Good Morning

[lolotsung]

Thanks @Kbr42 I'm really happy at Doug Dixon and Associates (DDA). I sent a proposal out for inspections in MTO NW. I hope we get it. One of the bridges is in Fort Severn and another is in Kasabonika and I might see a polar bear and super bright northern lights there Paid vacation

[Bayvistafarm]

Good morning!! I think I'm the one with the 'Easter chicks'.... lol. They hatched April 11th in and around there.... and I bred this rooster I have... not 100% what he is.... I THINK he has muffs... but looking at the chicks last night.... I only see a few? Unless I'm blind and cannot see properly. He almost looks like a 'self-blue' Ameracauna... but WLLady isn't 100% that is what he is either... I don't think. He is pretty. Anyhow, he was crossed with wheaten mostly hens... EE's....and EO's. And there are a couple barred hens... they look exactly like barred rock hens in the colouring.... Anyhow, ALL the hens have an EO dad. And bred to this 'blue' rooster.

All the chicks are black/blue. Except for the odd yellow one. I think there is a Coronation Sussex chick in there..... a couple blue Orphingtons, and a black copper marans chick. I got many eggs from my niece, and most of them were NOT fertilized. Out of ALL The eggs I set.... 86 (and like I said.. most were clear from my niece... about 20), ALL of my eggs from my hens were fertile, except one clear. Anyhow, I got 65 chicks... so pretty good hatch rate!

When I WAS looking at the chicks last night, and noticed not very many 'muffs/beards', I also noticed most of the chicks are taking on a barred look to their wing feathers. Will most look like barred rocks? Is the barring coming from the EO grand-father? And I also noticed that they were huddled under the one and only heat lamp in the box stall in the horse barn. And also noticed that my big brinsea brooder plate didn't have the light on.... and the power thingy wasn't working! I only figured the power source wasn't working, when I brought down my TINY brinsea plate, and tried to force the two cords together, after plugging it in. It lit the light on the plate..... so freaking out my chicks would be cold (only feathered on wings and tails)... I came up and tried to figure out what I needed. Hard enough trying to find and order stuff FROM BRINSEA.

So.... WLLady and Admin (lol) to the rescue, and they figured out what I needed from Amazon, and cheaper too!! So, it should be here tomorrow. Thank goodness at least the temps are above 0C... and I will just have to keep the barn door closed to the barn swallows, for now. Not that those chicks can fit under the plate anyhow...... they actually MOVED it from where I had it, lol..... and its as high as it can go nearly. I think they all try and cram under there, and of course, on top and all over it. I will keep it in there for another week. Maybe the coolish temps will make them feather out faster.

I WAS going to keep the swallows from coming in with bird flu etc... but the heck with it. They are bug eating birds... and probably don't fraternize with ducks/geese etc. There are sparrows that come into the barn too, as well as the damn pigeons, and guinea's.....it is what it is.

April my old cow is 22 this year. Shes had 21 calves... twinned twice. She was checked by the vet that was here for a heifer with lumpy jaw... which she will eventually have to be slaughtered and ground into hamburger... as its not curable... at least at this stage. Hopefully she will wean her calf... shes due in about 2 months... we had her checked too......

Anyhow, the vet thought April was about 40 days... which couldn't be, because she over wintered with the calves. Because Jeremy decided her age, and condition (she WAS thin, because shes 1/2 Jersey, and half Limousin), she'd do better with grower premixed silage and corn... and the best hay. (all our hay is good... but the stockers get the alfalfa). Our cows get just silage.. and boy, are some of them FAT!!!! Anyhow. Back to April, lol. She brought her ultra-sound probe in, and nope, no calf. Scar tissue. I didn't figure she was in calf... although she WAS, I'd seen her bred the first of August... but then again, in October, the bull was following her around. Then she went inside before he could breed her.

Last spring, we took the bull away to breed other cows (someone rented him). For fun, we weighed the trailer empty going up, and weighed it coming home with him. He weighed 2534 pounds after coming home, and not much of a pasture diet, and hay. This is him now, I just took a few days ago, after a winter on corn silage, and good first cut. I'm not sure how much he weighs, but I bet its the same, if not more. At any rate, him jumping Aprils old bones, would not end well. Right now, she is let go loose out wherever she wants to go. And she does go anywhere. Way out into the wheat field (just getting growing).... out behind the cow pasture, over to the hay field we have (rented land), out around Jeremy's house, Daves house this morning, huge footprints thru daves newly seeded dirt from digging a hydro line from the pole to his house... she did step onto the refilled line/hole... because she sand a good 6 inches, lol. BAD cow!!

We love her. Here she is, out on the grass, old orchard... I've already cut 8 inches of grass, sheesh, shes likely mowing down the cut stuff...and of course, the bull.

I found an oriole feeder online, and showed a picture to my son Dave, and asked if he would make me one, or two, or 3, lol. This is what he came up with. Such a talented son!

Anyhow, its supposed to rain buckets later, so I'd better get outside while the getting is good. My greenhouse is full (well, top shelf mostly), of flowers and peppers..... and a few trees from WLLady... and I pricked out my tomatoes and my Jalapeno's... and they are still recovering under lights in the house still. I will be GLAD when I can put that growlight thing downstairs!!

Have a great day everyone!

[Bayvistafarm]

Brebis... can you remember when I got this red palm from you? Shes got to be near 10!

[Brebis]

Oh my that’s amazing @Bayvistafarm! I got my original 4 in 2012 and she would have been from the first hatch the next spring in 2012. So yes, she’s 10.
I must admit I miss the turkeys more than the chickens. My late husband and stepson never liked them much, guess some people just can’t appreciate them!

[lolotsung]

So I have a question for the PTO group. Why was this pigeon watching the Contractor install an expansion joint at the Hoggs Hollow bridge near Yonge and Hwy 401? There was no food around. Was it curious? Was it hoping a human would feed it?

[ross]

Might think that sawdust is feed on ground

[Killerbunny]

@ross you might have something there. When we cut anything we have to be careful with the sawdust or the birds try and eat it.

[lolotsung]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-ta ... l-17138990

I was looking for pigeon articles and found this interesting story!

[Farrier1987]

Anyhow, he was crossed with wheaten mostly hens... EE's....and EO's.

Wll knows everything. doubt her at your peril.

[Farrier1987]

He almost looks like a 'self-blue' Ameracauna... but WLLady isn't 100% that is what he is either... I don't think.


Wll knows everything. doubt her at your peril.