I tried to put this on my facebook as my status but it got to be extremely long, and far too detailed.
I started off with 110 chicks yesterday - 100 meat and 10 Ameraucana (Easter Eggers that lay beautiful colored eggs). Overnight I lost 5. I was very bummed but figured it was my heat lamp configuration. Rearranged it today and when I got home they were still good to go. Between being home and having supper - 3 more died except these babies had bite marks.
My poor babies! :( Oh noes!
Cats. Curse you cats! Plus Julie the cat was moving her kittens up - I can only assume to practice killing on the chicks. I am hoping Henrietta will be able to protect her 10 babies with the other white chicken mamas. I watched her take a huge chunk out of another one of our cats (hilarious).
So what does this all mean? It means at seven o'clock at night we changed our chickens coops.
Enter the usual entertainment.
First we argued about whose idea it was to put the chicks in the small coop first (it was mine by the way) then Hubby said we would move the box. (WTF) It weighs a ton.
Hubby : Can you lift please?
Me making a mediocre effort : I can't
Hubby sighs in annoyance and more arguing about why I can't lift a ton. (shrug)
Hubby : Fine then ... shove.
Me : Are the hens still in there?
Hubby grunting with effort to lift a ton. Me not shoving anymore I'm looking for the hens.
By the way this whole time we are lifting shoving this thing ... there are STILL TWO hens in there. They are hardcore brooders. Hard. Core. I took the eggs out after we decided to tip it. Yes... after. I feel bad about it ... #awkward. So we finally get this thing laying on it's side on a wheelbarrow and a wagon and there is still a hen in there. The brown one got out and got real mad at me. We shove it back into the new space and I toss the brown hen in with the chicks and she is like ... What ... what ... the hell ... what? Completely confused. So I gave her an egg and she just sat on it and protected it and it kept her happy for a while.
Whatever chicken. The other one is still in her box and she's mad but not budging. Fine. I gave her back her eggs and some new, fresh bedding. Then I went and prepped the baby coop for the babies. I'm real glad I had taken out the worst of it a couple weeks ago because I only needed to scoop out a couple more and then I put fresh bedding, while Hubby put up the heat lamps. Then I set up the water and got the chicks. In their new home they seem to like it much better but it's real hot in there. I hope they don't die from heat exhaustion. I might turn off a lamp during the day? Yikes. I don't know! LOL It's WAY easier when a mama hen raises them.
Then I locked the door and 30 chickens and a rooster are staring at me. Terrifying. I try to cajole them to the other barn. Corey tries to cajole them. Finally we end up having to catch each one - probably missed a few and tossing them in there. I locked the door but I already know they can get out. There is a divider between them and Henrietta/babies and another divider between them and the brown hardcore brooder, since she sat on some eggs there and isn't budging.
I have no idea what's going to happen now. Chaos probably. Luckily Henrietta's babies will be able to go with the other chicks once the other chicks are bigger and Henrietta allows them to.
I'm tired. That was exhausting. Chicks better not die tonight. Hopefully the rooster and Henrietta can guard the others and nobody gets eaten outside.
Corey talked about adding on to my barn but I have a way better idea for next year. Way. Better. ;)
I started off with 110 chicks yesterday - 100 meat and 10 Ameraucana (Easter Eggers that lay beautiful colored eggs). Overnight I lost 5. I was very bummed but figured it was my heat lamp configuration. Rearranged it today and when I got home they were still good to go. Between being home and having supper - 3 more died except these babies had bite marks.
My poor babies! :( Oh noes!
Cats. Curse you cats! Plus Julie the cat was moving her kittens up - I can only assume to practice killing on the chicks. I am hoping Henrietta will be able to protect her 10 babies with the other white chicken mamas. I watched her take a huge chunk out of another one of our cats (hilarious).
So what does this all mean? It means at seven o'clock at night we changed our chickens coops.
Enter the usual entertainment.
First we argued about whose idea it was to put the chicks in the small coop first (it was mine by the way) then Hubby said we would move the box. (WTF) It weighs a ton.
Hubby : Can you lift please?
Me making a mediocre effort : I can't
Hubby sighs in annoyance and more arguing about why I can't lift a ton. (shrug)
Hubby : Fine then ... shove.
Me : Are the hens still in there?
Hubby grunting with effort to lift a ton. Me not shoving anymore I'm looking for the hens.
By the way this whole time we are lifting shoving this thing ... there are STILL TWO hens in there. They are hardcore brooders. Hard. Core. I took the eggs out after we decided to tip it. Yes... after. I feel bad about it ... #awkward. So we finally get this thing laying on it's side on a wheelbarrow and a wagon and there is still a hen in there. The brown one got out and got real mad at me. We shove it back into the new space and I toss the brown hen in with the chicks and she is like ... What ... what ... the hell ... what? Completely confused. So I gave her an egg and she just sat on it and protected it and it kept her happy for a while.
Whatever chicken. The other one is still in her box and she's mad but not budging. Fine. I gave her back her eggs and some new, fresh bedding. Then I went and prepped the baby coop for the babies. I'm real glad I had taken out the worst of it a couple weeks ago because I only needed to scoop out a couple more and then I put fresh bedding, while Hubby put up the heat lamps. Then I set up the water and got the chicks. In their new home they seem to like it much better but it's real hot in there. I hope they don't die from heat exhaustion. I might turn off a lamp during the day? Yikes. I don't know! LOL It's WAY easier when a mama hen raises them.
Then I locked the door and 30 chickens and a rooster are staring at me. Terrifying. I try to cajole them to the other barn. Corey tries to cajole them. Finally we end up having to catch each one - probably missed a few and tossing them in there. I locked the door but I already know they can get out. There is a divider between them and Henrietta/babies and another divider between them and the brown hardcore brooder, since she sat on some eggs there and isn't budging.
I have no idea what's going to happen now. Chaos probably. Luckily Henrietta's babies will be able to go with the other chicks once the other chicks are bigger and Henrietta allows them to.
I'm tired. That was exhausting. Chicks better not die tonight. Hopefully the rooster and Henrietta can guard the others and nobody gets eaten outside.
Corey talked about adding on to my barn but I have a way better idea for next year. Way. Better. ;)
