Drstratton - My Backyard Journey Journal

[drstratton]

Today has been quite a day! My chicks have decided that those new feathers everyone is sporting, need to be picked at, so lets just keep picking until it bleeds, ooh red, let's really go after it now! Two chicks have been moved to a tote and coated with a homemade version of BluKote. A third chick also needed to be treated, but she is one of the worst ones for picking at everyone, so I can't put her in the tote, even with the bluKote, they aren't leaving it alone... We are changing gears this evening, my husband is going to try to finish the nesting box, so we can move them out to the coop and separate them with wire! The second rabbit hutch will have to wait! My chick brooder is a crib we bought, because I knew they would grow out of a tote way to quickly, evidently they have outgrown the crib and they are only 2 weeks old. Definitely different than my Banty's were!

 

[drstratton]

Well I really did not intend for my first day on this board to be so melancholy, that is not how I usually roll! So please forgive me! I am ready to move forward and put this day behind me! Thank you again for the warm welcome I have received!

 

[SA Farm]

Pretty much every day of farm life offers new challenges and adventures. You got this

 

[drstratton]

Pretty much every day of farm life offers new challenges and adventures. You got this

Thank you for the encouragement! Kind of like life in general...some day's can just feel a little off! I love life and I will enjoy this adventure! Thank you again!

 

[drstratton]

There's no way we can get the coop closed up tonight! Hopefully they can behave themselves until it's ready! I'm going to go out first thing tomorrow and give it a thorough cleaning! I wanted to paint the inside, but I don't know if it will dry out quickly enough after washing it, maybe if I stick a heater in there! I'm going to try something tomorrow! After I get the coop cleaned, I'm going to leave the red light on that I use over night and see if that will make those wounded areas less noticeable, it might be wishful thinking, but I think it's worth a try! Here is as far as we got on the nesting box tonight!
Just not enough hours when my husband gets home from a 10 hour work day!

 

[drstratton]

I went ahead and placed the chicks back into the brooder! There was a bit of picking, but nothing like yesterday! I do believe the red light is making a big difference. One thing to note that I forgot to share is that the picked on chicks are 2 Buff Orpingtons and my Salmon Faverolle. They are all light colored, so the wounds really stand out! I also gave them some warm mash in 2 small bowls, oh my goodness have they been enjoying it! They would be rolly-polly chicks if I fed them that every day!

I will be heading out to clean up the coop and get it ready for paint, but I plan on coming back in to check on them every 15 minutes or so! It's going to be a long day, but that's okay, busy hands and bodies, keep us healthy!

 

[drstratton]

I finished painting the inside of the chicken coop today! I have a few before and after pics! It's amazing what a little paint will do!

Give this a few weeks and it will look like the above picture...but for now...almost pristine!!!

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Nonthing like a fresh coat of paint to brighten the hen house

 

[drstratton]

Nonthing lime a fresh coat of paint to brighten the hen house

I know right! It certainly feels good to have it done! Well, the inside anyway! Next will be the new nesting box my husband is adding!

I've decided that projects multiply like rabbits, no matter how many you take care of there are always more on the way...lol!

 

[drstratton]

We got a little more done on the nesting box this evening! Getting close to 9pm so time to step away from it, 5am comes awful early!

The box will be trimmed out in white with red to match the rest of the coop! We were able to reuse some of what we removed from the coop for the end panels! We didn't have any pieces long enough for the door! I hope to pick up the paint I need on Friday!

Nesting box frame with end panels attached.

This is the door, it will drop open from the front!