the crooked little chicken house

“My guineas are cooping up with the chickens, and they're picking at the toes of one of the chickens (something they're aught to do). So tonight I didn't let them into the coop .... so I herded'em to another place, lol, herdin' guinieas! Bout like herdin' cats.”

“I hate toe pickers!”

“Paris Farmers Union has a sign that says "chicks" already...maybe I'll get mine early this year.”

“Paris?!? Naw Twig, I heard those French hens just lay around drinking wine all day and they let their feathers grow out under their armpits.....”

“LOL...

A friend was asking me what the difference was between fresh eggs and store bought...I said that when I'm not getting my own eggs I'm not buying any either. The taste is so different. I can't imagine not having chickens now.”

“I got that alot from one neighbor on my garden grown veggies too. You can't buy them this good.
Duane”

“Duane, I'm planning a garden this year, do the chickens ever get in there and eat the tomatoes?”

“When I had my chickens, I had a fence around the garden too, not only to keep the chickens out the little time I had them on the loose, but neighbor dogs. The chickens would get in some, some scratching around was all. More damage by Robins eating Strawberries than the chickens. I'm sure they would get the tomatoes, they're red. :)
Duane”

“Ye chickens will do a number on a garden, unless it's a huge'un. Guineas are great in the garden tho, pretty cool how they stroll thru picking the bugs, altho they'll dig a little bit.”

“lost another indian running duck. :(”

“OMG! I just looked up Indian running duck - so cool. Do you do it for eggs, meat, or both? How did you lose it?”

“I mean did it run away and cross the road?”

“eggs or just to have ducks...ducks are cool.
The Cayugas have black afros, LOL.

I lost one earlier in the season, to duck hate I think, this one just started not doing well for some reason.”

“Got 21 eggs today. And sold 2 dozen TI people on NY kickball team. It's official, I'm a professional egg farmer...”

“I attended a meeting yesterday that was put on by the local backyard chickens meetup group. The guest speaker (the Chicken Whisper) who did the chicken 101 class. It was an interesting clas ranging for hatching your own chicks, to coops to predators and what to feed or not feed them.

One of the things that he said has been discussed on here. He said chickens don't need a heat source in the coop. He said chickens have been around many thousands of yrs before electricity and they have survived and will survive. He has seen to many coops burn to the ground because of a heat source. His comment was if you want to keep the chickens warm in the winter why don't you put in A/C in the summer to keep them cool. He said hot weather has more affects on the chickens that the cold weather.

He has a website http://www.chickenwhisperer.net/ and does a nationally broadcast radio show every day that you can listen to on online.”

“Very cool Ewk”

“The Chanteclerc chicken was developped in New France (here) to survive winters that were then far more severe than anything in Europe. They have no combs to freeze. If you Google them you will find they can be purchased - from a breeder in British Columbia of all places.”

“I also run a fan in the summer.

I agree they were around before electricity (chickens are actually decendents of dinosaurs) however, I think it makes a difference if they are in their own natural habitat as opposed to being in a coop.”

“No twig, dinosaurs lived in coops too. I SA it on Land of the Lost”

“LOL...”

“My brothers box o' chickens arrived in the mail yesterday. 15 of them, and I have no idea on the varieties. We'll see how this goes. He did well with wild turkeys back in the day, but I'm concerned about his rambunctious dogs getting to them.”

“It's amazing how much more intelligent acting layer chicks act versus say Cornish X.
Duane”

“Does anyone here know if chickens will eat stinkbugs?”

“I've seen it with my own eyes, they also eat daddy-long-legs”

“Just wondering, you know...”

“chick days starts next week at tractor supply!
I cleaned and boxed up 7 dozen eggs tonight. A woman at work paints them, which I am interested in seeing. She likes the blue/green duck eggs and the small bantam eggs for that.”

“I'm ordering my auto egg turner today, the Hova Bater 1611. Also getting a thermometer/ hygrometer. Then I can get my incubater going .”

“One of my prettiest buff brahma hens settled into the foot or so of snow we got today near the house. I wondered if she was simply sleeping in the snow or if she was exhausted trying to move in it and gave up where she was. If it was another of the chickens I might have waited til morning to see what was up, but I'm fond of her, so went out and carried her to the coop. She did appear to be just sleeping, and I know snow is insulating, but still...
She was eating in the coop, but I also know that when a critter is ready to kick the bucket, it's best to let them do their thing rather than try to help them, since interfering only prolongs the inevitable.
I guess time will tell!”

“I'm sure she's just fine, Twig

I just woke up at 4:30 and heard a strange sound outside. A Fox! I quickly let the twins( half German Shepard/ half Rotty) out and they chased it off. I completely forgot to lock up the coop last night so I hope it didn't get one of the girls...”

“I haven't lost any chickens for a while now, I wonder if it has something to do with having so many cats, LOL. Fox will keep coming back until they get them all.

She seems fine today. They were all so strangly quiet and still in the coop this morning, that I had to go look and see if all were okay. They were, but usually they are out walking around and crowing.”

“spoke to soon...

the recent snowfall has made hunting harder, so I had visitors this morning. Got my oldest hen, she was from the first bunch we got three years ago; and one of the red bantams. I suspect coyotes - the snow was covered in tracks and I saw what I thought was a dog munching on something out by the rock wall. I trucked out there and retrieved one carcass. Though I wonder if it was fox who lugged it off and then the neighbors dog found it, which is what I would like to believe since the coop is so close to the house. However, coyotes do run through the yard all the time, but them coming in close to hunt freaks me out a little.

I'll get up early tomorrow, I know whatever it is will be back and maybe I can see it.”

“Good luck, Twig.”

“Sounds frustrating. Keep up the good fight, twig.

You need this guy to booby trap the perimeter.

”

“thanks!

They always eat the head first, are chicken brains a delicacy?”

“Eggs and brains, a rare delicacy.
Duane”

“Man that sux Twigdude. You wanna borrow my guard dogs?”

“Twigs in Italy both the brains and the comb are yummy bites.”

“Nothing more happened, weird.

One of the bantams is broody, she can only fit a few eggs under her, but I'm going to see it she hatches them out.”

“Today picked up 5 2-mo olds, mebbe 6 weeks, I need to ask him again. Anyhow, 2 Jersey Giants, 1 Egyptian Fayoumi, and 2 partridge rocks. Tomorrow I'ma get another of Egypt.Fay kind in case something "happens" to one.”

“Chicken swap?

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and well it was so nice out and pretty dead at work that I just went on home afterwards and went fishin. I took some fresh eggs down to Boatdock Mike and he traded me minnows for eggs. Caught 14 nice crappie and Buffalobabe filleted them. Just call me Slabby Slaberton....”

“A woman at work brought me a couple dozen quail eggs - they are so tiny! I'm going to get some quail from her as well.”

“Stopped by Tractor Supply last night to pick up layer pellets, and they still had chicks and ducks. I bought 3 Amber Sex Link pullets and 3 red pullets.

Somthing bad happened in the coop yesterday - there's feathers and blood - can't tell if any of them are missing though.”

“couldn't resist 6 assorted bantams tonight...”

“Lol, I guess I better check the co-op”

“lol, twig you might need to see a professional......”

“me...? you meetin' me there ape? LOL...

I boiled the quail eggs intending to make scotch eggs for tomorrows StPats celebration. Not sure I will bother, as those things are perfect little bites of sweet eggs. yummy.

My friend has 120 eggs in an incubator and they started hatching yesterday. I can't imagine how tiny they are, since bantams are little puffballs.”

“My chicken Guru just got 50 chicks of the smallest breed in the world. Sumatras or something like that. He swears the peepers were the size of June bugs when he got them. He asked me if I wanted a few... He11 no, my birds would eat them in one bite! I would like to see them though...”

“damn cats got one of the Amber links. Who taught them how to open doors??

Now have two broody hens.

Last brood of 6 kittens are fixed. yay.”

“Twigeater: chicken farmer, professional cat herder.”

“LOL treebait.
I felt like a cat herder when I got the "little" guys all home from surgery. I freed them from the cages they were so miserable in and let them outside. THEN read the directions for post op - no going outside, no running, jumping, or other strenuous physical activity (common sense, haha) so I ran around the yard yelling at them to get down from that tree, stop chasing your brother, NO JUMPING! etc.

darn, the penguin faced bantam got crushed under something that was meant to protect them - a screen pinned the little guy and the others just walked all over it.

We are having such weird weather for Maine. I've read that the flea and tick season will be brutal. The cats have already had ticks on them, and there were mosquitos out already. I think we'll try some guinea hens and see how that works out - they dine on ticks. Very noisy though, but heck, the roosters crow ALL DAY anyway.”