2 dead chickens?

NIGEL:

Well a few weeks ago I went down to let the chooks out one morning & dead on the coop floor was a Wyandotte hen! All the chooks had been acting healthily & were not showing any signs of illness or disease. I know chooks can die at any age & from minor issues to major ones. I buried it in the woods. Then about 3 weeks later I let the chooks out & went to feed the goats & there was another dead Wyandotte hen! She just died & was super healthy looking???

So, being Sunday we bagged her & put her in the freezer. Immediately Monday I contacted the NC Animal Laboratory & chatted with their chicken expert. He said to only ever place them in the refrigerator as freezing eliminates several tests they can do. He said that by the sounds of it, the stress of going into winter was the cause.... the lessening of the daylight hours mostly. So we are to monitor them closely, feed them vitamins (leafy vegetables) & talk to them!

Since then the chooks still appear to be healthy & fine & the leg laying numbers have been between 10 - 16 which is great!

Daisy & New Barn

NIGEL:

Well the new barn is working well. We lock Daisy in there to feed & at night to ensure she has shelter in the winter. She enjoys not having to watch her left & right constantly, while feeding, for a set of horns to the ribs or worse. I winterized the barn even more to block the crazy winds we have been experiencing lately.

Added Another Barn!

NIGEL:

Originally we anticipated that the goats would sort the pecking order & then get along reasonably well. Unfortunately this hasn't really happened! Daisy, being completely passive, is at the bottom of the pecking order, which is fine. The problem is that the French Alpines (especially Lunch & Chards) bully her beyond the pecking order activities (according to what we have read). Lunch would drive his quite long & sharp horns into her midriff so hard it would lift her off the ground...& sometimes drive her into the barn wall!!

With winter approaching (we've been relatively lucky as it has been mild) I needed to ensure all had shelter from freezing rain, snow & blistering winds 30-70 mph! So I added another barn using as much leftover materials as possible/practical, while the weather was decent (& not so decent as well!).

Not being able to use concrete (too cold for it to set properly) I have completed a 2nd small barn by digging deep holes into the ground to anchor the framework. Susan now calls the coop & two barns.... the compound! This one has a window for the warmer months, doors, a feeder & another rain barrel.

It will also come in handy if/when we breed kids from Merlot & Daisy. The trouble has been finding a Boer billy to be the sire. Most Boer goats appear to "live off the mountain," so I am a little behind it getting them mated.

I also added to the 1st barn (see first 3 photos), by extending the shelter all the way to the coop & adding a small awning to limit wind blown rain from entering the shelters. In both barns the floors below the sleeping lofts are now completely concrete block to provide dry areas to stand & lay. We have a had, & continue to have, loads of rain which flows down the slopes of our yard & paddocks. A lot flows through the barn areas. The goats definitely have a choice of cover, although I am locking Daisy in the new barn at night to be sure she is under cover.

While Away

NIGEL:

While away Jane had several helpers at different times. Her father, Mr John, was very serious about it, checking the fences & gates regularly while he was there. We moved all the chickens into the same area including our two remaining roosters... Buster & 46. Well 46 wasn't being his welcoming self when we entered the chicken yards... & tried to attack whenever he determined it was needed, which was almost anytime we went into the yard! Susan's favorite story about Mr John was just before we left....

Susan, Mr John (who is typically understated) & Jane were putting the chickens to bed (locking them in the coop) & doing the head count. Mr John had the numbers written done.... & his call was.... "7 white, 16 black 1 rooster & 1 SOB!" Hah!

All were alive & well on our return although the hen's laying had dropped dramatically!

Sorry... & the cull

NIGEL:

Sorry it has been a looong time!

Getting ready for our trip to NZ & the Rugby World Cup consumed us. Then catching up on our return did the same!

In prep for Susan's step-mom Jane to look after the chickens, goats, fish & of course Austin & Boomer, we decided to cull most of the roosters. The young ones, although quirky & fun, were mounting the hens & so we decided it was time. We also culled Blackbeard & Jack as they were not as happy being separated from the hens, even after Susan explained why!

Yes you have to talk to the hens, otherwise their laying patterns will alter.

We also culled Bruce as he was beginning to act more rooster-ish! Yes crowing & chasing hens.

So our neighbor Josh wanted to be involved & we culled late one afternoon. Bruce was soooo fat it was unbelievable! (see the photo of the large hunk of fat I removed from him!!!). He had at least 4 times the fat of the other chickens. Josh was excited so we gave him Bruce to enjoy.

Herding

NIGEL:

As the goats eat down the grass (& trees!!) in their main filed, we have been herding them into the smaller field to graze. This isn't as easy as it looks when you don't have a fence to keep them away from the trees you want to keep & keep in good condition. The goats not only eat the leaves & small branches... the eat the bark off. They pull large strips off which ultimately kills the tree. As a result... I have built yet another fence...so we now have 4 small paddocks for them to rotate in.

Devastated!

NIGEL:

Matilda was to be our #1 breeder on our farm.

Then 2 Thursdays ago, we noticed Matilda acting differently. She looked healthy, but seemed hesitant. We thought it was because of either... a) the new goats upsetting the status quo, or b) the de-worming medicine I had given all of the goats? Anyway, by the weekend she was obviously not feeling well, but we thought she would be okay. I called the emergency vet to see if they saw goats, just in case she became worse. They didn't & couldn't provide me with any options. On Monday I called our regular vet & he was going to call me back as he was busy. He didn't call until Tuesday, but Susan had found her dead that morning.

We were & remain devastated! As does Daisy!

Anyway I loaded her into our Subaru & drove her body to the NC Veterinary Laboratory. The vet, Dr Brad predicted it would be parasites, as this year has seen a dramatic increase in deaths from these in both sheep & goats. They did a necropsy & confirmed this. Apparently the parasites have built a degree of immunity to the de-wormer I was using. This coupled with the concern I may not have been giving her quite enough (not sure) resulted in her death. Apart from acting lethargic, she looked healthy. Dr Brad said this is typical & it was unlikely we would have been able to do much by Saturday to save her.

He recommended 2 other de-wormers which I promptly purchased & gave to the goats. I will be giving them a 2nd dose in 2 weeks.

Needless to say, this has changed the pecking order, with Daisy (who is quite gentle) falling to the bottom! As a result, I have had to create her own section in the barn so she can seek cover from the rain & cold.

It has been both strange & sad without Matilda on the farm.

New Goats

NIGEL:

We now have 5 goats. We purchased 3 just weened French Alpine (2 female -Chardonnay & Merlot & 1 male - Lunch) from a local farmer named Lynn. They are typically milking goats, but not for us. Susan calls them the antelopes.

Anyway, their arrival really stressed Matilda (especially) & Daisy out! Matilda established dominance & was very protective of 'her' barn! (see photo). This concerned us greatly as goats don't enjoy rain & we were hoping they would share after a short 'adjustment' period. Well the adjustment period continues.......

I moved the chickens' outdoor shelter over next to the barn to give the Frenchies some shelter, but they sleep mostly outside at present. Merlot, in particular, loves to climb atop of it (see photo)!

Merlot & Chardonnay were also skinny enough to slip between the gates & get into the other pasture. It took us many days to work out where they we getting through. Of course once in the smaller pasture, they went straight to eating the trees (we didn't want them to do that!) & getting into the chicken coop. They have discovered the joys of layer feed! Returning from a mountain bike ride with a couple of mates, I thought they had escaped, as they were nowhere to be found! Kevin suggested the coop & there they were. You can see me with Chardonnay as I carry her back to her side of the fence.

Lunch fattening up!

Chardonnay & Merlot near Matilda's the barn.

SNAKE!!! TAKE THREE!!!

SUSAN: Why is it that when Nigel goes away for a Rugby weekend ... everything on the farm goes awry. BIG Thanks to Jimmy for talking me through the snake experience from his vacation in Chatanooga. And BIGGER Thanks to Josh, the "snake whisperer" who came at 10:00 pm with head lamp, gloves, and a special snake bucket to remove the snake from the coop. Unfortunately, the snake had already departed the coop before Josh arrived.

Here's the story .... (FYI, I've named this snake "Slim Shady" or just "Slim" for short). I came home on Friday afternoon and Slim was just lying underneath the laying boxes. I get a huge case of the hibby-jibbies. I walk over to my neighbor, Dan's, house, but he doesn't answer (perhaps Dan is NOT a snake whisperer). Then, I just gave in and decided that I had to remove Slim Shady from the coop. Well, this was easier said that done. I got the Magic Broom, crawled up on the laying boxes, and then had to contort my arms to get the Magic Broom in position underneath the laying boxes to push him out. Well, after eating an egg (or two), Mr. Slim Shady was pretty fat & happy and not interested in leaving the coop. HE DIDN'T MOVE! So, I had to use BOTH HANDS and the STRAW-SIDE of the broom to PUSH HIM OUT of the coop. He slowly moved along and down through the chicken wire to his lair. SUCCESS! I am snake charmer!

That night, about 9 pm, I went down to put the girls to bed, as usual, & Slim Shady was BACK! This time he was in the top two laying boxes all nestled into the pine shavings. Very big hibby-jibbies from me! I quickly ran upstairs and started calling Nigel (who suggested I pick Slim Shady up & put him in a bag and carry him across the street - yeah, right) and then my neighbors (starting with Jimmy and then Josh). You can imagine the things that I was saying to Josh at this point ....

"Nigel had a chance to get Slim Shady out a week ago; but, he just let him go back underneath the coop."

"I am definitely not the type of girl who picks up a snake. I'm just faking this farm thing."

"Nigel could have gotten Slim Shady out of the coop but he got scared."

Josh is definitely a Snake Whisperer -- so much so that Slim Shady has not returned to the coop since Josh visited. YEAH, JOSH! My New Hero!!!

Two Spot ... Growing UP!

SUSAN:

Two Spot is really growing! Take note of his new "comb" - just like #46 he has the punk-rocker 'do. And, like #46 he has a lot of other fun characteristics ... thinks he can beat anyone (even Buster, well, through the fence); ends up in really crazy places, like the Rooster's roost (no idea how he got there or why they allowed it) and at the very top of the inside of the coop just looking down at us); and basically he thinks he's the king of the world!

Because Two Spot is an "only child" he's been left alone for quite some time. Once his mom (#90) decided that she was ready to join the other hens (she started laying again), we let her out during the day and Two Spot was left alone in the Brooder. His chirps were just heart-breaking so we made some adjustments for him.

First we tore the original brooder apart. Then, we enclosed the middle section of the coop just for him. Now he could see through to the others because they are only separated by the plastic chicken wire. He has some perches in there. But, still he chirps and begs for socialization. So, Nigel started putting two of the meeker yutes in with Two Spot during the day. Now, though, Two Spot has joined the hens & yutes and tonight is spending his first night on their roost! It's a big day for Two Spot - he's so small compared to all of the others, but he's got a big heart (and ego!). Hmm... maybe it's just a big day for me, the Mother Chick!

I'm sure that Nigel will want to post more about the coop reconfiguration as it was quite the chore and he did most of the work!

SNAKE!!! TAKE TWO!!!

SUSAN: The other night I went down (a bit later than usual - after 9 PM) to put the chooks to sleep. I had the flashlight (which is a bit unusual, but very fortunate) and I took a look in the laying boxes to see if there were any eggs that Nigel had not picked up earlier in the day. SNAKE!!! There was a black rat snake extended into 3 of the laying boxes!!!

I quickly and carefully (after my fall last week) ran up to the house to grab Nige. I rushed into the basement and said (quite calmly): "Snake in the laying boxes!" and he quite calmly walked down to the coop ...

Bravely, Nige grabbed the snake and pulled him out of the laying boxes, while I shined the flashlight. Suddenly, Nige screamed out (a bit like a girl): "ooh! ooh!" and he dropped the snake on the coop floor. Then, I screamed "AAAHHHH!!!!" The snake slithered quickly out through the poop-shoot and underneath the coop.

Obviously, I was a bit "freaked" by the snake; but, Nigel explained why snakes are our friends and that it's good that our farm/garden attracts snakes ....

As you

The Magic Broom

SUSAN: What's "magic" about the Broom? Well, it doesn't allow me to fly (stop making the references that it should since I'm a ....), it doesn't grant me any wishes, and it doesn't clean the house itself.

This Magic Broom keeps the roosters away!!! After weeks of using the magic broom himself, Nigel FINALLY gave me the "secret to keeping the roosters from attacking" ... When I go into their area in the coop (mostly in the morning when they are eager to get outside), I simply grab the broom and place it just in front of my body. The roosters stay away, for the most part, and if they don't ... I just scare them a bit by flinging the broom their way!

The result: No more bruises, scratches, and bloody knees, legs, ankles and feet! This is a great discovery for me, and has changed my life!

Now, you're probably asking the questions that I have asked myself nearly every morning ... WHY didn't Nigel tell me the secret of the Magic Broom earlier? Why did he keep the magic to himself??

What is.......?

NIGEL:
Each country has it's own way of defining key words for our foods, etc.
Most labels are unregulated...for e.g. many products here in the USA are labelled "natural" or are voluntarily-regulated (whatever that means)... for e.g. "free-range."

Organic in the USA:
From USDA - "Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.

Organic farming entails:

-Use of cover crops, green manures, animal manures and crop rotations to fertilize the soil, maximize biological activity and maintain long-term soil health.
-Use of biological control, crop rotations and other techniques to manage weeds, insects and diseases.
-An emphasis on biodiversity of the agricultural system and the surrounding environment.
-Using rotational grazing and mixed forage pastures for livestock operations and alternative health care for animal wellbeing.
-Reduction of external and off-farm inputs and elimination of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and other materials, such as hormones and antibiotics.
-A focus on renewable resources, soil and water conservation, and management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological balance. More information can be found at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml

So we are doing pretty well!

Cage-free: This simply means that the hens are not kept in cages, though there are no regulations to govern care beyond that.

Free-range: Free-range chickens are (according to voluntary regulations) supposed to have "access to the outdoors" -- however, by many reports, the care of many of these hens is structured so that they are very unlikely to go outside. The doors are not opened until the hens are of an age where they are likely to keep doing what they are used to doing, and when the (usually small) doors are opened, they usually don't go outside.

A brief overview of standards in Australia... similar in many ways
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/what-is-organic-and-exactly-whats-the-range-of-free-range-20110729-1i3kk.html

2 Spot

NIGEL:
2 Spot continues to grow under the watchful eye of his/her mom!
We are excited to see if Buster or #46 is the father. Still not sure yet.

Six Bitties Moved Out of Brooder

SUSAN:
Because of the hatching of the new little chick, we had to move the 6 bitties into the hen's pen/run/yard. This was quite the shock for our little bitties!!

First, some of the hens are not very nice to them. Second, they are very scared themselves, especially the little wyandotte chick. Finally, they are unclear about how to get back into the coop. Why does this not surprise me??

Yes, on Sunday night I had to perform my favorite activity .... lying underneath the coop and coaching the little bitties on how to walk up the ramp and back into the safety of the coop. What was really interesting is that after I caught the first two, the others were just kind of waiting in line for me to grab them and help them up onto the ramp. Now, I was still lying in the dirt/poop underneath the coop ...

You might ask yourself, "Where was Nigel?" .... this is always a good question that I ask myself when I find that I am lying in the chicken yard covered in poop. Well, he was snuggled with Boomer on the couch watching a movie. When I came back into the house 10-15 minutes later than normal, he did say that he was getting concerned about me .... hmmmm....

So, the BEST part about getting the bitties back into the coop was that the little wyandotte chick just decided that she was going to roost on the back of my legs as I lay face-down in the chicken yard. So, she just jumped right up and had a little sleep while I moved the rest of her brothers and sisters onto the ramp & into the coop. Very fun!

New Baby Chick!

SUSAN:
Late afternoon Wednesday (June 29), two little baby chicks tried to hatch from their egg shells. Unfortunately, both got kind of "stuck". Luckily for one of them, Nigel was able to intervene and remove the egg from the baby chick and she/he survived! She's a precious little yellow chick with two black marks on her lower back.

Mama Hen had been sitting on 5 eggs. On Friday she abandoned the remaining 3 eggs ... so, we have only 1 baby chick from this setting/brooding period. It's really interesting to me that the mom knows when to abandon the eggs. Thursday would have been her 21st day; so she abandoned on the 22nd day. How does she know that those eggs are not fertilized?

SNAKE!!!

SUSAN:
On Saturday we gave the coop a "spring cleaning". This involves moving EVERYTHING out of the coop -- including all of the pine shavings (soiled & not), food, water, etc. When Nigel was moving the goat/chook food, he discovered a SNAKE underneath!! It was a black snack -- ABOUT 5 FEET LONG -- with a white underbelly. The snake attempted to get away from him, so Nigel grabbed it by the tail & was trying to pull the snake so that he wouldn't get away & without breaking its back or hurting it in anyway! [Note: SNAKE is stronger.]

Long story short ... I was responsible for protecting the chooks and basically just stood a good distance away from the snake. Nigel finally was able to get the snake untangled from the chicken wire and place him outside of the coop where he scurried over into our neighbor's yard. RELIEF!

Our biggest question now is HOW did the snake get into the coop? And, how can we prevent this from happening in the future? Nige has placed the food bags up higher on some crates to hopefully prevent any snakes hanging out there in the future.

NIGEL:
It was a beautiful snake! Not certain, but we think it was a rat snake. I was nervous about hurting it when pulling on it's tail. Susan was remarkably calm (for her) while this was going on!

Nephews Visit Farm

SUSAN:
Last week our nephews, Jonathan & Brad, visited the farm! They were great helpers with collecting eggs (only broke 2-3), feeding the chooks (only threw the food at them a couple of times), putting the chooks to bed (Brad even put the roosters to bed!), refreshing the water (Brad was excellent with the baby chicks' water), and brushing Matilda & Daisy (Jonathan's Talent!). Nigel actually enlisted them for a variety of other chores like moving rocks and moving logs!

And, they asked a LOT of questions about chickens .... some of which I was able to answer. Favorite question & answer: Why do the hens have those bare backs? So, I explained that the roosters did that to the ladies when they were encountering them (note: I am not used to explaining these type of things to young 10/14 boys!) Jonathan's response: Oh, she must be the PROM QUEEN! (the hen with the barest back) ... Well, I guess they know more about "encounters" between roosters & hens than I thought!

What a great time we had enjoying the boys for a full week and letting them enjoy the farm! I can't wait for them to come back!!

Babies Everywhere!

NIGEL:

While Susan was relaxing in the hammock, a Blue Jay chick fell from his/her #46 chased it. So Susan rescued it & put it in a tree outside our yard. The Blue Jay's parents found it, but we don't know what happened after that?

Meanwhile our chicks continue to grow quickly. Their mum even laid an egg. She has become very restless, so we let her out during the day & put her back last thing at night. Her comb & wattle have returned to their original dark red... must be from lack of sunlight? Anyway, soon we will remove her from the brooder altogether.

Then, while mowing some of the goat paddock, so the goats would wander more (it worked by the way & they are eating much more!!) I found & caught a rabbit kit (baby). Susan, of course, wanted to keep it as it was quite relaxed in our hands, but we let it go to enjoy life!

Vinnie Visit

NIGEL:
So our mate Vinnie visited to "be" with the chooks & goats.
He has the nickname of chicken legs (see photo wearing my size 15 keens).





So off Susan & Vinnie went to collect the eggs. #46 had something to say about it though, especially when he saw Susan... easy attack prey! (see photo, just prior to his successful attack!).





They also tried to convince Daisy & Matilda to leave the trees & enjoy the plentiful grass.