Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[CarolynF]

Am I really the only one with a very smelly chicken problem?? You guys are always full of ideas for every issue and question... please help a fellow BYCer out!!

Hi Nikki,
Last winter I had some odor problems in the pen. My DiL did too. Both were caused from chicken poo in dirt or sand that was way too wet for cleaning. Hers was the worst because it was just pure mud. I've heard that ducks are much worse. Since then I've covered my pen to keep it dry enough to clean every day. I also removed the top few inches of smelly stuff and put coarser clean sand in. I have very coarse sand in the run and coop and I clean it with a litter box scoop. DiL uses wood chips, about 6" deep so there's no mud in her run any more. They cut down a bunch of trees that were chipped, so they had a lot to use. I've seen a lot of adds on CL for arborists chips for free, too.

 

[Slinglings]

So yesterday, out of the blue, DW says, "When is the 2013 coop-a-thon?"

So -- who needs stuff built?

Me me me! I need a coop for 8 hens that I can stand in and that has storage for feed/shavings/etc, and separate storage for yard stuff. I want the coop floor to be waist height so I can stand upright to scrape the floor, and I want the coop to open completely up so that I can put a bin or something in front of it and just scrape everything in without having to practically climb in like I do now. And I need nest boxes large enough for a giant Jersey Giant. It would be nice if the storage part was big enough to store 4 bikes and a lawnmower LOL. I'm probably asking for too much.

I was thinking of just buying a wood shed kit and altering it. I can picture exactly what I want. I just need my elbow and knee to get better so I can build it! Some chicken people around here are planning to exchange work parties to help each other with projects, but I don't feel like I can contribute much in the way of labor right now. My brain thinks I'm younger than my body does

 

[Chicken Rustler]

I see we are getting more and more peeps in the Longview / Kelso area. Ya know peeps we don't gotta let them city slickerz be the only ones that get to do meet ups. I would love if some of us could set something up. And I bet Mr. mikey would be wiling. Maybe he could come to my place or 68 ride down with us. If there is any interest please PM ME!!

Nikki99 I think a lot of the odor problem may be a matter of wet clay soil and cackle Spackle. I know my runs get rather fragrant this time of year.

Just an FYI I snuck out a couple days ago when it was warmer (40*) and peeked inside my bee hives.

2 of 3 are dead

This has not been good times for me.

I won't know for sure until it warms enough to open them up for inspection (50*). Then I will suit up and have EPIPENS in hand. From what I did see when I peeked in it looks like they starved. Either due to lack of stores or because in this cold weather they wouldn't break cluster to feed. So once again unless the allergies are too great I will be working hard at catching swarms and extracting colonies from structures.

PLEASE PEOPLE DO NOT POISON (spray) honey bees. If you have bees that need removed call your local extension office. They can put you in contact with people in your area who will remove them. I can't speak for others but down here this is a service our bee team provides free of charge. However we do accept donations which go to the club and our scholarship fund.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Am I really the only one with a very smelly chicken problem?? You guys are always full of ideas for every issue and question... please help a fellow BYCer out!!

Smell often comes from wetness. I know it's very wet here on the west side of WA, but damp/wet shavings, straw, hay, or sand mixed with poop will be very smelly. How are you cleaning out your coop/run? What's the setup? Pictures would help a lot, since I have no idea what your coop looks like. I have no smell at all in the coop or run, except during the hottest days of the year.

 

[Slinglings]

Am I really the only one with a very smelly chicken problem?? You guys are always full of ideas for every issue and question... please help a fellow BYCer out!!

Mine smells bad when it is wet and not getting enough circulation. Usually just cleaning up poop and stirring the litter is enough to fix it. If not, it is time to clean the coop and patio.

 

[FirewifeJess]

I want to let everyone know that Dave does amazing coop work! Whether it's a coop or run, he can do it FAST! He built us this 8x16' roofed run in ONE day!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

OK here's yer EARLY WARNING!!!!! I just got an E-MAIL the spring PNPA show will be the 3rd weekend in April. At the Clark County fairgrounds, Vancouver WA.

 

[FirewifeJess]

So...who's going to the show in Feb up in Monroe/Everett? It's on our calendar are we're making a family day of it! Hope to see a bunch of y'all there!

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
You pay the fuel to and from my house to yours, and a place to park the camper trailer. You buy all the materials, I'll help with a list. Nails or staples are 2 cents each.

Oh .. and you gotta feed me

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
Get a kit ... have nail gun will travel