Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[Quail_Antwerp]

Today was a pretty good day.

Had a second hen go broody. My Silkie hen named Mumble. I plan to stick a couple of the eggs I have coming under here...maybe 2 Wellie eggs....we'll see...

Found a good home for the pup that the neighbors had brought to us. He should be very happy in his new home...He went to a farm! (whew was I relieved! We did NOT need another dog!)

Got a load of kids laundry washed. It's now in the dryer.

Got through a math lesson with DD today.

Hauled water and went to the feed store today.

Oh yea, and I got a Sumatra pullet for Jett! She's supposed to be a pullet, anyway. Local breeder hatched them, and he was hoping to get a roo, but all 4 chicks are at 2 months of age looking like pullets. So, he has agreed to sell me two, but he was only able to catch one today. So, I paid for that one and brought her home. I put her pictures on BYC to see if any Sumatra people there think she's a she or not.

I had a loss today, too. One of Gwen poults had been weak from hatch, and it expired this morning. Was kind of sad, but I still have 7 lively ones left, and judging by snoods, I think at least 3 of them are girls!

 

[keljonma]

Oh yea, and I got a Sumatra pullet for Jett! She's supposed to be a pullet, anyway. Local breeder hatched them, and he was hoping to get a roo, but all 4 chicks are at 2 months of age looking like pullets. So, he has agreed to sell me two, but he was only able to catch one today. So, I paid for that one and brought her home. I put her pictures on BYC to see if any Sumatra people there think she's a she or not.

I think Elizabeth Her Royal Highness will be soooo jealous!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

So far today is a good day!

I sold the 4 silkie chicks that came in my half of the bantam grab bag today. Also sold one of my bunnies today. Was happy about that!

Then I checked out the chicks left, and noticed that I have several starting to show frizzling! I have 4 Black Frizzle Bantam Cochins and 2 Red Frizzle Cochins. I called my friend that had bought the silkies and said, "Guess what? I have red and black frizzles!" She said she wants those, too, so she's going to buy them on Thursday.

I then called my one repeat customer for chicks and guineas, as she'd inquired before about buying some bantams. I left a message on her machine and expect to hear from her sometime this evening on if she wants any of the cochins bantams or not.

At this rate, I might have mine all sold before we get to the Mt. Hope swap.

Other plans for today is to finish digging out for the floor of the coop add on, run to the hardware store and get the rest of the OSB needed for the flooring. I hope to be constructing the floor by tomorrow.

This evening we are planning to run over to my mom's and start disassembling, and heavily dusting with DE, mom's old coops and moving the pieces over here. After I have the floor completed we can start assembling walls and rooms.

While I would love it if we could have it all finished in a week, I think it's going to be more like 2 weeks or so...especially if I don't get off this computer and get out there and start digging!

 

[keljonma]

Congratulations on the sales!

I bet you'll be glad to get the extra materials over to your place!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I got more of the floor dug out today for the coop extension, not as much as I wanted to get done, but it was something. LOL

We made it over to mom's and got started on tearing down the coops. Lemme tell you! I've never never never never seen such disgusting coops!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My mom's coops are NEWER than mine, but are in FAR WORSE shape than mine! It's like she never cleaned them out!!

What's worse, the poop in there is about 2 foot deep...and I ain't talking on the floor either! I'm talking about on the board she put in for a nesting box! Plus, she left over 2 dozen eggs in the "nesting boxes" and they're just rotting in there!!

We almost packed it all up and said forget it, but the 2x4's and 4x4 posts in the coop are in great shape....so we took it all apart and just left the pieces apart in their yard and I was cleaning stuff off....we're dusting everything with DE and spraying with a bleach solution!

Plus we've decided to use most of the stuff from mom's coops for the floor of the new coop ONLY instead of the walls...meaning the painted sides of the OSB that's her walls will be facing UP on my coop floor....so none of my birds will be touching any of the pieces her birds had touched.

Ernie and I were just in shock. I can't imagine what her poor chickens must have felt living in that mud hole.

She's leaving all the fencing behind, too. I'm taking none of the wire, but we are taking ALL of the green garden stakes she left behind. I'm going to use them to construct a run for my Welsh Harlequins. I have a nice dog box to use for their duck house. It will be just big enough for my 4 Harlequins.

Going to take longer to construct the add on than I thought, since most of the stuff salvageable from mom's coops is the 2x4's and the hardware (hinges, etc.).

I took some pictures....just not sure I'm brave enough to post them since it shows just how nasty the coops are.

 

[jenlyn9483]

Thats good that you are getting some free material tho. I have been searching and searching for some free material. In the past year i have used up just about every last piece of anything I have every last 2x4 and scrap of wire. Just have a small roll of garden fence left.

Congrats on selling the silkies. you lucky dog for getting black and red frizzles! I only have one white hen and a little black roo thats still a chick. He's already got the Devil attitude. Walking around jumpin on chicks twice his size. If you have never had sizzles you should try them, They are GORGEOUS! I have two white sizzle pullets, love em! Both have frizzle attitude tho. I have my frizzle hen in with my silkies I hope to build another pen for my Frizzle roo when he gets older and put some silkie hens with him

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

We have 3 sizzles right now. My DD is working with them. I think she's breeding for the Mille Fleur color in them, as she crossed out to my Mille Fleur roo for one breeding, and her sizzles's dad was a Mille Fleur frizzle.

Chirpy is the Mama frizzle and we have two of her babies. One is a little pullet that looks just like her and one is a little Mille colored cockerel.

She has a smooth feathered black frizzle cochin to add to her Sizzle breeding project, and I think she's hoping I let her keep 2 or 3 of the Bantam cochins in my brooder. I've not decided about that yet. I'm thinking she should pay me for them??? Or at least do something chore related to earn them.


Eta: Ooops! We have four sizzles! I keep forgetting about my white smooth feathered Sizzle hen!

Both sizzle hens have been excellent broodies!

 

[keljonma]

I just wondered why aren't you taking the fencing?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I just wondered why aren't you taking the fencing?

2 reasons.

1) It's so OLD and rusty, it's literally just falling apart!

2) My mom put it together in such an unorganized way, we'd have to UNTANGLE half of it just to get it down.

There is some on the back side that is pretty new, but mom stapled it into trees. Nice tall chicken wire, too. I might try to take that piece, but I'm not sure we'll be able to untangle it from the rest or get it out of the trees.

 

[keljonma]

We had that problem here with ag fencing between the fence rails. It took us half a day to untangle the ag fencing before we could work on replacing bad posts and rails! Very! Frustrating! I understand your reluctance!