framing fowl -daily living

[framing fowl]

Thanks for the encouragement Farm! I did end up sleeping and when I went back out, there are 4 that have quite a bit of red through the neck and breast so they're not totally boring looking! I am absolutely amazed at how calm and friendly they are. My last flock was not like this at all except the one buff that went broody. Even though they're not glamorous, I know I made a good choice.

 

[framing fowl]

Well, 1 week and no eggs? I know they go off for a bit after moving but 6 hens, no eggs? I did have them in a fairly dark area for the first 3 days so that probably didn't help either. But, they've been out freeranging all day for the past 4 days. I guess I'm going to have to start palpating them to find out what's going on.

Got a great smoker on CL last week. In the process of bartering a composter for a propane tank or DH to look at the bottom and figure out how to use charcoal in it. Fun new toy to try out and play with. I've got 2 turkeys from Thanksgiving I need to get in there. I think I'll experiment with some chicken first though so I can figure it out.

Work has been crazier than a prime time tv series as of late.
Cast:
5 employees who technically work for the university,
2 different HR departments,
1 non-profit with the blessing of the president of the university who is retiring at the end of the school year,
1 MIA Executive Director,
4 clueless members of the executive committee,
1 new employee manager who is off all week at a conference,
1 employee out for 6 weeks for surgery, 1 employee out for days due to family emergency,
1 guest with alcohol and prescription drug interactions,
2 campus police officers,
3 medics,
hospital security,
and a fridge that went kaput in the middle of the night...

 

[FarmerJamie]

Well, 1 week and no eggs? I know they go off for a bit after moving but 6 hens, no eggs? I did have them in a fairly dark area for the first 3 days so that probably didn't help either. But, they've been out freeranging all day for the past 4 days. I guess I'm going to have to start palpating them to find out what's going on.

Got a great smoker on CL last week. In the process of bartering a composter for a propane tank or DH to look at the bottom and figure out how to use charcoal in it. Fun new toy to try out and play with. I've got 2 turkeys from Thanksgiving I need to get in there. I think I'll experiment with some chicken first though so I can figure it out.

Work has been crazier than a prime time tv series as of late.
Cast:
5 employees who technically work for the university,
2 different HR departments,
1 non-profit with the blessing of the president of the university who is retiring at the end of the school year,
1 MIA Executive Director,
4 clueless members of the executive committee,
1 new employee manager who is off all week at a conference,
1 employee out for 6 weeks for surgery, 1 employee out for days due to family emergency,
1 guest with alcohol and prescription drug interactions,
2 campus police officers,
3 medics,
hospital security,
and a fridge that went kaput in the middle of the night...

Have you secured the book and movie rights?

I can empathize with you, having worked in higher education for a while. Hope it gets better!

 

[homesteadmomma]

If your chickens are out free-ranging could they be laying somewhere you are not looking. If they are new to your property they may have found a great nesting spot. Just a thought!

 

[Denim Deb]

If your chickens are out free-ranging could they be laying somewhere you are not looking. If they are new to your property they may have found a great nesting spot. Just a thought!

I found a nest w/13 eggs in it not so long ago. I just happened to notice it. Fortunately, the eggs were still good.

 

[framing fowl]

I've checked the yard and didn't find anything? I picked them all up off the roost tonight and checked them. Three of them feel like there are eggs just up from the vent. I'll have DH keep an eye on them tomorrow. I hope I don't have egg bound hens. Was doing some reading tonight and apparently stress and worming can be causes.

I made the decision to worm them when I got them home because last time I had mature hens from someone else's flock they came with worms and it turned into a big mess. Perhaps this was the wrong decision but I wanted to head off any potential problems with these gals straight out of the gate. And of course the stress of moving them to a new environment. I'm at work now and can't do anything about it until Monday am. None of them seemed in distress today, as in tails down, fluffed feathers, or listless so maybe I'm getting worked up about nothing. I just don't know. They've been freeranging since Tuesday or Wednesday and I don't know them well enough or have been home enough to really know if they're off their feed or not. I'll just keep a closer eye on them and keep monitoring the situation.

 

[BarredBuff]

I think the stress of moving can slow egg laying down. But you can't eat them if you used wormer anyhow unless you did it naturally.

 

[framing fowl]

That was why I wanted to getting the worming done and be done with it when I brought them in. Last time I bought chickens I didn't worm them because they "looked" healthy and then I ended up having to do it later. This time I just thought I'd do it and get it out of the way. Maybe not the right decision but it seemed logical at the time...

MyT Man just said they were all up and moving about and foraging so maybe I'm just fussing about nothing. I know I can't eat the eggs yet I just want to make sure that everything is okay.

 

[BarredBuff]

They oughta straighten up soon!

 

[framing fowl]

Well, those hens aren't laying. So, off to CL they go I guess.

Snow and sleet today so no garden work. I was glad in a way though because I had overtime two days in a row and really needed to be getting caught up on sleep and not being outside or feeling guilty about it.

Tonight at work, one of the guests from Eastern KY had brought his guitar and played for about 2 hours. Tomorrow he's going to pick and play his harmonica (after the UK BB game!). Fun stuff.