Recent content by Donna-NC

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    Silly food themed names for chicks!

    I always pick names of chicken based food items, like Dumpling, Barb(b-que), Cass(erole), Sal(ad), Ro(ast). Some people tell me that's 'a terrible thing to do' and I laugh and reply with "They're chickens, they don't care what I call them so long as I call them for treats!"
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    How to keep my hens cool in the hot summer

    I have several methods to cool our birds here in NC: I have a hanging box fan in a weather proof area of the run angled towards the ground, not pointed at one spot but angled so it blows across a long area of the dirt. I spray the dirt in that fanned area every night and it stays damp for about...
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    Silly food themed names for chicks!

    We've had several flocks over the years and we decided with the very first one to name them after food dishes made with chicken/eggs. We've had: Barb - Bar-B-Que, Tori - Cacciatore, Blu - Cordon Blue, Diva - Chicken Divan, Ling - Dumpling, Lada - Enchilada, Cassie - Fricassee, Mary - Marinara...
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    Neighbor using strobe lights at coop at 5 every morning... remodel fix ideas?

    I recently went through a similar situation. We live in NC and earlier this summer it was HOT and wet - not conducive to mowing lawns right? So the grass on the front lawn got a tad high (as did a few of our neighbors). Well this moron who lives across the cul-d-sac and who obviously has NO...
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    Official BYC Poll: Have you ever had issues with heat stress in your flock?

    I've taken quite a few precautions for my girls - I have box fans running all day long whenever the temp goes above 80 degrees in both the coop and outside in the run; part of which is under a sunroom and completely shaded 24/7 and has a stone exterior house wall. I also have a 250 gallon water...
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    Comment by 'Donna-NC' in article 'Pelletized Bedding / Shavings'

    I want that pitchfork/rake! I use seasonal litter for my coop - construction sand in warm months and pine shavings for cold months. That pitchfork/rake would make 'littler scooping' the sand a dream!
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    Best breed to attack hawks

    I'd L_O_V_E to have those in my yard! For MY entertainment mostly.... ;-)
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    How To euthanize a chicken humanely

    I know it's done in SOME poultry processing plants here and in other countries, with chickens and turkeys. It's becoming more popular as it's less expensive in the long run and easier to do. Animal welfare regulations state that gassing has to be done with an inert or anoxic gas (carbon dioxide...
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    Are all Orpingtons friendly?

    Just sort of an informational note here, which is not specific to Orps and meant for all hens in general. My granny (a farm girl her whole life and taught me more than I can ever thank her for); told me when I was younger and helped out with the hens and garden, that when you pick up an adult...
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    Are all Orpingtons friendly?

    Depends on the individual bird. We have nothing but Orps, we love the breed and have had good luck with them. Some are 'lap' chickens and some aren't. We make it a point of handling each new chick that comes into the flock until they go out with the main flock so they learn to deal with being...
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    Best breed to attack hawks

    Know your enemy! I noticed wires stretching from the hotel roof down over the pool and patio the last time we vacationed down at the beach. I asked one of the maintenance workers why and what the purpose of it was. It keeps the gulls and pelicans from landing on the patio and around the pool and...
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    How reliable are automatic coop doors?

    That's EASY to solve! The manuals are here for downloading: https://www.farmlite.store/common-issues Scroll down the page to find them.
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    How reliable are automatic coop doors?

    Make sure you convert the time correctly from 12 hour time to 24 hour time. From Midnight to Noon the hours are in 12 hour format, from Noon to Midnight the hours just go up one digit every hour. I'm mathematically challenged so my list is my guide! I also keep a pdf of it on the cloud so I can...
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    How To euthanize a chicken humanely

    I didn't mean you specifically, it was a general overall comment since this is a subject that people are so strident about. My girl wasn't in pain as I could tell, she still ate and drank. BUT she couldn't walk anymore on her own, she stumbled and flopped around. She was losing weight albeit...
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    How reliable are automatic coop doors?

    Well I live in NC so it doesn't get extremely cold here, we get less than 10 nights total per season of very low double digit cold. We've had no problems with the door that were the fault of the door. Losing power, not the door's fault; chickens knocking bedding into the tracks, definitely not...
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