Dark Egg Breeds Thread

[Lotsapaints]

Be careful of predators I have seen the fox thank goodness he hasn't tried to get to anything yet but he can..I live in the same kind of area and I know we have raccoons and skunks too and when the dogs start barking like crazy at night I know something is prowling around I just hope they stay away from the chickens..I check to see if anything is trying to dig in I do have places where something can climb in if they are determined I just hope by winter I get everything done with my coops that I've working on only have a couple more months before I get winter weather and they are promising a nice wet one I sure hope so then it won't be so cold...

 

[drom]

Oh, are we going to get a wet winter this year? I need to do quite a bit of work myself on the coops.

Look at these coops. http://www.drycreekminibarns.com/catalog/product.php?Chicken-Coops-77
There's a dealer up here and I looked at them a few weeks ago. They are actually very nice. There is a large one, not pictured, but it is not really as large as what I want. But they come with nest boxes, roosts, ramps and you can have them install nest warmers and auto waterers.

My newest coops I put up look like they belong in a shanty town.

I have so much work to do on them.

We have coyotes, raccoons, skunks and hawks that I have seen over the years in the neighborhood-so they're around and I do need to be careful. No foxes or possums. I also have snakes on my property. I believe they might have gotten to eggs on occasion in one of my coops. They are medium sized king snakes and the problem with them is that they look like rattle snakes and will mimic rattle snake behavior, so when I spot one I always want to take a real good look at them.

 

[kathyinmo]

OH, I love those coops! Rent to own?

That really made me giggle.

 

[drom]

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The web site doesn't really show all the detail. They sent me a pdf file with lots of pictures/features. They are super nice. And you can get most of them with light duty or heavy duty wheels on them. Although all the but the smallest ones look like they would be a little heavy to push around unless you had a very flat well trimmed pasture.

Yes, for the cash-strapped chicken owner they have the rent to own your chicken coop option-

 

[Lotsapaints]

Rent to own tells me mucho dineros but I'll go by Cal Ag and check the prices but the ones my husband made for me have roll out nest boxes, lights, insulation on the hot walls just that work hasn't been that great and I don't know if we'll be able to get the other 2 finished before winter really starts and I only have about 500.00 in the double coop not counting our time.... when we get the doors done this week I'll post some pictures.

 

[drom]

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Wow, that sounds so nice. My chickens are jealous.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Well my husband wanted it turn key so when I left for the weekend all he has to do is collect eggs and check the feed and water. I was reading the Heritage site about digging a 5" trench and sprouting oats in it I can't get mine to feed sprouts when I'm gone so I might try that idea he would turn over a board so they could eat them.....though I don't know he likes those large eggs....and he likes throwing stuff into the pen and watching the stampede.

 

[geebs]

I hope the opossum if it ever gets a mind to... Takes the Porch chicken first!!! LOL... Ya I would say a little lax if you are raising both sides of the food chain!!! Just saying... (I don't think I would raise chickenhawks but to each his own)

Well now all we need is a "street of dreams" for the chicken fancier... Maybe the windows that darken or when the rooster crow the doors open... Where is the jucuzzi???? Do those coops come with a pool??? or a live in landscaper??? SWEEEET....

 

[berkeleysprings]

yes a young possem we caught in a hava heart trap and it wouldnt leave the trap ,than he went up the tree close to 10 ft off the ground and played dead till dark , yes i was reading stuff by black dott and is so interesting , the parts i understand anyway . every once in a wile i get a clean leg wheaten , but not often and i just did not understand how if the proo and hen are feathered how every ten or twenty hatches are a clean leg and its because of the pti-1 shank feathering gene dominant messing with the (i think) pti-/pti+ ,,,,, but anyway i hope the white in foot feathers goes away
and possem are cool littil rats


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[drom]

I have to say, Virginia possums are much more attractive than California possums. Cute is not a word I've ever used to describe a possum out here.
Ours don't have the round black panda ears and little black arms.

They are just all beige and pink and ratty out here.


Oh and just so we're not off topic, here is a dark brown egg layer taking a nap