All ready for Winter

I haven't been really good about getting home from work with there being enough daylight left to get any good pictures of what's been going on. I took a few crappy pics with the phone this afternoon after I got everyone fed and watered.

Scott got the frost free hydrant that was freezing up on us all last winter, dug out and fixed. Teh Boy gave him a hand while he was down for Turkey Day. It's so nice not having to have to have yet another extension cord stretched across the yard to run the hot tape to keep the water faucet from freezing. I still have to drain hoses after every time I run water through it. Scott has taken over most of the morning chores for me and he gets the waters filled for me.

Speaking of water, it was becoming a huge hassle to keep the steers watered. It got cold enough that going out and busting the ice off the water troughs wasn't working. They were froze solid all the way through. Dragging hose across Andrea's property, across the road, and out to the pasture, twice a day, then dragging all that hose back, and making sure it was drained so it didn't freeze wasn't worth keeping the boys out on the pasture any more. Now they are in the round pen. We got em moved Mon after I got home. One cord to the front of the house and they have a tank heater. We threw some straw out to keep them off the snow and mud. Norman has some serious fuzz going on.

While the boys were down for Turkey day, Mike helped me bring the brooder pen Scotty made for me, back into the garage. It was still out next to the chicken condo from when we moved the second batch of meat birds outside. Speckles and her little chick are in it now, all cozy in the garage. When I bring the water bowls in for the rabbits, they unfreeze, so I know she can keep the little chicky warm. They are out of any draft, and the other chickens, or predators can't get to it. I still don't know yet if it's a pullet, or a cockerel chick, but I'm leaning towards pullet. It's going to have Barred Rock coloring. 

The big chickens outside have their heated water dug out of the garage, cleaned out, and plugged in.

The ground looks ugly. We had weird weather this year. No rain really or snow to speak of. It was getting into the high 40's during the day, maybe the low 50's. Then BAM, Cold. Down into the negative numbers in the morning, teens during the day. The ground didn't have any moisture to make it freeze. When we finally got snow it was that really dry powdery stuff and it mixed with the dry powdery, sandy soil underneath it. My front yard looks like someone took dirt, and sprinkled white playground sand in it.

The ponies have their blankets on and they're off the pasture too. They're in the dry lot right next to the haystack so I can feed easier. Then hop the electric fence and feed Dave's horses.

Scott got a good chunk of the firewood bucked up into rounds and the biggest rounds split to fit in the stove.

The wood rack he built for me last year is working perfectly. It takes me two wheel barrow loads to fill it, and filled it will last me about three or four days. 

Connie has been working over at Valley Country Store. Scott is still working nights (which I hate) at IMP. I'm still grooming dogs at WindSwept Kennels. 

Chicken Math

Do you see the tiny little bantam head in the middle of all the chicks?

How does, I'd like to get about eight chicks to replace the older hens turn into, "Oh heck, how did I end up with twenty seven chickens?" It's chicken math. People who have raised chicks understand chicken math.

When Scotty and I got the first batch of chicks we started with fifteen creepy meats, and six Sagita pullets. I lost one of the pullets due to unthriftyness. It was just lethargic and eventually went to sleep and didn't wake up. One of the creepy meats got it's head wedged under the feeder and died a day later. Of course I had to replace them. I got three more pullets.

Now we're at twenty two. I had four adult hens. Make that twenty six. After I moved them all outside I still had this big brooder crate that I only really got to use for a week and some change. We got to talking and really, fourteen chickens for the freezer wasn't enough and one of the pullets is a rooster. Twelve hens really isn't too many either.

Then again I've Really wanted the hens that lay green and blue eggs since I started with the chickens last year. D&B had some when I went in there the other day. Darn it. I just HAD to have some. They have such cute little muffs under their beaks too. Then there was the single little bantam pullet left that couldn't be left on her own. Just look, she's gonna have feathered legs and feet.

Chicken Math. When eight new pullets turns into thirty two chickens. So make that seventeen hens when they're all grown.

The two dark ones are the colored egg layers and the one with the cinnamon-ish colored head instead of the a yellow head. 

And back to the fourteen meat birds really isn't enough to stock my freezer. We decided twenty more would be good. Pete didn't have any more CornishX's but he did have a whole load of Red Rangers. They are a little slower growing bird than the CornishX. Box em up I told him.

So what am I up to now? 

• 4 Jersey Giants
• 2 White Rocks
• 1 Austra White
• 4 Amerauconas
• 1 Bantam
• 4 or 5 Sagitas
• 14 Creepy Meats
• 20 Red Rangers

ERM, I'm up to 51-52 chickens. Did I mention the Broody hen sitting on fourteen eggs? Thirty four of those birds are going in my freezer though. I want to smoke some, try canning some of the breasts. Some will be parted out, some frozen whole. That leaves me seventeen or so laying hens.

Tomorrow or Saturday the broody eggs should start hatching out if any are going to. She stole a couple eggs from the other next boxes, and I know for sure two of them cracked and leaked liquid chicken all over the other eggs. I don't know if that will affect anything. Yes I could just candle them, but I can't a find a flashlight around here, and I never remember before Scott goes off to work and takes his tool bag with him that has a flashlight in it. Plus I'm not really sure what I'm looking at. 

Did I mention my neighbor just ordered twelve Rhode Island Reds? She doesn't know why she ordered twelve and maybe would I like a few when they feather out? Oh yeah, and the older hens she already has, could they find a home at my house too when the new pullets start laying........

Chicken Math. When eight new pullets turns into 75 chickens. 

The new brooder, First day outside, They sleep like the dead

I love having a handy hubby. Any time I need something built or fixed, he's right there to make it happen. The  chicks are not so little fluff balls anymore. The creepy meats are looking downright creepy, all half feathered and loosing their down. There is starting to be a bit of a size difference between the creepy meats and the hopeful pullets. I'm pretty sure one of them is going to be a rooster.

We've had this crate that Scott brought home from work, hanging around out in the yard for about a year. I saw a potential chicken/chick pen, Scott was thinking a compost crate. It's sat and we've done nothing with it. We walked out in the garage last week and one of the creepy meats had it's head poking out the chicken wire on top of the water trough/brooder. It was time for a bigger enclosure.

Scott and I brought the crate into the garage and cleaned it up. Got rid of the spider webs, dirt and crud. 

There's been some old pieces of plywood hanging out under a tarp behind the wood pile, just waiting to be put to some use. One piece was just about the perfect size for the floor. 

Scott took a grinder and smoothed off all the sharp points from the nails holding the crate together. 

 There was a gap between the slats of the crate and the inner supports. Some pallets Liam, Uncle Jeff, and Scott took apart provided the 2x6's he fixed to the inside to keep the shavings and the chicks from falling out.

The smaller holed chicken wire was the only purchased part to this project. Scott stapled it to the outside while I stretched it. (Or took pictures)

The new brooder was moved into place and shavings added. It takes a bit more shavings, they have a lot more room. 

A couple of sticks from the trees for perches and we have happy chickens. 

Today was their first day out side. The creepy meats are down right ugly. 

I have one tiny little red pullet. She is the pluckiest chick too. Her tail sticks straight up in the air and that made me think rooster, but her wings and tail feathers grew in faster than the other chicks' and I don't see the beginnings of bright red waddles like I do on one of the bigger pullet candidates. 

I put up some old warped boards around the inside of the big chicken's run and turned em loose. 

One of the older girls looking in and wondering why she has to use the barrel nest box outside the run. 

If you've never seen these little puff balls sleep before, don't be alarmed if you wander out and look in the brooder while they are sleeping. You might think you have a whole pen full of dead chicks. This is how you think of them sleeping. All cute and roosting on a stick.

This is what you really see. Necks stretched out, flat little dead birds. 

And then as soon as you gasp in dismay, and moan, "Oh No!" They all pop up cheeping and complaining that you interrupted their nap. And dang it lady, where's the bleeping food?!