She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[WalnutHill]

This question goes out to all those that have a well on your property. This is the first house that we have lived in that has a well and we are struggling with sulfur stinky water.

We tried oxidizing the water using the calcium hyperchlorite pellets. With a carbon filter.This worked well for a while, but the pellet feeder would get encrusted with deposits and was difficult to clean. So then hubby put in an inline liquid chlorinator, but the pressure was too high for it too work properly. We have the well pump and a blue pressure tank. I am open to suggestions. It is driving me nuts. When the well pump was first installed the water was good until the big rains from Isaac.

I've had well water almost all my life. We had a brief apartment stint on city water but moved back to wells as soon as we could.

Our old well had a steel casing, and the casing had rusted. If the house sat empty, even as briefly as a week or so for vacation, the naturally occurring iron eating bacteria in the water will emit sulphur compounds.

What we found worked was to add a pint of bleach to the hot water heater at the inlet, then let sit overnight without running the water. Drain off a little from the bottom of the tank, then use the water as normal.

We had to replace the well last year this time. The new well has a PVC casing, and we haven't had rust stains or odors since.

 

[FridayYet]

Agreed, type is the first criteria. I do need the color diversity, though, since I am still working on improving my Narragansetts and Golden Narragansetts and APA standard weight hens with great conformation are hard to find.

Could you keep just the father or the son? If you need both goldens as back-up/insurance, it really sounds like the bronze must go. Tough decision!

This question goes out to all those that have a well on your property. This is the first house that we have lived in that has a well and we are struggling with sulfur stinky water.

We tried oxidizing the water using the calcium hyperchlorite pellets. With a carbon filter.This worked well for a while, but the pellet feeder would get encrusted with deposits and was difficult to clean. So then hubby put in an inline liquid chlorinator, but the pressure was too high for it too work properly. We have the well pump and a blue pressure tank. I am open to suggestions. It is driving me nuts. When the well pump was first installed the water was good until the big rains from Isaac.

We've got the stinky hot water, too. Our well water is high in iron, calcium and magnesium so we put in a water softener and charcoal filter, with an RO unit under the bar sink. Stopped all the staining & scale, but the hot water still gets stinky at times.

I've had well water almost all my life. We had a brief apartment stint on city water but moved back to wells as soon as we could.

Our old well had a steel casing, and the casing had rusted. If the house sat empty, even as briefly as a week or so for vacation, the naturally occurring iron eating bacteria in the water will emit sulphur compounds.

What we found worked was to add a pint of bleach to the hot water heater at the inlet, then let sit overnight without running the water. Drain off a little from the bottom of the tank, then use the water as normal.

We had to replace the well last year this time. The new well has a PVC casing, and we haven't had rust stains or odors since.

Hopefully we won't be replacing the well anytime soon, but maybe we should shock the hot water heater every so often like you said. We've just kind of gotten used to the smell now.

 

[BYC910]

Could you keep just the father or the son? If you need both goldens as back-up/insurance, it really sounds like the bronze must go. Tough decision!



We've got the stinky hot water, too. Our well water is high in iron, calcium and magnesium so we put in a water softener and charcoal filter, with an RO unit under the bar sink. Stopped all the staining & scale, but the hot water still gets stinky at times.


Hopefully we won't be replacing the well anytime soon, but maybe we should shock the hot water heater every so often like you said. We've just kind of gotten used to the smell now.

DW and my oldest got upset when I changed the well to one on the other side of the farm . they liked the sulfur water . would have left it but the stream was weak and mid summer we had very little water. couldn't wash clothes or fill the bath tub. we have city water but only use it for Ben's pool and to water part of the chickens . Friday do you have a self cleaning water heater they help with the smell . and make sure you cycle all your pipes often .

 

[Pyxis]

Well the birds are mad at me. I had three cockerels and a bunch of silkies that refused to sleep in the coop - the silkies will get their own coop come spring but for this winter they need to sleep with everyone else. And the two cockerels were sleeping right on my back deck, so the crowing was very loud during the night and in the morning.

So I had to lock everyone in the coop. I was trying just moving them at night but it wasn't working. No one is happy about it and I feel bad. Well, I take that back - the cemanis are happy about it because they get to have supervised free range time now that there aren't other roosters in the yard that might mate the hens.

Anyway, everyone has to be locked up for the next three days at least to convince everyone that they need to be sleeping in the coop. They are not pleased, but what can you do?

 

[WalnutHill]

Could you keep just the father or the son? If you need both goldens as back-up/insurance, it really sounds like the bronze must go. Tough decision!

I could keep just the father or just the son, but the father is so awesome as flock master, and he's only a year and a half old, that I want him to train his son, who will be a worthy successor, in the proper way to treat the ladies. He'll also keep the boys in line. He did fine keeping 21 young toms in line until they started popping beards. At that point he was no longer the "authority figure". I'll be able to do three trios with this combo once he has the youngsters whipped into shape.

Scooter + Bronze + Golden Narr hen = Golden Narragansett, Narragansett, Buff, Red Bronze, Bronze
Son of Scooter + young BBB + Bourbon Red = Golden Narragansett, Narragansett, Bronze, Red Bronze, Buff, Bourbon Red
Oregon Gray + Baby + Big Momma = Narragansett splits (will make Oregon Gray females in the next gen), Bronze split white/Narr, Bronze split Narragansett

The Oregon Gray genetics are complex enough that I don't want to mix his offspring with the pure Narragansetts. But this is the line that will get me from young toms at 18 pounds to young toms at 25 pounds in a couple of years without compromising conformation. And since I'm raising them for meat, weight is a good thing.

 

[rossfam06]

My 6 hens were giving me 5-6 eggs a day in August & September, then the molt hit. Today & yesterday I got 1 egg; some days I don't get any, a couple times I've gotten one from each hen.
If your run looks like someone had a massive pillow fight, my guess is you've got the same problem a lot of us do...MOLT; this is the season for it.

Yep in the same boat only get 3 eggs every other day out of almost 18 hens.

 

[FridayYet]

DW and my oldest got upset when I changed the well to one on the other side of the farm . they liked the sulfur water . would have left it but the stream was weak and mid summer we had very little water. couldn't wash clothes or fill the bath tub. we have city water but only use it for Ben's pool and to water part of the chickens . Friday do you have a self cleaning water heater they help with the smell . and make sure you cycle all your pipes often .

Actually, our water heater is old and probably part of the problem. As soon as it acts like it's dying, we're thinking of replacing it with a tankless water heater so there won't be any hot water sitting around. We had one at a previous house, and we really liked it.

 

[BYC910]

Actually, our water heater is old and probably part of the problem. As soon as it acts like it's dying, we're thinking of replacing it with a tankless water heater so there won't be any hot water sitting around. We had one at a previous house, and we really liked it.

I don't have a safe place to put one of those yet but I will.

 

[sjturner79]

A Silkie? She'll probably be fine... mine kept trying to stuff the chicks back under for 3 days after all the eggs were done hatching... they really get into the 'setting' mindset... just put food and water close after they start so the early ones can get to it...
Out of Ovations again, but that is gorgeous!!
Corid won't hurt if they don't have cocci... if it was me, I'd still run a course just to be safe... especially if shes still not eating or drinking...
Sulmtaler...
He got some of the cutest this batch, lol... maybe I shoulda kept those...
I have no problems peeling fresh eggs... boil water first, drop them in, when done I shock them in very cold water... as soon as I can pick them up without burning myself, I crack it over the aircell first, roll it sideways and the shell pops right off... easy peasy...

I think i must of phrased myself badly. I mean the eggs will be hatching 5 days after she went broody, not that it will be 5 days from first hatch to last

 

[ronott1]

Some are too old, some are pullets, but plenty are at the right age. I am pretty sure I have some egg eaters.
I've put golf balls in the nest boxes, and I don't see any egg shells, but 2 months ago they were popping out 20-30 a day.

. Hopefully on Sunday-my day off, I can observe them.

You likely do not have egg eaters. We are moving into the low light time of the year and hens will not lay without 12 to 14 hours of daylight a day. Another problem is the practice some have of not feeding chicken feed in the winter--scratch is not chicken feed.

I am not saying you are doing this, just pointing out that some still think this is what you do in the winter.

The egg eating hen is a myth. Hens will eat eggs if they are weak shelled but that is called opportunistic feeding. If you do not see shells and egg goo, then they are not eating the eggs.

During the time when they are not laying much, it is a good time to treat them for worms, lice and mites. Give them some vitamins and etc. Set up some lights on a timer if you want eggs. They will lay more but not as much as in the spring.