ELeVan ~ Honaker Farm Journal

[elevan]

Too cute!!!! Love the colours

Last fall we decided to not keep our bantams through winter and water freezing every two hours and wanted to change over to full size chickens. Did the dreaded deed and filled the freezer...except for our beautiful rooster and a mate...they have been somewhat free range, but we still kept feed and water for them and put up with Roo doing his wake up routine under the bedroom window at 4 am...now the hen Goldie is sittling on 11 eggs and I want to keep her safe from some roaming dogs...if I put her and her eggs up in a cage she will be safe, but will she reject her eggs?

oh...and Goldie "talks" to us while sitting and likes to be pet and hand fed ... spoiled rotten

Every time I've tried to move a nest prior to the beginning of eggs hatching has resulted in a freaked out broody. I've always been able to get them to settle back on the nest when moved it back to it's original location but my nests are drawers that pull out.

You could probably fashion a cage around her current spot though that would protect her from dogs.

When Skeeter went broody she chose a spot in the barn and I was freaked out about her not being locked up but thankfully she made it to hatch day and willingly moved when she hatched her eggs.

 

[manybirds]

!!!!!!! i saw the BABIES up there and i thought it said RABIES! i was freaked lol, especially since i'm reading cujo right now

 

[elevan]

Thanks everyone.

Now I'll tell you a little bit more about these little ones.

We entered the coop yesterday to find keets EVERYWHERE! 11 had hatched and the last egg was working on it. While we gathered up keets, Helga decided to leave the nest and join us in collecting her babies but didn't want to get back onto the nest with the last egg. So we gathered up the 11 babies and put them and Helga into a broody pen. What to do with that last egg? I'm a little shy to admit that I tucked it into my *ahem* upper shirt while I figured that out. I eventually tucked it under Hershey to finish hatching. Once it hatched I put it with Helga. So right now it's the runt but doing well.

Then there is the keet that DH calls Hoppy. Hoppy has a broken leg. I mean severely broken as in there is no way that I can set it. Between Hoppy's other leg and wings, s/he gets around very well and is eating / drinking and cuddling under Helga with gusto, so I hope that Hoppy makes it. But the leg is completely useless and has already started to atrophy.

These little keets are amazingly social with us. I think that being raised by a chicken will help warm them up to people and they'll likely be less wild than our other guineas. At least that's my hope.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I've been invited to speak at a local 4-H about my poultry. I'm considering whether or not to accept the invitation as I'm no expert, I just do what works for me and fly by the seat of my pants on everything else

We spent the day working on the future permanent pen / housing for our turkeys. I love to repurpose and reuse things but it sure makes things take longer sometimes.

B was back to Red today. He has his pysch eval tomorrow, I'm sure we'll have at least a diagnosis of ADHD.

Good news - DH got a new job! He starts on Friday.

 

[marlowmanor]

Thanks everyone.

B was back to Red today. He has his pysch eval tomorrow, I'm sure we'll have at least a diagnosis of ADHD.

Good news - DH got a new job! He starts on Friday.

Sorry about B being back on Red today. I hope you can get some kind of diagnosis for him as I am sure they would put him on meds to help if it is ADHD.

I'm glad your DH found a job!

 

[redtailgal]

Congrats on hubby's new job! I hope it's a better experience for him this time.

I've never seen baby guineas before I saw your pics......they are awfully cute.

And you didnt ask for my opinion, but I'll give it to you anyway. I think you ought to go ahead and talk to the 4-h kids about your poultry. You do what works for you and thats good. I like your willingness to improvise (ahem, even if it means the upper shirt area, lol). You have a lot to share with those kids. So, dont be intimidated, and just do it. There's not a doubt in my mind that you'll do a good job.

Hoping that you and b get some answers tomorrow. You both have been thru enough.

 

[Queen Mum]

B was back to Red today. He has his pysch eval tomorrow, I'm sure we'll have at least a diagnosis of ADHD.

A kindergartener doesn't understand cause and effect enough to benefit from a red/green/blue system. A school that uses that idiotic system is one that doesn't have any idea what they are treating and why. They need to do an FBA (Functional Behavioral Assessment BEFORE trying a behavior mod system, NOT AFTER throwing a useless system at a kid they are clueless about.

You DON'T treat a problem and THEN diagnose it.

It makes as much sense as giving aspirin to a person with complaining of pain. THEN sending him somewhere to get x-rays and saying to take two aspirins and you will meet with him in 30 of days with the results. Oh gee, then you have a meeting 30 days later to inform him that his leg is broken. Gosh, I guess the aspirin was the wrong treatment!

Good news - DH got a new job! He starts on Friday.

Congratulations!

 

[elevan]

His pysch assessment isn't with the school....it's with a psychiatrist.

 

[bonbean01]

Thanks Em for the advice on the broody hen...read it after I decided to move her...she had laid her eggs on top of a cage on a piece of left over wire that was in a roll...then put leaves and hay in it herself. When she went to roll them, three came out today and she couldn't get them back in...plus we have someone's half pit bull on the loose around here and I couldn't bear to take a chance...so...moved her to keep her safe with her eggs and she cacklebitched at first, then liked the easy food and water and the nest I'd made her from fresh hay and went back to sitting on them...whew...she forgave me when I hand fed her...so funny these chickens that we get attached to!

So happy your hubby found a job...so many looking and glad it worked out!!!

As for speaking at the 4H...YES...I'm with Red on that!!! You'll be great!

No matter what assessment anyone comes up with for B...well...I've come to love that little guy and believe he is a smart little boy and creative!! Remember...I'm the one that came late to the Journals and read yours starting from page 1 all the way through and feel rather attached to B.

 

[elevan]

I just sent a message agreeing to the 4-H presentation. Now, I just got to figure out what I'm gonna talk about... :/

eta: Maybe broody hens and / or natural chicken behaviors...

 

[Roll farms]

I think broody hens would be a great subject. So many of the kids in our 4-H group don't really 'know' chickens.
Their parents buy them a few chicks, they show them, the end.