Washingtonians

[Hinotori]

Hello Neighbors!

My wife and I live in Tracyton, in Kitsap County. We got our birds back in June and over the past few months we built the coop and basic run. We are enclosing the run at the moment so that we can leave the birds unattended while outside. We have chickens for eggs and turkeys for meat. Before moving to Kitsap County 7 1/2 years ago, we had raised chickens and turkeys for many years back in New Hampshire where we raised three children.

We now have a nice mix of chicken breeds for egg color. We have turkeys for this year's holidays and two heritage breeds that we would like to breed for an ongoing poult supply. We never bred our birds before and are looking forward to it.

John

Watch out, this thread really gets moving fast sometimes. Just jump right in and talk.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Hey, y'all.

As per usual, weekends are the time I have twice as much to do as the rest of the week: all the chores as they come every day, plus all the grocery shopping for the week, et'c.

I finally asked outright with a note of sheer desperation in my voice that the young men in my life come and help with getting the Hamburg run finished; the SILTB is going to move lumber Wednesday and perhaps the elder spawn will come and help me do the tall bits week after next. I hope. I've got to cut the greehnouse cover today and make the brooder pen wind-proof from the south, since the rain is blowing in. The blessed, blessed rain, which falls on the just and the unjust and also settles the dust. The relative humidity in the house is finally above 40%; a week ago last Wednesday it was at 23% and I had a perpetual nosebleed.

This week the toaster broke: one of the lifter springs snapped the day after we finally got a new vacuum cleaner. For those playing at home, that makes a kitchen range, microwave (I'd forgotten that one) well pump and pressure tank, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner and now the toaster since November 2011. I am not best pleased.

I'm hoping that the days are long enough and the soil temps high enough that we'll get a bit of regrowth on the pasture before the hard frosts come; otherwise it'll take much longer to have good grass in the spring.

Yesterday when I was out doing the first round of chicken chores, including chasing one of my cousin's invader chickens out of the yard, everything went dead quiet and I saw a flicker of movement over my left shoulder. When I turned it was an adult Bald Eagle coming up from the bottom of the hill and only about ten feet above my roof ridge- sixty feet away at the most and holy wow those things are BIG up close, I always forget how huge they are. I have to assume it was the local nester, because it was on the same flight path it's taken when I've disturbed it gathering waste hay for nest lining any February in the past ten years. Not hunting: flapping hard and gaining altitude.

The younger spawn drove me around yesterday and unloaded the stuff DH and I can't carry. So when (if) the hired hand is here Thursday I don't have to compute that effort into her schedule. And while I was shopping DH took out the garbage and recycling and compost, so I can clean up the sheep mess after I move him today and add that to the composter: waste hay and sheep poo, which takes longer than the hay to break down. Which reminds me, he needs wormed when we work cattle next week in preparation for weaning.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Good idea to take a day to rest. The mud will be there tomorrow.

 

[Slinglings]

Hey all. Not sure if this is the best place for the post but, I am a high school science teacher. I have 2 students who are doing an Independent Study class with me and they are looking to see if they can raise chickens from eggs.

My usual science supplies supplier wants an arm and a leg for a dozen viable eggs and they will want even more to ship them from the east coast.

I am looking for probably a dozen viable/fertilized eggs. Doesn't matter what breed they are.

Thanks

 

Some people have had luck hatching the "fertilized" eggs from trader joes, if you don't find anyone with eggs to give you.

 

[Nikki99]

Hey all! Renee just called me from the road to let me know one of her eggs pipped!!!!!! She says thanks for all the support, she'll be getting updates from her DH this weekend and will keep me informed. Don't text her though....she asked not to

Oh that's great news Renee!! I'm looking forward to hearing more updates!!
Thanks for passing the info to us Jess.

So this week I'm taking care of my friend's chickens while she's on vacation. I've always had a hard time with her setup. The chickens are properly sheltered and fed, but their area isn't clean by a long shot. She considers them "just chickens" and not pets, they aren't socialized or even anywhere near tame (which isn't my issue). The mess was pretty awful. Backstory: She's been married for 12 years, tried to have kids for 7 of those and finally adopted a baby girl, then a baby boy; then God granted her a pregnancy! She is 9 weeks along and terribly morning sick, so the chickens are neglected. She even went so far as to apologize for their conditions before I went over there because she's so sick she knows she isn't doing what's needed. They had food and fairly fresh water though. There were 7 eggs in the coop. 3 on the ground because some of the chickens don't lay in the nests, and those were all completely caked in poop. 4 more in the nests which also had a lot of poop in them. The birds have roosts which I know they use, so I have no idea why the nests were so foul. My plan is to head over there tomorrow and muck out her whole coop and run and replace bedding (which I bought myself today at the feed store) in the name of "I wanted to help because I know you're terribly sick from being pregnant" instead of "I think the conditions your chickens live in are too dirty for words." Would you do the same? I know how she takes care of them and which things she prefers, so I think it will be a real favor for her to have fresh pine shavings in the coop and scoop out the run as well. I just don't want it to come across wrong. If you were throwing up and sick all day, would you appreciate it if someone did that for your chickens??

I would be very appreciative. I was really sick with both of mine and help was always welcomed. Good luck, hopefully your friend will be thankful for all you've done.

 

[mikeyb]

Quote: X2 Mikey

 

[hallerlake]

Hey, y'all.

As per usual, weekends are the time I have twice as much to do as the rest of the week: all the chores as they come every day, plus all the grocery shopping for the week, et'c.

I finally asked outright with a note of sheer desperation in my voice that the young men in my life come and help with getting the Hamburg run finished; the SILTB is going to move lumber Wednesday and perhaps the elder spawn will come and help me do the tall bits week after next. I hope. I've got to cut the greehnouse cover today and make the brooder pen wind-proof from the south, since the rain is blowing in. The blessed, blessed rain, which falls on the just and the unjust and also settles the dust. The relative humidity in the house is finally above 40%; a week ago last Wednesday it was at 23% and I had a perpetual nosebleed.

This week the toaster broke: one of the lifter springs snapped the day after we finally got a new vacuum cleaner. For those playing at home, that makes a kitchen range, microwave (I'd forgotten that one) well pump and pressure tank, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner and now the toaster since November 2011. I am not best pleased.

I'm hoping that the days are long enough and the soil temps high enough that we'll get a bit of regrowth on the pasture before the hard frosts come; otherwise it'll take much longer to have good grass in the spring.

Yesterday when I was out doing the first round of chicken chores, including chasing one of my cousin's invader chickens out of the yard, everything went dead quiet and I saw a flicker of movement over my left shoulder. When I turned it was an adult Bald Eagle coming up from the bottom of the hill and only about ten feet above my roof ridge- sixty feet away at the most and holy wow those things are BIG up close, I always forget how huge they are. I have to assume it was the local nester, because it was on the same flight path it's taken when I've disturbed it gathering waste hay for nest lining any February in the past ten years. Not hunting: flapping hard and gaining altitude.

The younger spawn drove me around yesterday and unloaded the stuff DH and I can't carry. So when (if) the hired hand is here Thursday I don't have to compute that effort into her schedule. And while I was shopping DH took out the garbage and recycling and compost, so I can clean up the sheep mess after I move him today and add that to the composter: waste hay and sheep poo, which takes longer than the hay to break down. Which reminds me, he needs wormed when we work cattle next week in preparation for weaning.

You need to learn to ask outright before things get desparate. I haven't quite got that one down myself, but I'm working on it.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: X2 Mikey

x3 It is just so hard to do anything with that nausea- I'd say she was doing pretty well under her condition but you will be a Godsend!

 

[MrRenz]

Sorry. I probably should have said that I teach just south of Seattle and live just north of Tacoma.

 

[FlyRobinFly]

So this week I'm taking care of my friend's chickens while she's on vacation.

My plan is to head over there tomorrow and muck out her whole coop and run and replace bedding (which I bought myself today at the feed store) in the name of "I wanted to help because I know you're terribly sick from being pregnant" instead of "I think the conditions your chickens live in are too dirty for words." Would you do the same? I know how she takes care of them and which things she prefers, so I think it will be a real favor for her to have fresh pine shavings in the coop and scoop out the run as well. I just don't want it to come across wrong. If you were throwing up and sick all day, would you appreciate it if someone did that for your chickens??

Jess, I think she would very much appreciate not only your helping out, but be touched that you went above and beyond with coop duties.