Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Lutefisk]

Game is over! Now where is everyone?

 

[Scrambles55]

My RIR is eating the paint from the siding of our house also. I kept hearing a thumping sound abd saw her chipping away. How do you stop them?

 

[CarolynF]

My RIR is eating the paint from the siding of our house also. I kept hearing a thumping sound abd saw her chipping away. How do you stop them?

You might want to double check and see if ther are ants or other bugs there. It's possible that's what they're after rather than the actual paint. If not, I'd suggest putting something to keep them away.

 

[lovinchickypoos]

My RIR is eating the paint from the siding of our house also. I kept hearing a thumping sound abd saw her chipping away. How do you stop them?

The paint is chipping on my house and pump house and the chickens, ducks and geese all peck at it. If you figure out a solution, lower me know! It hasn't killed them yet but it is very irritating!

 

[Lutefisk]

Paint can contain various minerals including calcium carbonate as a filler. Is it possible they are deficient? Maybe feeding more eggshells or oyster shell would help.

 

[hallerlake]

We put some of this on the side of the garage that the chickens were pecking at. Given the age of our house, the paint is lead based. We have since had the house and garage painted. They've stopped pecking since there isn't any loose.

 

[Scrambles55]

I put out a separate dish of oyster shells and grit for them. They have also been getting their egg shells fed back to them. Because of the heavy rain and wind for the past two days... the girls have been staying under the toy hauler. The odd thing is... their run is up against the house also, but Penny does not chip at the siding there.

No bugs either.... the girls have pretty much rid the property of bugs.

 

[RainMom]

It looks like I will be taking Silkie roosters to the auction in Enumclaw in the morning. Someone filed a nuisance complaint so I can expect a visit from the city in the next two weeks. I assume it is the young Silkie roosters crowing that prompted the complaint since my young roosters are usually sold before they start crowing. I don't want to take the time to list them now so I need to come up with a quick fix. I am sure it will be a death sentence for the roosters but I am not interested in butchering Silkies. I may have to start killing the young Orpingon cockerels before they start crowing but most of them are splash and they are all out of nice imported English Orpingtons so I will separate them and take pictures to list them this week, then if they don't sell this week I may need to kill them all next weekend to keep them from crowing. I have had roosters crowing all summer without complaint (although whoever filed a complaint never said anything to me so I am probably dealing with a coward who is unable to solve problems without involving an authority figure) so the only thing I can figure is the problem is the fact that I have maturing roosters that need to be sold while people keep asking to buy my hens and pullets instead of the roosters.

I have sold groups of pet quality roosters, suspecting they willl be eaten, but I had hoped these would not be killed because they are nice Silkies. I raised a bunch of Silkies so I could keep pullets and sell roosters so I have no interest in keeping these roosters any longer, I just wish I did not have to take them to their death. I need to find some boxes to sell them individually so perhaps even one will have a chance to live beyond the next 24 hours.

So sorry for your troubles. What a mean thing for someone to do! The silkies don't get a lot of money at the auction, but the big roosters do. We sold 4 big roosters, got $16-$17 each. (Looking back- I should have kept the more protective one- duh!). I've got a silkie rooster and 3 hens- none of which are laying and are not broody, so they are going to get a last chance before I boot them in a month or so. I need broody hens - not duds like these!

 

[Duck Drover]

I could not take the rooster yesterday knowing they would be killed. Because of the Seahawks game, I was afraid backyard chicken keepers would not be going to the auction and only the meat buyers would show up. It has been 20 years since I have been to the auction so I don't know how many big buyers there are anymore. I used to haul chickens for the biggest buyer back then but I suspect he is dead by now because he was old and in poor health back then.

I listed my Orpington roosters as pairs with hens to see if that will keep them alive but they have until Friday and then they will go to the auction with the Silkie roosters that don't sell. I also listed my silver Phoenix pair because that will reduce another rooster. I am not going to get rid of my breeding roosters because we are allowed to have roosters here but I will get rid of any many crowing roosters as possible if that is the nuisance. I even listed duck pairs since it is the hens that make noise and I have plenty but if the pairs don't sell I may have to take the drakes to the auction Saturday.

I am pretty sure I have too many birds but from what I have read about the ordinances, young birds don't count and most of the birds I have are less than 6 months old. The ducks mature in four months but I think the age distinction on poultry and waterfowl is 6 months. Could someone correct me if I am wrong?

If this "concerned citizen" had talked to me personally, I could have assurred the person that most of the birds they likely object to are for sale, I was just waiting for Spring when more people are looking for chickens and the birds would be fully grown (they are bigger than a standard sized chicken but not full size for large fowl). These birds are close to becoming mature but they are not there yet. I am considering killing the Orpington roosters myself if they are just going to be eaten but I would rather give them a chance to live since they are from imported lines and not from hatchery stock. When mature, these roosters sell for $50 each because the rooster is the most important consideration to the quality of the offspring. These big boys are also great protectors due to their size in addition to being docile due to their breed.

 

[Duck Drover]

So sorry for your troubles.  What a mean thing for someone to do!  The silkies don't get a lot of money at the auction, but the big roosters do. We sold 4 big roosters, got $16-$17 each. (Looking back- I should have kept the more protective one- duh!). I've got a silkie rooster and 3 hens- none of which are laying and are not broody, so they are going to get a last chance before I boot them in a month or so. I need broody hens - not duds like these!

Silkies are funny birds. My best broody hens were my older hens that only layed eggs on occasion but wanted to mother (or grandmother) anything that peeped. I could throw chicks outside and they would round them up under them. I used them for my started chicks but then I was talked into selling them to someone who wanted to use them to raise her chicks. Now I have to keep chicks in brooders and raise them myself. I now have a flock of young pullets with only a couple hens and my new pullet eggs are not even being deposited in the nest box, they are left on the floor of the coop. My good broody hens would not leave the nest box unless I kicked them out, LOL.