My rooster Flash just got new wives UPDATE

Flash has a blue red laced chest and legs. After seeing Michelle's hen "Morgan" on her blog, I just have to try to get some more colors. I was able to find some Splash Blue Laced Red Wyandotte hens!
And I have 2 solid blue Wyandotte pullets coming from a friend. So I will experiment with making Blue Laced Red Easter Egg pullets and hoping for a Morgan or two.... the new hens will go in the same pen as my EE layers.......so no added work. I get blue eggs, so any light brown/brown eggs will be from the BLRW and Blue hens. ......its the unknown that makes it interesting..their eggs set under my Silkies and anticipate "what will I get ?"  

I did some research A Splash BLRW roo on solid blue hens will not give me any laced chicks. So the 2 blue hens are in with Flash2  Perhaps I will get a blue gold EE hen like Michelle's "Morgan"?



Jerry

Free Hibiscus Trees!!

An elderly lady was giving away her hibiscus trees she had on her deck. She had no room in her house to winter them over. We repotted them and brought them home. We made room...put them by our patio door....shoving the table into a corner.......who uses their dining room table anyway.  We will carefully nurture them till Summer when they will grace our deck. We will have green in the house as outside turns white with snow. Oh she had a small geranium in one of the pots.....we gave it its own pot. Two trees have  yellow blossoms and two have rose pink . Today they have a few new flowers.

Till Later
Jerry

Very warm October!

We started with a cornfield, 4 acres of native pasture and made a farmstead. 7 years ago, the elm tree in front of our new house was 8 feet high. Wow how it has grown! It towers over and shade much of the house!
We have been having temps in the 80s. A frost a week ago, makes this an official Indian Summer. We just mowed our lawn, again. Still green and lush! I had my breeding groups set up and decided to wait till Nov 1st. I like all my ewes to lamb in one cluster not spread out for a month. So the ewes are in the barnyard, cleaning it up, getting hay and some grain. Nov 1st the groups will be set up and breeding will began......April lambs are easier.
Also on Nov 1st, my 2 does will have a visit from the neighbor's Alpine buck. Shilo is drying herself off and looks very pregnant. (kids on the right, rumen of the left)  This morning I will try to bump kids. If I am still suspicious I will call my friend- and ask is it possible the buck got to Shilo in early August?
Doing some more doctoring, and more tests. Weak and don't feel right. On Monday I was diagnosed  having an infection in pocket in my colon, so I am on antibiotics and next week had a colonscopy for the first time........yes at 55 I am due... I am a firm believer in getting to the root of the problem and solving it. I have too much I want to do to be weak, ill and out of commission.
I canceled my Fall chick order. Enough chores to do till I am well again.
Some days have been down right, too hot! But it beats snow and temps below zero!
Jerry

One can't have too many Chickens!

In June my Silkie hen "Muffin" raised 12 Silkie chciks, hers and she adopted chicks from 2 other hens. Three days ago, Mufin hatched out 4 Ameraucana chicks. I have always wanted a few Golden Laced Wyandotte hens....

 Muffin is mothering chicks already........So I searched. Most hatcheries are sold out for the year, but Ideal had St Run GLW chicks available. Ideal chicks are to breed standard and arrive quickly and very healthy. So I ordered 12 chicks. (hoping I will end up with 4-6 pullets) When they come I will give the chicks to Muffin to raise....watching her closely for any ill reaction. But last time she took every chick in the coop. I'll keep you posted   Jerry


PS....their on line site said Ideal had chciks available for 10-6 Got an email that my order will be
filled 10-27  so I will have to use a brooder.......slipping 3 day old chicks to Muffin when her other chicks are a month old.....not the best  J

Brewster!

Brewster has the 'it factor', he walked around with a presence to him. His wide deep and heavy boned. Excellent conformation and look at this spots! His black and white is quite a contrast. Good horn set and a great hind quarters, ghee the lambs can't come fast enough! --it will be a long winter's wait
Jerry

Breeding groups done,

 I put Chocolate Bar in with Yarrow, Bertha, Palisade, Nugget, Maybeline and Shasta.

Brewster was given Bella, Dark Chocolate, Poppy and ewe lambs Tulla and Pansy. I thought OK it will take the ram lambs a bit of time to figure out their job....not so  C Bar was following Maybeline  and Brewster was following Pansy.......have not seen any action yet.

Anna and Shilo are enjoying the sunny afternoon!

Till later
Jerry

My Sheep neighbor stopped by

Carolyn and I have been friends for many years. She has had sheep 40 years. I value her opinion. We looked over the ram lambs. Discussed their good points. Chocolate Bar had a gorgeous single coat fleece with good crimp and length. He is modified..mioget in color like his dam. His dam lambed at 12 months old and is one of our Big ewes. She is as big as our big mature ewes! Some real size there.  He is built like brick  __house. I knew his horns were close when I picked him...but he had a lot of good qualities. So its use him and he's gone. So I would like to get the most lambs out of him. He will get the majority of the ewes, Yarrow, Bertha, Palisade, Dark Chocolate, Shasta, Nugget and Maybeline.

Brewster is a bit smaller but his conformation is really good, gorgeous heavily crimped fleece. His size will change alot by next Fall. He be used lightly and wintered over for heavy use next year. This fall Brewster will get HST marked Bella and her spotted dau Tulla, spotted Poppy and her dau Pansy. Spots on spots I should get some nice spotted lambs!

Ewes will be shorn mid February same as last year- ---nice wool clips and I didn't have any trouble with the  rise at shearing. I have a dairy doe due in February..with the sheep shorn the barn will be warm.

So tonight I worm the ewes, tomorrow the ewes going with Brewster will be pulled and Chocolate Bar will get his harem. C Bar's group will be able to roam the pasture----I am feeding hay too.  Brew and his crew will be on dry lot.

Till Later
Jerry