wyodreamer - we're not in Wyo any more

[FarmerJamie]

Any chance to see the predicted aurora display?

 

[wyoDreamer]

I didn't get a chance to see it last night. There are tall trees north of us, so I will have to find a high spot to look from.
Tonight it is supposed to be cloudy

I used to watch them all the time when I was growing up, but we lived farther north than I am now. When I was in high school, I would stop on my way home from the restaurant job at 1 am and just sit and watch them from the side of the road.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I just got some chicks. A co-workers wife ordered 20 chicks - she wanted a dozen and a neighbor asked her to order some for him. However, he is now ill and doesn't think he can take care of them so she needed to find a home for the rest. Since I have not gotten any new layers this year, I said I would take them.

They are a week old, and the she had them under a heat lamp. I checked on them last evening and they were standing in a corner in a cluster. They were not peeping, but I could tell they were starting to get chilly as they were all puffed up. I did get the brooder cleaned up an the heater cave set up for them, but obviously they were not using it.

One by one, I put them under the cave on the heat mat and held them there for a few seconds so they could feel the warmth. They all ran back out to the corner peeping, trying to get under the other chicks to get warm.

Then I realized, they were looking for the heat LAMP, to them heat had to be light. I turned off the lights directly overhead the brooder so that it was a little darker in there. That really got them distress peeping. Then, one by one I put them under the cave on the heat mat. 2 minutes later, no distress peeping, no pig pile in the corner trying to get warm, and no light to keep them awake and active.

This morning, they were out and about. They had finished off the food that I left last night and were darting back under the cave to warm up, then popping out to scratch through the shavings looking for more to eat. Happy little peeps.

I love brooding chicks with a MHP cave!

 

[wyoDreamer]

I was looking at the young birds this morning and it looks like they are starting to grow their combs and getting color! Had to come on here to see how old they are. They are almost 3 1/2 months old - 14 weeks. I guess I need to move them to the big coop with the other birds. I also need to dispatch my oldest layer. I know she isn't laying anymore and I believe she is my egg eater.

Anyone build large nest boxes? I am thinking of building a unit with 2 shelves that are 14 inches deep and 30 inches long. That way more than one bird can lay in the same "nest" at a time and maybe they will stop stepping on the eggs and breaking them.

 

[baymule]

I had one big next box one time. It worked very well. I even cut blue jean legs for curtains and stapled them up. The girls really liked their privacy. I stapled down a piece of carpet, a whisk broom cleaned it right up.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I was looking at the young birds this morning and it looks like they are starting to grow their combs and getting color! Had to come on here to see how old they are. They are almost 3 1/2 months old - 14 weeks. I guess I need to move them to the big coop with the other birds. I also need to dispatch my oldest layer. I know she isn't laying anymore and I believe she is my egg eater.

Anyone build large nest boxes? I am thinking of building a unit with 2 shelves that are 14 inches deep and 30 inches long. That way more than one bird can lay in the same "nest" at a time and maybe they will stop stepping on the eggs and breaking them.

My birds prefer a raised community nest.

 

[Britesea]

My birds prefer either under the steps, or in a big pile of empty feed bags

 

[wyoDreamer]

Well, Mr. Rooster made his first crow this morning. After I filled their feeder and as I was walking away, he crowed loud and clear! I think he was wanting me to toss in some BOSS for them, but I had to get going on my way to work and didn't bother to go get any from the other end of the barn. Obviously, he forgot how he made that cock-a-doodle-doo, because as I was driving out, I could hear him back to his teenage croaking, lol.

 

[Britesea]

 

[Mini Horses]

He needs a coach!! Maybe there is something wrong in there. . Maybe one of those crow neck things would help him out. . Poor baby.