Recent content by Kaneke

(sigh) and what do I mostly have to build this quarantine coop with ? *** OSB *** plus some unseasoned white pine (?) from pallets discarded by the roadside the OSB *is* painted one side .. and that side seems to be relatively weatherproof so long as it isn't in contact with the ground...

try to remember the kind of September when love was slow and oh so mellow

on the other hand, those "Americanas" that I got from Del's, hatched by the Privett hatchery, have been great hens (beautiful but not so great rooster) -- since what we wanted was sturdy birds who lay pretty eggs ... good fertility too since half the Washingtonians seem to have hatched...

my cats bring these in regularly, -- yes, Pacific jumping mouse -- probably from the band of firs on the bank down to the power canal off the north edge of our property http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=MA0101

by the way, the cat named Savannah is NOT a Himalayan cross, she is a BALINESE ... a Siamese with the long hair gene -- way back when there may have been some crosses with the Turkish Angora, but it is now a recognized breed which usually breeds true ... the fur on a Balinese is quite...

thank goodness I'm using game bird feed for my flock .. didn't see any recall for that flock of one still, but hoping to get the quarantine coop and run put together as soon as the rain quits -- lucked out and found an open crate for shipping engines, over in the J&I scrap box .. just...

the Del's in Yelm gets their chicks from Privett -- I had great luck with the Easter Eggers I got there -- the rooster got feisty, but then that seems to be common behavior for mature roosters -- all six hens were calm and happy to flock up, and usually clustered around me for awhile when...

Del's "americanas" -- EEs by any other name, are from Privett -- at least the local one here gets them there .. not purebreds of course, but great healthy sturdy hens that lay consistently (5 days out of the week, for mine), are smart enough to come when called, and Privett is reasonably...

I doubt the chickens will use two different coops depending on weather, especially as much as the weather changes here ! you might be better off to build a coop well above the ground, well secured (sturdy door with a complicated latch, or a sliding door heavy enough that a coon could not raise...

one thing that will discourage those ants, is pouring a bottle of chlorine bleach down the holes you find after you've shoveled off the pile of evergreen needles and other stuff .. won't necessarily kill them, but they WILL move the nest someplace else ... and their piled up stuff makes...

I want to plant some plants back in what will be the run area for the chickens. I'm thinking of removing a big something or other that is growing back there. Not sure what it is so need to either ID it or remove it before babies move out there. We've got a couple of months to get that done...

you have to walk a fine line when you "diet" too -- since if you eat too little, your body thinks you are starving and it starts trying to stockpile (mostly fat, ugh), and then you wind up actually gaining weight and girth not losing it .. for me, the combination of walking for half an hour...

maybe a flock of guineas as well ??

a lot of it depends on your neighbors .. LOL luckily we are semi-rural -- homeowners' association covenants state: 3 pets -- but no one has complained about two cats, one dog, and used-to-be 7 chickens including a rooster who crowed voluminously ... perhaps no complaints because I gave...

when you are checking for coop material -- quite a few storage sheds or playhouses or even doghouses wind up on Craigslist or Freecycle -- think also about repurposing windows, shower/tub doors, and sliding glass doors (we used one for a run entrance) ... garage sales in rural areas often...