tj
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Chickens!
Sept 5, 2020 8:36:24 GMT -6
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Post by tj on Sept 5, 2020 8:36:24 GMT -6
I have a broody hen. What do I do? Do you still have a rooster? Do you want baby chickens? We do still have a rooster. I think we wouldn’t hate having chicks. But we want eggs more.
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 5, 2020 10:39:40 GMT -6
Do you still have a rooster? Do you want baby chickens? We do still have a rooster. I think we wouldn’t hate having chicks. But we want eggs more. I usually just pull my hens off of wherever they are hunkering down. Usually that works after a few removals.
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Chickens!
Sept 8, 2020 7:31:37 GMT -6
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Post by niko8083 on Sept 8, 2020 7:31:37 GMT -6
We still only have one hen laying eggs (as far as I can tell). The problem, she’s not laying in the nest boxes and instead, laying in a different spot every time. I really wouldn’t have an issue if she kept it inside the coop but, we found one out in the run yesterday and I’ve also found one on the droppings board under the roosts (gross). I’ve had some fake eggs in a few of the boxes for weeks now. Anybody have any ideas on how I can encourage laying in the boxes?
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 8, 2020 9:37:33 GMT -6
We still only have one hen laying eggs (as far as I can tell). The problem, she’s not laying in the nest boxes and instead, laying in a different spot every time. I really wouldn’t have an issue if she kept it inside the coop but, we found one out in the run yesterday and I’ve also found one on the droppings board under the roosts (gross). I’ve had some fake eggs in a few of the boxes for weeks now. Anybody have any ideas on how I can encourage laying in the boxes? My chickens are the biggest assholes ever and refuse to lay in their boxes no matter what I do. And we have given them a variety of nesting box styles. We find eggs all over the damn place.
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 8, 2020 9:37:52 GMT -6
Sorry that ^ was not helpful.
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Post by violajack on Sept 8, 2020 18:49:58 GMT -6
When does she lay? Can you keep them all in the coop until after she lays? That would at least limit her options. My hens are fooled by two golf balls. I keep moving them to different nest pads, and they collect them when they lay, so they've got their golf balls and their eggs.
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 8, 2020 22:00:45 GMT -6
I've tried those ceramic eggs and mine just kick them around. Mine seem to like to lay in 'piles' though so maybe try sacrificing one egg and marking it. That has worked for us in the past, at least temporarily. Just leave the marked egg wherever she is laying.
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Chickens!
Sept 12, 2020 13:18:22 GMT -6
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Post by niko8083 on Sept 12, 2020 13:18:22 GMT -6
So, I caught our girl trying to lay an egg today on the droppings board. I picked her up and put her in the nest box. She ran right out. Two minutes later I caught her trying in the same place again and picked her up and put her in the nest. She actually started scratching and stayed there that time. Left her alone and saw her out with the others in the run later on. Went and checked, sure enough she payed an egg in the nest where I left her! Maybe she’ll get the hang of it... 🤞🏻
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Post by violajack on Sept 12, 2020 15:47:23 GMT -6
We lost our favorite, lap dog of a chicken, hen yesterday. Probably to a hawk. So, this morning we went and got a rooster. Hatched in March, so he's a little older than our older set, fully mature. I sure hope this keeps the rest of the hens safe. I love them having them free ranging and dont really want to build a run, but I guess that'll be the next step. The chickens didn't go roaming nearly as far today, but they also had a rooster in a dog crate to investigate most of the day. We let him out mid afternoon and its been pretty uneventful so far, just a little pecking. He's really pretty. He heard the neighbor's rooster crow and stood up and crowed a few times in return.
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 12, 2020 18:34:36 GMT -6
violajack do you need a guard pig for your chickens? I know a sweet one who is in need of a good home.
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Post by violajack on Sept 12, 2020 18:39:20 GMT -6
violajack do you need a guard pig for your chickens? I know a sweet one who is in need of a good home. I'd love a guard pig! But honestly, I don't know the first thing about keeping a pig. What would we need? What do pigs need? My dad has been joking about us needing a pig and he would flip if we actually got one.
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Post by violajack on Sept 12, 2020 18:42:04 GMT -6
Uodate: he panicked a little around dusk, but once he figured out where the hens had gone, he hopped right into the coop and up onto the roost bar. He's a good little rooster.
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 13, 2020 20:23:40 GMT -6
violajack do you need a guard pig for your chickens? I know a sweet one who is in need of a good home. I'd love a guard pig! But honestly, I don't know the first thing about keeping a pig. What would we need? What do pigs need? My dad has been joking about us needing a pig and he would flip if we actually got one. Well my pig isn't a normal pig so all he needs is a warm cozy place to sleep at night, like a shed or barn, and some grass to wander in. He drinks out of a bowl like a dog and eats pellets and fruits and vegetables. He is basically a dog who won't run away.
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Post by violajack on Sept 13, 2020 20:25:36 GMT -6
I'd love a guard pig! But honestly, I don't know the first thing about keeping a pig. What would we need? What do pigs need? My dad has been joking about us needing a pig and he would flip if we actually got one. Well my pig isn't a normal pig so all he needs is a warm cozy place to sleep at night, like a shed or barn, and some grass to wander in. He drinks out of a bowl like a dog and eats pellets and fruits and vegetables. He is basically a dog who won't run away. We have a pretty big fenced yard. I'm sure MH would build a pig house for me. I just have to convince him it's a good idea.
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tj
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Chickens!
Sept 13, 2020 21:11:28 GMT -6
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Post by tj on Sept 13, 2020 21:11:28 GMT -6
If it doesn’t work out violajack let me know. Bc I been wanting a pig since we moved here and mh’s doesn’t love the idea. But he don’t run this show.
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Post by violajack on Sept 13, 2020 21:13:43 GMT -6
If it doesn’t work out violajack let me know. Bc I been wanting a pig since we moved here and mh’s doesn’t love the idea. But he don’t run this show. Rock, paper, scissors?
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tj
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Chickens!
Sept 13, 2020 21:18:38 GMT -6
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Post by tj on Sept 13, 2020 21:18:38 GMT -6
If it doesn’t work out violajack let me know. Bc I been wanting a pig since we moved here and mh’s doesn’t love the idea. But he don’t run this show. Rock, paper, scissors? Pretty sure you are closer so I give you proximity rule. But I’d sure love to see Leonard stay in the “family.”
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Post by violajack on Sept 14, 2020 19:06:25 GMT -6
MH has gone from "we can't handle a pig" to telling his coworkers that we're thinking about adopting a pig named Leonard. So...... milano we should chat sometime maybe.
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rugger
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Post by rugger on Sept 14, 2020 19:20:58 GMT -6
MH has gone from "we can't handle a pig" to telling his coworkers that we're thinking about adopting a pig named Leonard. So...... milano we should chat sometime maybe. This sounds like you're adopting Leonard. I mean, what dude tells coworkers he's maybe adopting a pig unless he plans on it?
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Post by violajack on Sept 14, 2020 19:39:05 GMT -6
I sent him the Leonard thread from 2 years ago that starts with Leonard in a santa hat. I'm pretty sure he's into the idea of a pig now. He's been asking all kinds of questions about how long pigs live and what they need.
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 14, 2020 19:46:04 GMT -6
MH has gone from "we can't handle a pig" to telling his coworkers that we're thinking about adopting a pig named Leonard. So...... milano we should chat sometime maybe. Um, OMG!! I would be so thrilled to know he was going to a great home! Yes. We will chat!
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 14, 2020 19:53:44 GMT -6
I sent him the Leonard thread from 2 years ago that starts with Leonard in a santa hat. I'm pretty sure he's into the idea of a pig now. He's been asking all kinds of questions about how long pigs live and what they need. I believe they can live 15 years, I'm not sure how common that is though. He does need his hoofs and tusks trimmed once a year- we use a traveling farrier based out of MI but you might find someone locally who could do it. It takes an experienced pig farrier like 15 min total to do both, with no sedation or anything they just flip him over. We should zoom chat one night!
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Post by violajack on Sept 14, 2020 19:57:21 GMT -6
I just realized our neighbors up the road have a hog farm. I suppose I could go talk to them too. Though, they raised heritage hogs for meat I think, so I'm not sure they would have had them long enough for trimming needs. But there are actually several hog farms around here, so there must be a good farrier people could recommend.
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Post by violajack on Sept 14, 2020 19:58:35 GMT -6
How old is Leonard now?
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 14, 2020 20:08:03 GMT -6
He will be 5 on September 30 🙂
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Post by ovenrack on Sept 14, 2020 20:14:03 GMT -6
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 14, 2020 20:42:08 GMT -6
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Post by Dramaphile on Sept 15, 2020 6:36:43 GMT -6
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Chickens!
Sept 15, 2020 6:53:49 GMT -6
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Post by niko8083 on Sept 15, 2020 6:53:49 GMT -6
I must have missed something. I didn’t realize you were looking to re-home him milano.
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milano
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Post by milano on Sept 15, 2020 7:09:24 GMT -6
I must have missed something. I didn’t realize you were looking to re-home him milano. We are moving to Delaware over the winter. That's the only reason, otherwise I would keep him forever because he is so special. And we considered trying to find a house there that we could take him with us but ultimately we need the freedom of being able to leave easily to visit family and so only the dog is moving with us. We want more house, less land, and an actual neighborhood with a sidewalk by the beach. ETA I semi-seriously proposed building a new house with a walk-out basement outfitted for Leonard to live in but MH told me he was not building a house around a pig. So. I guess we have different priorities but I am letting him win on this.
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