AL - Recording baby steps: Newest Addition

[AL]

hehehe I thought you'd appreciate the shirt pocket brooder lol

I wondered if the chicks were too cold... but sometimes there is a pile of 4-5 like they are cold, but just inches away are the other 3 laying sprawled out with their wings lifted like they are hot.


Today I went to a fundraiser trail ride for the Horse Assistance Council. When the county seizes horses / donkeys etc, the Council helps get them fostered / adopted. They don't just move straight to seizure though, the council also provides hay, feed, farrier services and even fencing assistance if that will help folks get back on their feet and be able to keep their animals. This group is where I got my "Buddy" gelding that I am fostering.
The trail ride was held out of the stables /rec area that is part of a state forest. I love it there, and have to post a website so I can brag on it
http://www.abfla.com/parks/BlackwaterRiver/blackwater.html

The waters are a brown color because of the tannic acid leached from fallen leaves of trees such as oaks along the rivers edge. Most of the Blackwater River has white sand beaches, but this is Coldwater Creek and it has white sand / small stones / gravel beaches.
ETA - Rio loves Coldwater as much as I do

Other big things in our area are peanuts (eating some boiled'uns now!) and cotton. I love cotton crops, the closest we get to snow most years lol

You can see how dry it is here

I wanted to get pics of the cotton pickers and the big packed semi sized bales of cotton - but my camera battery died.

Anyway... I need to go unload some hay and 300lbs of feed. And check on those cussed chicks. I am beginning to believe I COULD kill them myself!!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

ha!

the first time we had pigs Bourbon Red told me i'd wanna kill them myself by the end of the season. but i was all "oh NO, not ME!"

ha!

in sept i called him up BEGGING him to come and kill those stupid pigs.. he just laughed and told me "not yet."

ha!

the meats are kinda fully little things. we have one with a weird leg thing. we're giving him a fighting chance but its just strange to see him with one leg twisted backward (eeeeeuuuwweee!). so we taped the legs in a way that he has a normal-ish walk.

i swear tho, every time i pick one up i go and bleach my hands! ha!

great work with the trail ride! i know someone who fosters donkeys..she just loves it.

 

[AL]

Rags "the bad dog" is now Rags "the mighty 'possum hunter". I was out at the barn unloading feed and hay when Rags darted past me and all the way up to my house. I didn't think anything of it until I saw him trotting back with a limp body. I just KNEW it was one of my chickens and I was preparing to ship the rotten dog back to the pound. But nope, instead of his normal "you can't catch me", Rags brought the 'possum right to me and dropped it at my feet!
I was sure hoping it wasn't just playing dead! After a few toe nudges and a sneak attack by my 14yr old dog it was a confirmed kill. My dogs are now in a 'possum hunting frenzy - last I saw they were making about the 4th lap around the pasture with noses to the ground.




I probably won't even have any meaties left by the time butcher day comes around.... just went to the house and I've got a little one with a HUGE crop just huddling in the food dish. I bumped it and he walked off the dish and huddled again. Everybody else was digging in and drinking their 2nd quart of water. I gently massaged the crop some and the chick fell asleep. I don't know *sigh*

 

[AL]

lost #3 in 3 days tonight.

sigh

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

those are some darn good dogs! and me having to go and buy one! sheesh!

hang in there with those chicks. is there ANY sign of blood in the poop? even one little bit? if yes you might want to treat for cocci. see here:

http://adventuresinthegoodland.blogspot.com/2010/10/creepy-meat-update.html

we only had to do it once and it worked very quickly.

meats = creepy for sure.

you're doing just fine, honey.

 

[Farmfresh]

Don't kick yourself over a few losses.

Some loss is normal with all chicks and probably slightly more of a loss with the meaties.

Within the first few days most of the loss is from what is known in the industry as "starve out". Sometimes the chicks don't eat properly, and sometimes they don't digest properly. It just happens.

Meaties are also quite good at standing on each other and smothering each other in the first few weeks. It is a good idea to keep them in a container with out corners, like the round ends on my stock tank. That helps with the smothering. Also keeping the heat source farther away from the side will help. This way the warmest spot is not the closest to the wall or corner.

 

[AL]

Thanks for the encouragement. For a perfectionist this "creepy meat" thing is quite a trial! I have spent more time fiddling with these frankenchickens than anything else this weekend. ie raising the red light high enough that it basically just warms the air (hanging from shower rod), not putting the white light where it will cause psycho chicks to peck each other, filling water trays with pebbles and making sure the little klutzes aren't trapped in the feeder (the other day one had somehow managed to wedge his leg in the little hole of the feeder tray - foot on one edge of the hole, hock on the other).
Note to self: If I ever do this again, order more than I want so there will be some on processing day.

I will go to the feedstore / TSC and see if they have that medicine, OFG. If they don't would just feeding some medicated feed help any? I haven't seen blood, but there have been a couple of ... non-chick looking poo puddles. (sorry)

I guess I could roll the 300gal stock tank up to my place and use it to water the horses, then I could use the smaller one for the chicks. I'm off work a few days next week, I'll have to look into it.

We are hopeful for rain today. Of course, that will drop the temps over the next few days, but hopefully I can still get the meaties outside late this week.

My squash have huge, dark green leaves and several big blossoms. Hopefully we still have enough time before frost.

 

[Farmfresh]

They should only need heat for about the first 3 weeks. After that they should be OK.

My squash is still blooming in Missouri too, so it is looking good for Florida!

 

[AL]

HAHA Yeah, I suppose you will know about frost before we do! I sure hope they make. My blackeyed peas are pitiful - planted 4 rows and then just broadcast some and only one row and the broadcasts are up! I saw about 3 little pathetic mustard plants.
Once the squash do whatever they are gonna do, I am chomping at the bit to get to work on my garden / soil etc for spring! I am fortunate in that respect - I can work outside in the dirt pretty much year round.

We had some major thunderstorms roll through but either it didn't rain much or it was a steady rain that the ground could absorb - no puddles. I wanted to leave work early for lunch to go check on the chicks, but we had a tornado warning. Even though it is very rare for a tornado to come through, much less touch down, I had no desire to try it in the dark.

When I DID get home, the cussed chicks in one box had some how dumped over their water! How in the world?!?!?! Anyway, litter was wet, food wet and no telling how long they went without water. I gave them some fresh water and they went wild. I refilled it and put it on a little block of 2x4. The chicks looked like they had been wet but were drying pretty well. They were nasty though from being in that wet litter etc. I didn't have time to really clean the box, so I scooped all the litter I could into the trash, put down dry litter, paper towels then more dry litter. I gave the little pigs the last of the feed, so I will be making a trip in the morning for more.
Now I have to sit at work and wonder for 2 1/2 more hours before I can go check on the *$*%# again.

I think I can't wait until killing day.

 

[Farmfresh]

We cleaned our last eight last night 59 days old and 6 1/2 +/- pounds each!

We are grilling one for dinner tonight.

It makes it all worthwhile somehow.

The little beggers are horribly messy. I have best luck with hanging feeder and waterer and keep both up so they are just above chest high when they are standing. This keeps them from piling up on the feeder and dumping it.