AL - Recording baby steps: Newest Addition

[AL]

Well of course it is!! You come to Florida for the rivers and beaches and sun

You take home the $1 chick as a souvenir!!!



psst don't tell anybody, but my fake Jersey Giant (I think she is really an australorp) is broody on 4 eggs.

 

[glenolam]

We *may* be looking into a Florida trip...my husband's grandparents live in Ft. Lauderdale and we're contemplating bringing our son to Disney - of course we would stay at Disney rather than drive from the grandparent's....

 

[Denim Deb]

You take home the $1 chick as a souvenir!!!

That's better than a t-shirt, or a pair of Mickey Mouse ears.

 

[AL]

Aw Orlando is nearly 8hrs away from here. Our beaches are way prettier than Ft Lauderdale anyway

I know, right Deb? Shoot come get a free chick at my house lol

Mr ON called me over this morning to tell me his feedstore had chicks for $3 each. I said "$3?!?!?! Mr. ON don't you be buying chicks from a feedstore, I have ELEVEN you have to help me with!!!"

He just giggled and went on his way./

 

[AL]

I need to get new pics of the chicks.... there are a lot of suspiciously pretty tail feathers!!!!! YIKES

My Jersey Giant (the real one) is definitely broody. There are a couple of problems with this -
1) I have no idea when she started setting
2) She had 4 eggs, but when she got up to eat somebody (somebodies ) laid more eggs so there are about 8. No idea which are the originals
3) I don't have a broody pen. I have a big 48 inch wire dog kennel, but should I move her since I have no idea when the hatch date is? And the chicks could easily walk out of this kennel (I guess I could wrap it with hardware cloth like I did for the chicks I bought last year).
4) Who needs more chicks when there are 11 in my bathroom????? Unless of course, she hatches PULLETS


I have all of the chickens shut up in the chicken yard. The rest of the 2.8 acres is green, my backyard was brown and dust. Now I have grass coming up, so once it is established and growing I will let them out again.

If I want to plant some of the grass seed I bought in that yard, do I need to fertilize first, plant first????

My potatos are crazy. Peas growing, onions doing fine. My older nephew tilled my garden for me last weekend, but I am going to run over it again after spreading some compost. I want to plant maybe a couple of things this weekend.

My ancient dog is still with us. He sleeps all the time, but I guess I would too if I were 100+ years old and had arthritis like he does. I have an appt at the vet tomorrow to get his eye checked - it is watering and he keeps trying to scrub at it - I can't tell if his eyelashes have rolled under.

I am off work tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday. Surely I can accomplish SOMETHING during that time???

 

[glenolam]

If you think she's safe where she is, I'd leave her. And I never really worried about other bodies depositing their off spring. Whenever I saw a chick I took it out (I had rat problems so I had to) and the hen continued to set on the rest.

Heck, I've had hens who go broody for three months. The only way to get them off the nest was to dunk them in cold water.

 

[AL]

She is in a corner of the chicken house on the ground... under the roost. I guess she is safe, as long as the other chickens leave her alone?

 

[glenolam]

Can you put up some chicken netting or the hardware cloth around her?

I'm sure she'll be fine either way - it's the getting up to eat that scares me. If she leaves it and someone else is sets and takes too long, will she come back?

 

[AL]

My little rooster crew .... ?????
Check out the green legs on some of them - they can't deny their Easter Egger daddy!
The black one I wanted to keep

The BR marked one

again

buff

this one is winning me over - little tubby cuteness

golden

red /buff

red/buff comb

My favorite

Not so runty runt

Stripe

Stripe Face

One white one

And another white one

What's your vote??

And some photos of a Florida spring....

another sign of spring.... my mare will be 29 April 14, buddy will be 2 April 29 (I think) - and my mare is in season.


I am exhausted, gonna grab a nap then head out of town for a baseball game. Tomorrow we plant!!!

 

[glenolam]

Just haaaaaaad to throw those Florida spring photos in, huh?

Those chicks look awesome. I love the one with strips around it's eyes - I had one like that who was a cross between my white silkie roo and a black orpington. She got taken this winter, though...bummed me out big time.