Coffee anyone ?

canesisters

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Mud. Liquid poop. Dead soggy hay infused with mud and liquid poop. And I finally got my boot stuck as I was turning to go a different direction and that foot didn’t go with me. Yup, down I went. I’m just glad I went backwards and landed on my butt. Then I had to crawl around with Sentry and Sheba delightedly wanting to play. Shower sure was good last night.
BTDT! Never did find that sneaker... lost it about a foot down in "mud" at the gate :rolleyes:
 

Baymule

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Oh no! That is no joke. I hope your chickens are ok too.

I’m stuck here in Chicago and don’t know what’s going on with my chickens. Apparently the first 2 nights the chicken sitter (teenage girl) couldn’t get the chickens to go in their coop. She said they were freaked out and hiding under a pine tree. Of course she didn’t bother to tell me this until late at night on the second day. Even though she apparently found two dead chickens that morning. :rant

I could not get an answer from her until the next afternoon about whether they were loose or safe on the second night. So angry and frustrated. If she would communicate more promptly I could probably help her work out the situation. I have switched now to communicating with her mother.

The mother sent me photos of the dead chickens. One black one, and one white one, but it appears to be just leftover white feathers from a fox-on-goose attack I had a couple of weeks ago. All my white chickens are alive and well. Phew. One dead is better than 2 dead.

So Mini Horses, I hope you skated by last night with none dead. :fl

Oh no! I’m so sorry your chickens are in the hands of a stupid idiot. I know you are worried and can’t wait to get home to them. I think you should deduct the price of the laying hen from whatever you are paying this girl, when you get home. And let her know that she was irresponsible. Tell her mother ahead of time, I’m sure she would agree.
 

canesisters

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Oh, my! Those are hose down, then soak, then wash jeans! :lol: what fun! We've had -- still having -- rain everyday. Some puddles, surface mud. MESSY! But no soup. 👍 Looks maybe 2 more days of constant misty & light rain. Low 40s so chilly. Better than artic air many are getting.

I'm just chugging my hot, fresh, strong coffee. It's so needed 😵‍💫. Wondering if 12 cup pot will be enough :lol:. I'd sure love to see sunshine! Need to work but, DS needs a ride to court, so...1/2 day shot. It'll work out -- hope he gets his truck fixed soon, working on it.

These days I want to be a stay at home "mom". :old:yesss:😁

Oh, crap! Just remembered I didn't close chicken run last night :he. Hope all is ok. 🤞
I had a rough couple of days like that. Went out one morning and found that I had somehow picked up the plugs for the feeder from inside the coop an moved them to the top of the feeder... but had not closed the coop OR plugged the feeder. AND THEN the next day I came home to find the whole flock in the yard, I had walked out of the pen that morning and just left the gate swinging.
It happens. I hope everyone was fine.
 

SageHill

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Just finished my first cup (OMG and it's mid-afternoon). It was DEELISH -- got some goats milk from my neighbor and added it to the coffee. YUM LOL and had a glass yesterday when I got it - yum. The chevre is aamaazing. That on crackers with some salt and different herbs (or even straight up) makes for a good dinner. She's the one with the guardians that came visiting awhile back. Gotta' love dogs for getting us together.
So - between that and you guys with your super cute spotted (aka calico cat :lol: ;)) I'm telling myself "No, you do not want goaties, no no goaties" :lol:.
Wonderful weather after the rain on Sun/Mon (1/2 inch) -- clear and crisp. Perfection.
Three more eggs from the chooks - still all green ones - come on you other 3 hens 🐔 let's get with the program🥚🥚🥚 !!
 

Baymule

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It’s still raining, hard too. My animals are water logged. There is not a dry spot on this farm. The ground is so saturated that the shelters are wet inside too. I have 4 lambs, 3 weeks and 1 week old. They have learned to go in a shelter, Quonset hut or the cow panel hoop shelter, clump together and yell for their moms to come find them. Poor babies. But smart enough to make the most of it.

It’s going to rain all day. It will clear out this evening around 5 or 6, then another spit and sputter tonight. After that, 4 days of sunshine. We just gotta make it through today.
 

Finnie

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Done with morning drop off and sitting down with my first cuppa. Beautiful sunny Chicago morning, finally up in the 20s. Such a nice change from single digits and below zero windchill.

Oh no! I’m so sorry your chickens are in the hands of a stupid idiot. I know you are worried and can’t wait to get home to them. I think you should deduct the price of the laying hen from whatever you are paying this girl, when you get home. And let her know that she was irresponsible. Tell her mother ahead of time, I’m sure she would agree.

Well, she is just a kid. Not old enough to drive, so her mother brings her, and helps her. The fault really lays with myself for not having made sure she understood the training. The last time she sat, I had some issues with the timing that she was coming and the feeders being empty down to dust when I got home. So this time I addressed those issues and gave her a second chance. I don’t think I will give her a third chance though.

I was quite angry. I wanted to stomp my feet and yell at her. But I have no choice but to try to work kindly with her and her mother and hope they can improve their management for the time I have left. My 24 year old son is at home. He hates chicken chores, which is why I hire someone else instead of him. If the situation got too bad for me to stand, I could probably convince him to take over and then I could fire the girl. But for now I am trying to be encouraging and supportive to the young person.

So anyway, I had her keep them locked up for a couple days and then free range them yesterday. And reiterated to them not to try to do lockup before dark. It sounds like lockup went as it should last night.

However, yesterday afternoon my son texted and said he looked out the window just in time to see a fox run off with a chicken. :barnieSo now I have told her to keep them locked up for the rest of the days. But I have one coop that cannot be locked up. It has an auto pop door that goes to a run that I did not get finished before my trip. (Again, my fault.) So I have 5 more days that I will be on pins and needles, because I’m sure the fox will be back.
 

Bruce

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I know some of y’all probably have a random chicken or 2 running around. Have y’all been feeding purina or purina owned brands? Because I was and I got no eggs and then I switched and I’m getting tons. Apparently there is some crazy theories out there but have y’all had a problem?
First, this is not about you but the "internet (mis)informed" generally.

Do people REALLY think that a feed manufacturer would modify their product to keep the hens from laying? How would that be a good business plan? What ever happened to the "smell test"?

My 24 year old son is at home. He hates chicken chores, which is why I hire someone else instead of him.
Straight up - TOUGH ****! He lives there, he is an adult, he can feed and water the chickens while you are away. It isn't like you are asking for 8 hours of hard labor every day.

I don't spend 1/2 hour a day on the chickens. Go out in the morning, open the barn, add water, put out feed, rake the coop, check for eggs. Go out about 3 PM, feed again, check for eggs. Back out as it starts to get dark, explain to the girls that think they should sleep on the alpaca stand that they need to go in the coop. Count beaks, check for eggs, lock up. It isn't that much work.
 
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