Alaskan's Journal

[farmerjan]

Quit feeding the hens up on the shelf and they will go down looking for food....

 

[Alaskan]

Quit feeding the hens up on the shelf and they will go down looking for food....

Yeah... except one of the old hens is my 5? 8? Year old hen, that has managed to survive every calamity and still lays on occasion. (Old brown hen) She no longer has as much flesh on her keel bone as I wound like....

So yes, I am babying her a bit.

BUT all hens were out in the run again today... and, the young brown hen has started laying in the nest box that is next to the hanging feeder... over in the shed area. But.... I don't think she has eaten out of the hanging feeder that is right there next to the nest box.

 

[Mini Horses]

I have a roo almost 10 he's retired & babied.

 

[Alaskan]

I have a roo almost 10 he's retired & babied.

That is something!

 

[farmerjan]

If they are out in the run again, they're good to go. They will mix as they want... and yes, I get babying a favorite "old lady" survivor..... So feeding them up there will give them a chance to just not have to compete... since they know how/where to go out...

 

[Alaskan]

Ack! 3 (or was it 4) days of sun... now, as of last night, back to overcast and rain.

 

[Alaskan]

So... still raining... blah...

The goose pen is back to being a poo swamp.

The old hens, including my brown old lady hen, are moving around more. They finally look settled in.

Ducks and old hens are doing well together.

And... a few days back I put my trashcan feeder into the greenhouse. I am confident that the young chicken hoard have it figured out, all are eating out of the ports.

So...

I am thinking tomorrow or Friday, I will spend some time sitting on a chair in the shed, after pulling down the wire keeping the young chicken hoard in the greenhouse.

It should work just fine... but i want to make sure that the young ones do not bully my brown old lady hen.

 

[Alaskan]

Oh.... yeah....more..

RAIN


Window guys are supposed to come today and replace the fogged kitchen window. Remember, when they came before, they couldn't replace that one because they had measured it wrong.

I am procrastinating... I should clean this main room a bit for those window guys... but... it is cold, and sitting on the couch is warm. Also, I hate cleaning.

Geese are right outside the window grazing. I like the sounds they make.

 

[Alaskan]

So.... I had kid #5 take down the wire between the greenhouse and the shed. Now the young chicken hoard has access to the entire chicken coop complex, the old hens and all ducks.

Interesting... watching them establish pecking order (and freezing my keester off).

Even the drake, from the older set of ducks, backed down from a huge cockerel.

And my young brown hen, a RIR, goes toe to toe with any cockerel that dares to leave the greenhouse area. She is fine with the pullets.

If she leaves the shed area then the cockerels come out...

I will have to make sure the 15 ducks get enough to eat.... LOTS of feeding stations... but the hoard of young chickens make them feel uneasy. The ducks went out to the run.

Ah... finally... a couple of ducks came into the shed to eat.

 

[Alaskan]

Holey money, i am COLD!! I clearly should have put on my fingerless gloves!

43 out here... I am thinking they are fine.... I need to go inside and warm up in a minute.

BTW

The 3 old Spitz girls are sitting up on the highest poop shelf... surveying the scene... nice that there is a feeder right next to them.

I have to find my old lady hen... make sure she is OK... before I go in.

Oh bother... old lady is outside... guess I will come back in an hour...