Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[lorihadams]

I think the darker one. Chicks too.

Your kids are cutie patooties! My kids love this time of year cause they can jump in all the leaves. DS keeps piling them up on the trampoline and jumping in them! I love the names Salt, Pepper, and Bread too, btw!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I spoke with the BYC'er that has the BLRW roosters, and he said one is not really darker than the other, that it was more of a lighting issue when he took the pics last night. He then assured me that he will choose the better of the two roos for me. He also gave me some facts about what to be breeding for when breeding the BLRW and gave me some tips for crossing my splash roo to a GLW hen (oh guess what? Jackie is here! HAHAHAHA).

Jackie is keljonma's Gold Laced Wyandotte, and she's just beautiful! I might have to concot a little roundevous with her and Diesel! (Which means I'll be plugging in the incubators........)

Had quite the scare today, too! Kids were sitting at the table eating when the boys yell, "Cool! An eagle, Mom!"

I was like, "What?!"

I mean, we don't have eagles around here! So I jumped up and looked out the window to see A HAWK! and he was standing on the ground as bold as brass not 30 feet from my back door!!

So I ran out the back door and every single chicken was under the van or E's truck, except for one Langshan rooster. That single Langshan rooster was challenging the hawk! As soon as my feet (stocking feet, since I didn't stop for my shoes!) hit the grass, the hawk flew off.

I then went back in the house, slipped on my shoes and went out to do a head count. Thankfully, no one was missing. WHEW!

Honestly, I very nearly had a heart attack when I saw that hawk!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

WHEW! Evil hawks! I'm glad no-one came up missing. Yay for good instincts! I haven't lost one chicken yet, thanks to my brave rooster. He drove off hunting dogs yesterday.

You really do have beautiful children, QA. And pretty chickens too!

 

[keljonma]

IF I don't get any of the roosters, I could get several more of the blue chicks, but I'm not sure where or how I'll brood chicks right now, because E said absolutely NO MORE chicks brooding in the house EVER! He's planning to put a small room in the new coop addition with electric next spring for all new chicks that need heat lamps.

I spoke with the BYC'er that has the BLRW roosters, and he said one is not really darker than the other, that it was more of a lighting issue when he took the pics last night. He then assured me that he will choose the better of the two roos for me. He also gave me some facts about what to be breeding for when breeding the BLRW and gave me some tips for crossing my splash roo to a GLW hen (oh guess what? Jackie is here! HAHAHAHA).

Jackie is keljonma's Gold Laced Wyandotte, and she's just beautiful! I might have to concot a little roundevous with her and Diesel! (Which means I'll be plugging in the incubators........) !

Good luck with that! Jackie does have great Wyandotte shape imo. (I could be biased, though).

How does that work with E saying no more chicks in the house? Will you have a section ready for brooding outdoors in time?

Had quite the scare today, too! Kids were sitting at the table eating when the boys yell, "Cool! An eagle, Mom!"

I was like, "What?!"

I mean, we don't have eagles around here! So I jumped up and looked out the window to see A HAWK! and he was standing on the ground as bold as brass not 30 feet from my back door!!

So I ran out the back door and every single chicken was under the van or E's truck, except for one Langshan rooster. That single Langshan rooster was challenging the hawk! As soon as my feet (stocking feet, since I didn't stop for my shoes!) hit the grass, the hawk flew off.

I then went back in the house, slipped on my shoes and went out to do a head count. Thankfully, no one was missing. WHEW!

Honestly, I very nearly had a heart attack when I saw that hawk!

Glad to hear the hawk went away hungry. One of my friends used to make teepees out of pallets and put them around her pastures and orchards for her birds to use to hide out from flying predators.

 

[BeccaOH]

Mom has seen a hawk in our valley, but thankfully my runs are a bit tight for a swoop and grab, and I have a couple bushes in the biggest run.

My friend Julie has been losing poultry to hawks and trying all types of things to ward them off. Her property is surrounded by tall pines.

The pallet tepees are a great idea.

 

[keljonma]

Mom has seen a hawk in our valley, but thankfully my runs are a bit tight for a swoop and grab, and I have a couple bushes in the biggest run.

My friend Julie has been losing poultry to hawks and trying all types of things to ward them off. Her property is surrounded by tall pines.

The pallet tepees are a great idea.

The best thing we EVER had to scare off hawks was Titan! He would bark and chase them away every time. We never lost a bird to hawks and in our area, that is saying something. It was not unusual to see 10 to 15 hawks a day at the farm.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

For the most part, The First Ladies are very well behaved (unless you have treats then they turn into impatient, mud-slinging wrestling champs) and stay where they should.

Except Betty and Mary.

Betty and Mary have been testing my patience, daily. Daily they venture to the road, across the road, and to the edge of the woods across the road. They don't even walk down the proper side of the road, facing traffic. Nope, they brazenly walk down the center of the road, completely convinced that they own it.

Yesterday they were almost hit by a car.

I ran down the drive with a bucket of treats screaming "chick chick! I've got treats!"

They ignored me.

Behind me, 100 chickens are giving chase, beaks open, wings flapping, trying to catch the treat bucket that has grown legs (me). I toss two handfuls of treats in their direction to stop them, and turn my attentions back to Mary and Betty.

They were NOT coming.

I yelled for my oldest two kids to come and help me. They come running down the drive.

Mary and Betty cross to the other side of the street. They didn't even look before they crossed!

I shake the treat bucket and drop a few pieces of sunflower seeds at the bottom of the drive. Mary's head pops up. She starts my way v e r y s l o w l y. :/ Soon as she gets to the bottom of the driveway (which seemed to take forever because she had to peck at every rock on the way or crack in the road) she gobbles up the sunflower seeds, DD snatches her up and runs her up the Bantam coop.

Betty, having realized her compadre was heading towards us, had decided to amble along behind Mary. She reached us a mere seconds after Mary.

No one can catch Betty. She's smarter than all of us.

I keep shaking the treat bucket. 100 chickens join us halfway up the driveway, but I keep shaking. I get to the top of the drive and I squat down to give Betty some first hand treats, but the Langshans shove past her and stuff their heads in the treat bucket. I get Betty's attention, finally, and distract her with some oats and sunflower seeds. While she's chomping down, I reach in and grab her legs.

Two seconds later, she's in the bantam coop!

And they're still in the bantam coop, very unhappy, I might add, because they want O U T!

I can't trust letting them out, because I can't keep them out of the road. They scared me to death yesterday.

Today, Martha seemed to think she's going to take over for them. I snapped her up and gave her a firm lecture.

She returned to the backyard of her own accord.

 

[keljonma]

I have SOOOOOO been there! I can picture this so well you wouldn't believe it. But then again you might! I am not laughing at you... but it has given me perspective.

That Betty has been a rebel from day one.

"Mom's got treats - let's follow her!" Which only frustrates your plans because the rest of the flock is going where you don't want anyone to be...

I thought you might have a problem with Betty and Mary (as well as your Buff Japanese) when I saw them in the front yard and drive. Martha usually does well after a lecture.

Since our drive was fenced The Ladies had no way to get to the street. They definitely do well with boundaries.

 

[BeccaOH]

Behind me, 100 chickens are giving chase, beaks open, wings flapping, trying to catch the treat bucket that has grown legs (me). I toss two handfuls of treats in their direction to stop them, and turn my attentions back to Mary and Betty.

Oh, I can just picture this. Too funny!

 

[Farmfresh]

Our thoughts and prayers will be with you and Ernie today at the doctors.

Tell us all about it when you get home.