Hen23's Journal~Goodbye

[Henrietta23]

New chicks is always a plus. None of mine have died but a few chicks are in the future. Im not sure you could EVER have to many chickens......

In a residential 1/2 acre backyard, it's possible! Especially when there are 15 hens and one egg every other day.... :/ If I could bring myself to cull the old things it would work much better. But I can't. I think 3-4 new chicks this spring. Then none the following year and see what happens to the old flock.

 

[Henrietta23]

I love that song!

Me too! I've got it as my cell phone ring right now!

 

[BarredBuff]

Sounds like you need to come to the country. Im amazed you have goats! I havent a clue where I would put them and we have about 5 acres or so. You could always sell the old ones. I sold my old ones.

 

[Henrietta23]

We're country-ish here. I grew up in true suburbia. This isn't that. But we don't have as much room as I'd like. It's the someday plan to have 3-5 acres. I have considered selling some of the chickens I'm not attached to, even tried to give 3 to friends this summer. It never seems to work out! It's all because of the first two roosters I had. They weren't supposed to be roosters. They came from a broken home as rescues. They were the dumbest, but sweetest, snuggliest White Crested Black Polish. I cried the day they both crowed. They crowed for 23 hours out of each day. The neighbors complained. We gave them back to their rescuer. Her husband let them out of the pen their first day there and they ran off never to be seen again. I cried for a week and have had a hard time parting with a chicken ever since. Even my roo Oliver who turned on me and wouldn't let me walk through my backyard without a stick.... we gave him to a farm but I cried all afternoon! I'm such a wimp!

 

[BarredBuff]

Can you tell me about your goat setup? Please !

 

[Henrietta23]

I will post a few pictures tomorrow, I promise! We have a very strange barn. It is pentagon shaped! It is divided half for the birds, half for the goats. Their stall is not particularly large. We have a fold down milk stand. Unfortunately right now that means I have to lock the younger goats out in the elements when I milk Donki, the Nubian. Ideally when we get the flock a little smaller we will build them a small coop and have more than one goat stall in the barn. Each half of the barn has an exterior door that leads into a pen area.
The whole thing has weird angles and nothing is plumb, by design. We're starting to have some issues with the doors and ice and weather and I'm not looking forward to messy school mornings... but I love my goaties and we will weather our first winter together as messy as it might get!

 

[freemotion]

I wonder if you could set up tie stations with hay for the two youngsters. A short length of chain so they don't get twisted and hang themselves...and always be there when they are tied. If they get any grain, they can get their grain when they are tied, too. Secure the most dominant first, down to the least dominant. Turn them loose in reverse order.

You could use haybags and put them away after so you don't have to fill them up all the time.

I'd love a pic of the fold down milking stand! A Murphy milking stand!

 

[BarredBuff]

 

[TanksHill]

Youngin (bbuff), who did yo sell you old chickens to? How old were they? I have some really old gals. Not sure what I am going to do with them..

 

[keljonma]

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb70/kalugamama/101216_194525.jpg

What a great picture!!




Sorry to hear about Henrietta. It is hard to lose a good hen.....