well, I caught a bug,, chest cold,, what a pain. Been too hot also,, so, trying to get much done, isnt working out too well. Some of the things that need done, take 3 hands,, and when its difficult for me to get a good breadth,,,,, its darn near imposssible.

The first 2 chicks are getting real feathers,, wing tips for now. At least I can tell them apart from the second batch. Both "moms" seem to be doing their jobs well,, so, thats a wait and see. Still trying to break one Buff from wanting to sit all the time,, its getting their. I just lock her in a fenced in part of the yard every morning,, she isnt going in too sit al the time now, but she is hanging around the chicks.

Been getting some rain, every 2 days latley, last night was a doosey. Lost power for most of the night,, was fine, ,I was sleeping anyways.

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), July 31, 2002

Answers

Hi all

Ok this is going to sound really weird, but it works and doesn't take alot of time. When you have a hen wanting to sit all the time and you feel they should be doing other things like laying, securely hold them and stick their hind ends up to the belly in cold water for a few minutes every time you see her sitting on a nest.

I swear to God this works, did it growing up at home and I still do it now and again as needed. Seems to cool down their raging hormones LOL

Well, hubby and I got the hay all in and for the first time in years it hasn't been rained on. Hard to get it all in when you get only 1 crop and the weather doesn't co-operate. It sure smells good when you go into the barns. We've been sitting around 60F for the last week (daytime highs) so the gardens aren't doing to much, but the greenhouse is spitting out tomatos, cukes, gr beans and the cantaloupe are coming along well.

Raspberries are just getting ready and the strawberries are wonderful. In another week if the sun comes back out we should be able to go into the bush and find huckleberries.

Salmon are finally making their way up the river so soon we'll be able to can a bunch of sockeye agian, and have a salmon feast. Better go, take care Anne Bennett, way up here near the 60th paralell

-- Anne (gabennett@bulkley.net), July 31, 2002.

give a hen a cold butt bath????, hmmmm,, interesting. How long(many) times does it take to break the hen of sitting?? (would stop me pretty quick I guess)

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), July 31, 2002.

I guess that depends on the hen LOL it would take a feww tries for the layers, but boy those bantas seem to have a bath 3-4 times a day for a couple of days.

Anyway, it sure doesn't hurt them and if it breaks her from doing it then it's worth the hassle, I think. Good luck Anne

-- Anne (gabennett@bulkley.net), August 01, 2002.

(giggle giggle) I'll have to remember this!! Thanks Anne! :-)

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), August 01, 2002.

Sounds like aversion therapy for chickens!

-- Jackie (HaloHead012@cs.com), August 02, 2002.