Maine

[Mainechick168]

Nice Coop! We painted ours in the exact same colors! I think there may be a picture in my photo album!

 

[mumma3crazedboy]

If you have any chicks that have puffy cheeks- like chipmunk, id say they were the americaunas. I have 3, and all of them had puffy cheeks

 

[Widget]

I don't believe it. My one salmon faverolle hen who has been nesting under my bedroom window under the rose bush now has at least one newly hatched chick.

She has been sitting on 15 eggs throughout all the rain and heat without much shelter. The father is a Blk Australorp rooster that disappeared a few weeks ago so I really didn't think any of the eggs would hatch. The one chick I saw is jet black and I did hear more peeping. No idea how many chicks she has. They will be Australorp Faverolle, Golden Comet, Buff Orp or SLW X.

 

[Mainechick168]

MT, Sorry to hear about your pullet and your foot!!

LG, Too funny about your MIL & her SIL!! My mother, sister & aunt are the biggest offenders in my family! They are now always on the look out for gnomes!! They all quilt so I'm hoping I do NOT get a gnome themed quilt anytime soon!! DH has said the same thing to me about the hobbies. I said you've seen me "try" to knit & crochet. How'd that look to you?!

Yes, Chipmunk is an EE. I will let you know what I find when I crack that egg open.

Coopchick, I think it's neat that Chipmunk produced a blue egg! Her Mom did not- she laid a pinkish egg....And so...seeing as the last thing we covered in my bio class was genetics, I got to thinking...blue can tend to be a recessive gene, as far as eye color is concerned, so I wonder if it is with egg color...and if so, that means that the daddy, our old roo, would have had to have been a barred rock/ee cross?? I could be totally off here, maybe someone else knows a little bit more about chicken egg color genes!

 

[lazy gardener]

CC719: I read an article re: egg color genetics some time ago. Will try to find it for you, but as I remember, the gist of it is: Blue is dominant over white (and from your experience, it sounds like blue dominates pink). Brown and blue should yield olive, and White and brown should give a lighter shade of brown. It might also be good to research comb dominance. It would be nice if pea dominates straight! (IMO)

I love my little blue egg layer. She's an EE without any of the puffy facial feathers that you would expect. She is very stream lined with gold hackles laced with black, has lighter gold abdominal feathers with black lacing. Very mild mannered. Her large blue egg from this morning was a double yolker. My girls have been laying for less than 2 weeks.

Any one out there have suggestions re: mosquitoes harassing birds at night? They've been aweful. Last night, the girls were clearly miserable. It's been so hot that I hesitate to block any more air flow through the coop, but I may have to hang some screens or sheer curtains over their windows. Even so, there will be mosquitoes that get in. I've been thinking about planting one of those geraniums that are supposed to repel mosquitoes. Not sure if it's called a citronella plant???? I wonder if lemon balm would have a repellant effect, If so, I could dry some and mix it in with their bedding.

 

[buckabucka]

Love the new coop photos.

Gracejr, do a search for Japanese knotweed, and see if your septic weed looks like that (hopefully not).

 

[gracejr]

Love the new coop photos.

Gracejr, do a search for Japanese knotweed, and see if your septic weed looks like that (hopefully not).

That's the closest I've come, unfortunately. Really hoping that's not it. But the descriptions seemed to indicate a white flower, and some said a reddish tint in the stalks?

Here is what it looks like. I haven't dared mow anything yet, in case that will make it spread.

Lazy, I think I read somewhere that pea is dominant over straight. It seems to hold true here anyway. My rooster has a straight comb, but all the chicks from my Brahma and the Ams have all had small combs.

Congrats on the chicks Widget!

 

[MEMama3]

That's the closest I've come, unfortunately. Really hoping that's not it. But the descriptions seemed to indicate a white flower, and some said a reddish tint in the stalks?

Here is what it looks like. I haven't dared mow anything yet, in case that will make it spread.

Lazy, I think I read somewhere that pea is dominant over straight. It seems to hold true here anyway. My rooster has a straight comb, but all the chicks from my Brahma and the Ams have all had small combs.

Congrats on the chicks Widget!

The stalk looks very bambooish.

 

[MEMama3]

I got my first egg! Two in fact. I'll upload pictures soon

 

[ashandvine]

This is knotweed-- the thin one in the middle there with pink and white flowers that look like little knots on the stalk.
Japanese knotweed, which is edible at certain times in the year, looks more like a bamboo. Here is a great pic of it
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/JPEG'S/Plant Web Images/KnotweedInFlowerLabeled.jpg
Here is a link to the one you are growing, as well as a few others there that we don't have. http://www.plant-biology.com/Polygonum-Knotweed-Bistort.php
If you want to be rid of this type you do have to be very diligent about pulling it out roots and all. It will take some time and you want to do it asap before those flowers become seeds... lots and lots of seeds. I do not think this type is edible but I might be wrong. I'll consult a book later.