luvinlife offthegrid- will winter ever arrive?

[luvinlife offthegrid]

I think anything with a reliable digital thermometer and circulating fan will do. Are they styrofoam like the other hovabators? Styrofoam irritates me.

 

[Dawn419]

Congrat's on the new chicks!

My least favorite hen is in broody mode so I've got her seperated from the flock. that she'll hatch out atleast a few as it's time for us to learn the proccessing proccess!

Hope you have a great weekend!

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Congrat's on the new chicks!

My least favorite hen is in broody mode so I've got her seperated from the flock. that she'll hatch out atleast a few as it's time for us to learn the proccessing proccess!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Good luck with your broody! The screaming Mimi is no longer broody. I was shocked when she hopped up onto my lap this afternoon. I guess I handled her so much trying to "break" her, that she thought, "well jeez, mom hasn't picked me up in a few days".

I just read about your berries. I'm drooling here. I can't wait til the wild blueberries are ready... It's strawberry time here.

Ah, summer!

 

[AndysHomestead]

ive thought about getting some partridge rock hens....i love the look of them. but im wondering how the temperment of your p.r.'s are....ive heard the ones from the hatcheries can be nippers

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

ive thought about getting some partridge rock hens....i love the look of them. but im wondering how the temperment of your p.r.'s are....ive heard the ones from the hatcheries can be nippers

My PR girls and the bosses of the yard. They are also very...chatty. The rooster was very skittish from the beginning and he was very aggressive, so had to go. I just opened the run divider for the 10 week old newbies. The ones bullying them are my 3 dominiques, not the PR's as I expected. The PRs kind of stomp around like they own the place. But the doms are the ones chasing out the little ones who try to roost in the big girl coop. When eveyrbody's out in the yard, the PRs don't pay any attention to the little ones. The brown leghorns don't care, and act like they barely notice there's new younger chickens around.

I got the PRs from mcmurray, but I haven't been raising chickens for long, and have never gotten birds from breeders so I couldn't tell you.

 

[AndysHomestead]

^im actually planning on ordering from mcmurray. i love the look of the PR's. Have u had any issues with them? anything about them u love/don't like?

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Hm. Any issues. You know, I can't say I've had any issues with them. As I said, they do boss the other ones around. I have a leghorn that has some missing back feathers, but I think it's because she is the bottom of the peck order. When I do see the PRs pecking, it's not that hard. These girls are big, but not as big as a buff Orpington. A good solid bird. They lay about 3-4 eggs a week. I would say they aren't major producers. They are meatier and a little slower, so the fox has an easier time catching them than the other hens. But, they are too heavy for the hawks and other birds of prey, so my Dominiques (mcmurray) have to watch out for them. The leghorns are too fast for everybody! (rose comb brown leghorns from mcmurray).

Depends on what you want your birds for. I would say that the PRs are a decent dual purpose bird. Although, i havent eaten any so i dont know how they taste. I have had 3 of my 5 go broody. I haven't let them hatch chicks, so i Don't know if they're good mothers. But if youre looking for a good sized bird that lays decent eggs and will brood chicks, these seem ok for that. Next year I would like to have broodys hatch and raise chicks to continue my flock, as I'm done ordering different breeds from hatcheries for a while. The brown leghorns are better layers, and these aren't flighty. They don't hop on your lap like my PRs and doms do, but that's fine by me. I would have to say that other than disposition, I wouldn't order the Dominiques again unless I really want to have a barred chicken.

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Well. Girls are on lockdown unless free roaming is supervised. We have a very bold gray fox that has stolen one hen and taken a few feathers off another. I am thinking this is what got Rocky a few weeks ago. But the evidence doesn't support a fox attack, so I'm uncertain.

Anyway, yesterday I was out in the chair watching the girls scratch in the grass. It was 11:30 in the morning. The new 9 week olds were under the coop. They all ran out from under, followed by the fox! It was almost as big as a coyote. I yelled to scare it off (don't ask why I didn't have the gun- stupid!) and it just turned and stared at me. It ran off when I ran for the gun. Today I sat waiting for it, but it never showed. If it came out for a snack 15 minutes after I let the girls out, the den must be close by. It's a male. I wasn't sure if I wanted to dispatch it at first. My run is big enough to have the girls locked in all day. But I cracked open my first yellow-yolked egg since the girls started laying, and that sealed the deal.

I'm all chicked out for this year. I'm hoping that at least one of my potential roosters a) makes it til next spring so I can have a broody hatch some chicks to replenish the flock and b) is nice enough to keep around so that can happen. We shall see.

The new chicks are doing well. They're almost too calm. I made sex links without even realizing it, and they're both girls!

Pumpkins, melons, squash, and tomatoes are doing well. Something is eating my pea plants. Lettuce and carrots have come up, but no beet sprouts yet. Cukes that were reseeded are coming along.

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Chicken. Corn. Potato. Bacon. Chowder. That is all. Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

[moolie]

Yum indeed