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I haven't had a party hen situation yet but I will be on the lookout for it.
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Aug 18, 2023 21:11
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JAILBREAK!!   This is not my yard, this is where I work! They're very cute and reinforces how much I'd like to keep chickens someday. I guess the meth dealer hasn't cooked lately if his chickens are still alive. All I could really do is tell a maintenance guy and he blocked the gate where they came in.
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Aug 19, 2023 04:46
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I'm not permitted to do autoshut doors because my idiot fuckin Wyandotte Runty will bed down in the deepest shitmound generated in the coop if not checked on. I have to go put her up on the roost. Ms Grumbles won't sit in poo poo but she'll instead just sit on the rim of the hatch to the coop. Once I place them on the roost manually, they stay there fine for the night. They're morons, and I think they like our sunset routine.
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Aug 22, 2023 21:54
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i have a couple party hens. my favorite, Lil' Pep, spent the night in the (open) chicken tractor recently because she likes to stay up late. i had checked it, coop then run, but she must have gone up the ramp as i was closing the coop hatch to look at the run portion. oops! i got the NPIP results back, finally. fwiw we're NPIP-certified now. no salmonella, no mycoplasma synoviae or mycoplasma gallisepticum, no bird flu (there was a false-positive on one hen, but the secondary test, a throat swab, came back clear). they love my chickens, said they seemed very healthy  now i need to find a way to get a test for infectious coryza, but have come up empty on that so far. if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. that is the next best guess, as i have one hen who had a swollen eyelid and now, weeks later, has a squinty eye, and one chick with a squinty eye. there were some other chicks who got sick and had loss of appetite as the main symptom, though no eye issues. one of those (who had a rough start in life - egg got wet and cold, she hatched 3 days after everyone else) didn't survive it, but the others are doing fine now chicken tax - here is my favorite pic from last month. they were just three weeks old, they're so much bigger now 
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Aug 22, 2023 23:22
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City of Glompton posted:i got the NPIP results back, finally. fwiw we're NPIP-certified now. no salmonella, no mycoplasma synoviae or mycoplasma gallisepticum, no bird flu (there was a false-positive on one hen, but the secondary test, a throat swab, came back clear). they love my chickens, said they seemed very healthy Congrats on the NPIP and all the negative results! Does your state vet lab have a coryza test? The Georgia Poultry Lab can test for that, I think it’s with a mouth swab. They have fees listed for instate and out of state so if your state lab doesn’t offer it you can send a sample to Georgia. https://www.gapoultrylab.org/services-fees/fees/
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Aug 22, 2023 23:50
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City of Glompton posted:chicken tax - here is my favorite pic from last month. they were just three weeks old, they're so much bigger now I didn't see the chicks until I expanded the picture, that's completely precious.
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Aug 23, 2023 02:51
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5er posted:I didn't see the chicks until I expanded the picture, that's completely precious. Same and oh my!
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Aug 23, 2023 13:18
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Got my first egg yesterday! 
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Aug 23, 2023 14:11
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Elmon posted:Got my first egg yesterday!  I remember that feeling from a few years ago.
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Aug 23, 2023 17:12
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