What did you do with your flock today?

[TropicalBabies]

Ferals chicks in my care

I will drop in some fresh grass and dried alfalfa for sleeping later on. I have a ceramic heating pad that I can microwave and it retains heat for 10 hours. Brilliant tool.

 

[PopoMyers]

Good morning gangie and happy Wednesday! Inbetween all my crazy busy, I was able to scrape boards and compost, scrub waterers and fill feeders.
I captured the last 4 chicks from feral momma #1. She lost 10 chicks and then lost interest in her motherly duties. The last 4 were huddled together last eve, outside the kitty condo, chirping and trying to stay warm. Now they are in my outside brooder with plants, perches, water and snacks, and close to the flock so they can still hear safety.
My son said his cat brought in a few inside his house the last few nights. Still alive, but I'm not sure what happened after. I just know her tribe had been getting whittled down and all were gonners unless I stepped in.
View attachment 3764994

I hurt my knee the other day so had to lay a bit low for a few.
Yesterday I rode with my son 1 hour in the pouring rain, soaked to the bone as it was not expected and i did not pack my rain gear Then had to ride home in lighter rain, only to turn around and ride back for another appointment 2 hours later. What a great day!!! I am enjoying the heck outta my big kids ♡♡♡ Monday, he turned 35yo. How lucky am I to still be able to have such adventures with him. Time of my life ♡♡♡

AJ has been a mess, so extra helper duties along with doc calls and pharmacy runs. Glad my husband is home and can lend a hand. With my knee, it was a painful challenge to be of service Still more groundwork to do for her. It is not picnic being 91. Especially if you have eaten badly and not exercised your entire life. Hard to turn that ship around, but easy to take the lesson.

I'll be on extra cat trapping and feeding and doc intake for the foster kitties duty this next week. Don't think there's an end in sight to the things that need doing.

My chooks are well ♡♡♡ grounded to the run till the eves, now that dh is back home. They did give me a beautiful basket of eggs yesterday.View attachment 3765006
This never gets old ♡♡♡

Hope your knee feels better. Our kids are in the same decade. My 35 y.o. had his birthday last month, another one's tomorrow will be 32. Watching these chickies never gets old. I even got an extra one in the box for insurance? It's been awhile since having to brood more than one chick, and they must be comfortable enough to just flop down and fall asleep anywhere. It is a wake up risk to sleep next to the water or food.

 

[akroberts1085]

Gave my girls some snacks today. Grapes crackers and ham and some turkey and also some hot dog buns.

 

[Smokerbill]

Gave my girls some snacks today. Grapes crackers and ham and some turkey and also some hot dog buns.

I gave mine snacks too. Lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and a couple grapes. I also sliced up what I think was a rutabaga, which the chickens pretty much ignored.

 

[akroberts1085]

I gave mine snacks too. Lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and a couple grapes. I also sliced up what I think was a rutabaga, which the chickens pretty much ignored.

Little One was on it with the grapes and the turkey meat. Darlin just kept yelling at me . She's such a bossy little girl. Oh well I love them both.

 

[ChicksnMore]

They're here! After staying up too late, Post Office called at 6 am. Headed down to pick up the girls, in freezing temp of 30. Had trouble getting the brooder up to temp. While I was gone DH changed the bulb, which has solved the heating problem. Got the car heated up, and the ride home was mostly quiet, as they were warmer than in the post office. All in good health, eating like pigs. Some are napping , which doesn't last long because they get run over by the ones spastically racing around.

Looks like you got a nice variety and they shipped well ! O they're cuties!

 

[TropicalBabies]

I'm in.

 

[LTAY1946]

As I planted sweet peas today I had to watch the lurking roosters that wanted to see what kind of goodies were being put down for them. I finally waited for Ma to get to where I was and hold them off so I could drop the seed and get them covered up. I know they feel mistreated over that but I'll make it up with some scratch in a few days. It's really to warm for scratch now with temps in the 70's by day and 60's at night.

 

[RedwoodCoastChick]

It's been so wet and gloomy the past several weeks with one atmospheric river after another pouring down rain, plus gusty winds and hail storms, my 8 hens have been hunkered down under the coop and covered run with only a few rainless spells to chicken-around outside. I felt bad for them, only so much amusement to be had under cover.

We finally had a sunny day today, so I tried out a chicken-toy idea I read somewhere here on BYC: a heavy plastic liter drink bottle with lots of pencil-diameter holes drilled in it, with about a cup of scratch inside. I wasn't sure if they'd be afraid of it, or not figure out how to get the grains out, but hoped they'd be curious and work at it.

Oh, boy, was THAT a hit! Jill the Delaware, Queen Pauline's 2nd in command, is always a very determined and vigorous scratcher and she glommed onto it immediately, kicking the bottle around their yard till a few grains spilled out then stopping to peck them up. She soon had a crowd of VERY eager fans wanting to participate - but she didn't want anyone else to have a turn with rolling the bottle! ("Mine!")

They are usually a very mellow flock, well settled hierarchy, but that scratch bottle brought out the chain of command in sharp detail! Jill was fine with sharing the spilled bits of scratch with her pals Pauline and Xena, but Queen Pauline actually chased away Sheila and Rhonda (#4 & 5 in order), and the other 3 lower ranked girls quickly decided to go do something else entirely.

Pauline's such a mellow flock queen, at times I've thought she'd "abdicated" but she was on full display today -- a smallish Buff Orpington fluffing, flapping and chasing off the much heftier Australorp and RIR! Then she was right back to enjoying the bits of scratch Jill was kicking out of the treat bottle. Well, well...

(There was no violence, pecking, etc.)

When it started to get dark 5 of them were still crowded around playing with the bottle (Jill finally let the others have a turn) to the point that it was after their usual "go to roost" time and only the 3 bottom-rank girls had gone inside. I took the bottle away for the night and they seemed to "come out of it" -- "Oh, wait...how'd it get so late? What am I doing outside?" and one by one meandered into the coop - Pauline last in.

Curfew, girls!

I've never seen them so obsessed with a toy. And they only got about 1/4 of the scratch out of it, if that much, plus lots of exercise rolling it all around their yard. Next time I'll bring my phone out there and try to get video...

Wish I could remember who suggested the scratch bottle idea, I'd love to thank them! Simple, cheap, using stuff already lying around, and the girls absolutely love it. I'll only let them have it a few hours at a time, keep it fresh & novel (and reasonably clean!)

 

[TropicalBabies]

It's been so wet and gloomy the past several weeks with one atmospheric river after another pouring down rain, plus gusty winds and hail storms, my 8 hens have been hunkered down under the coop and covered run with only a few rainless spells to chicken-around outside. I felt bad for them, only so much amusement to be had under cover.

We finally had a sunny day today, so I tried out a chicken-toy idea I read somewhere here on BYC: a heavy plastic liter drink bottle with lots of pencil-diameter holes drilled in it, with about a cup of scratch inside. I wasn't sure if they'd be afraid of it, or not figure out how to get the grains out, but hoped they'd be curious and work at it.

Oh, boy, was THAT a hit! Jill the Delaware, Queen Pauline's 2nd in command, is always a very determined and vigorous scratcher and she glommed onto it immediately, kicking the bottle around their yard till a few grains spilled out then stopping to peck them up. She soon had a crowd of VERY eager fans wanting to participate - but she didn't want anyone else to have a turn with rolling the bottle! ("Mine!")

They are usually a very mellow flock, well settled hierarchy, but that scratch bottle brought out the chain of command in sharp detail! Jill was fine with sharing the spilled bits of scratch with her pals Pauline and Xena, but Queen Pauline actually chased away Sheila and Rhonda (#4 & 5 in order), and the other 3 lower ranked girls quickly decided to go do something else entirely.

Pauline's such a mellow flock queen, at times I've thought she'd "abdicated" but she was on full display today -- a smallish Buff Orpington fluffing, flapping and chasing off the much heftier Australorp and RIR! Then she was right back to enjoying the bits of scratch Jill was kicking out of the treat bottle. Well, well...

(There was no violence, pecking, etc.)

When it started to get dark 5 of them were still crowded around playing with the bottle (Jill finally let the others have a turn) to the point that it was after their usual "go to roost" time and only the 3 bottom-rank girls had gone inside. I took the bottle away for the night and they seemed to "come out of it" -- "Oh, wait...how'd it get so late? What am I doing outside?" and one by one meandered into the coop - Pauline last in.

Curfew, girls!

I've never seen them so obsessed with a toy. And they only got about 1/4 of the scratch out of it, if that much, plus lots of exercise rolling it all around their yard. Next time I'll bring my phone out there and try to get video...

Wish I could remember who suggested the scratch bottle idea, I'd love to thank them! Simple, cheap, using stuff already lying around, and the girls absolutely love it. I'll only let them have it a few hours at a time, keep it fresh & novel (and reasonably clean!)

Yes please take a photo at least! What a great toy/treat. Great writing, great visual ♡♡♡ enjoyed, almost as much as your chickens did!!!