Happy Spring! March has come in like a lion and the April showers seem early too. Soon as it dries up, rain again. Making it difficult to get too much done.
Sonny is starting to work on getting the house that is going to be redone cleaned up more. Hopefully it will be ready for a roof next month. We are going to take the "big" house down just to the corner posts and wait to see where we are next year to deal with that. My in-laws are both elderly and my FIL won't be with us much longer. When time comes for him to go to the hospital for his final days we will move in with Sonny's Mom.
Smokee Update
Well guess what? Smokee is a pullet! Lays a vary pale colored bantam sized egg about every other day. She is also the world's most obnoxious house chicken and will be finding her way out to the silkie house when we relocate. It sounds like living with a jungle soundtrack at high volume during parts of the day. And I don't think my MIL is going to groove on that. Not sure how she is going to take a chicken in the house anyway.
The guineas carrying on get her started and she doesn't know when to stop. So she will be replaced by a new hatched something next month. I think she will be happier and I have another bantam cross out there also.
Babies Next Month
April is going to be crazy month. Currently I have a c-hen setting on 15 guinea eggs and 6 chicken eggs. One of the g-hens decided to start laying in the big house. Of course this is the one that will be raised soon. So one of the Black Stars went broody and is on the nest. She's a good one for doing that even tho they aren't supposed to go broody.
There is another nest Sonny found back of the garage that as of today has 33! eggs in it. Oy! All 3 g-hens are laying there. I think Joon, the oldest is getting ready to set it, hoping anyway. I can see it from my bathroom window. She was on there for 2 hours today and has started pulling feathers. Will know tonight when I put them up is she has yet.
The in the house keets should start hatching the first few days of April. The chicks will be soon after.
And after mentioning to Sonny that TSC was having chick days he asked how much I needed so, well not that I had to, made an order with Meyer. I did call TSC but no one knew what shipping would be! So went with Meyer since I've had good luck with them before and they are closest to here.
Have 5 Turken, 5 Barred Rock and 15 of the brown layer surprise pack (will be money birds) shipping on the 11th. Hoping to have the keets sold off by then.
Bye Bad Guinea and Welcome 2 New Additions
Re homed my buff male guinea over the weekend. He was terrorizing my head roo Bella to no end. Sneak up behind him, bump him and the chase was on. The yard was so much quieter and calmer the next day. The other guineas have stopped bulling the chickens when I feed them in the eve also.
I bought 2 White Crested Black Polish from my neighbor. Zerlinda and Ashes. Z is calm and likes to be petted. Ashes is another story. Z needs a trim, her crest flops over to the left. Which is next weeks project. They seem to be fitting in well. Neighbor's Polish roo disapeared from their cage which is in a box type shed one eve. Since it has only been a couple of weeks, I took what eggs they have laid and put them under the broody. Hoping something hatches.
Leaving what eggs I find in the Silkie house now to see if one of the girl's will go broody for me. They are a year last month.
Chickaversary!
This month also is my Chickaversary! 3 years ago next week got my first order of Black Stars. Still have 2 of them. My broody mama's. LOL! Yes, 3 years since I've had a break or a vacation.
A few hundred chickens, dozens of guineas, 3 Pekin ducks, laughter, blood, sweat, tears, some bad slips on the ice still love my birds. And would encourage anyone to try their hand at raising poultry.
Till next time, Happy Spring all!
Dawn aka The Goth Chicken Lady
Sonny is starting to work on getting the house that is going to be redone cleaned up more. Hopefully it will be ready for a roof next month. We are going to take the "big" house down just to the corner posts and wait to see where we are next year to deal with that. My in-laws are both elderly and my FIL won't be with us much longer. When time comes for him to go to the hospital for his final days we will move in with Sonny's Mom.
Smokee Update
Well guess what? Smokee is a pullet! Lays a vary pale colored bantam sized egg about every other day. She is also the world's most obnoxious house chicken and will be finding her way out to the silkie house when we relocate. It sounds like living with a jungle soundtrack at high volume during parts of the day. And I don't think my MIL is going to groove on that. Not sure how she is going to take a chicken in the house anyway.
The guineas carrying on get her started and she doesn't know when to stop. So she will be replaced by a new hatched something next month. I think she will be happier and I have another bantam cross out there also.
Babies Next Month
April is going to be crazy month. Currently I have a c-hen setting on 15 guinea eggs and 6 chicken eggs. One of the g-hens decided to start laying in the big house. Of course this is the one that will be raised soon. So one of the Black Stars went broody and is on the nest. She's a good one for doing that even tho they aren't supposed to go broody.
There is another nest Sonny found back of the garage that as of today has 33! eggs in it. Oy! All 3 g-hens are laying there. I think Joon, the oldest is getting ready to set it, hoping anyway. I can see it from my bathroom window. She was on there for 2 hours today and has started pulling feathers. Will know tonight when I put them up is she has yet.
The in the house keets should start hatching the first few days of April. The chicks will be soon after.
And after mentioning to Sonny that TSC was having chick days he asked how much I needed so, well not that I had to, made an order with Meyer. I did call TSC but no one knew what shipping would be! So went with Meyer since I've had good luck with them before and they are closest to here.
Have 5 Turken, 5 Barred Rock and 15 of the brown layer surprise pack (will be money birds) shipping on the 11th. Hoping to have the keets sold off by then.
Bye Bad Guinea and Welcome 2 New Additions
Re homed my buff male guinea over the weekend. He was terrorizing my head roo Bella to no end. Sneak up behind him, bump him and the chase was on. The yard was so much quieter and calmer the next day. The other guineas have stopped bulling the chickens when I feed them in the eve also.
Leaving what eggs I find in the Silkie house now to see if one of the girl's will go broody for me. They are a year last month.
Chickaversary!
This month also is my Chickaversary! 3 years ago next week got my first order of Black Stars. Still have 2 of them. My broody mama's. LOL! Yes, 3 years since I've had a break or a vacation.
A few hundred chickens, dozens of guineas, 3 Pekin ducks, laughter, blood, sweat, tears, some bad slips on the ice still love my birds. And would encourage anyone to try their hand at raising poultry.
Till next time, Happy Spring all!
Dawn aka The Goth Chicken Lady
