Recent content by meli229

  1. meli229

    What breed would be best for me?

    I'm wanting to add a few ducks to my suburban homestead and wondering what breed would be best. Aiming just 2 or 3 (all female), and going to buy from local feed store. My options are Peking, Khaki Campbell, Cayuga, and Blue Swedish. I've kept chickens for a billion years for both eggs and...
  2. meli229

    How much water/pond is needed?

    Thanks so much for your info! I'm in NorCal, so I've got the same drought situation. Partial water change sounds exactly like what I'm wanting to do. When you drain the filter, does it just free flow on to your garden? Hose? Drip somehow? Can you briefly explain to what the sediment filter...
  3. meli229

    How much water/pond is needed?

    I'm hoping to add ducks to my homestead next year. Was thinking 3 females. Is there a standard ratio of how many gallons of pond water needs to be provided per duck? If you have a small flock, I'd love to know how many you have, how big your pond is, and how often it needs to be...
  4. meli229

    Organic feed at Costco

    Thanks Marktoo, we actually get Modesto Milling, both scratch & lay pellets, at our local feed store. Its easy to find in Sonoma County. Good stuff, but the price reflects it!
  5. meli229

    Pulling at straw bails and putting it on their backs?

    HAHAHA ok, thanks!!!
  6. meli229

    Pulling at straw bails and putting it on their backs?

    I just came online to post this question, and I see its already been asked! I have a hen who keeps walking around the pen putting leaves and straw on her back. I thought she was going crazy! Not very good camo, it just slides right off! That evolutionary trait may have missed its mark..... :)...
  7. meli229

    Organic feed at Costco

    I also just saw that at my Costco in Santa Rosa. Even took a picture to show husband! tag says "Organic Naturesmart 16 Layer complete Chicken Feed" 40 lbs for $19.99 This isn't a brand that I've seen before. Has anyone tried it?
  8. meli229

    Grapes and Pomegranates

    Mine LOVE pomegranates!
  9. meli229

    feeding bacon fat

    I tried making my own suet with bacon fat for the wild birds, instead of buying one of those cakes, and they ignored it. I didn't try giving it the hens, though! Good luck, love to know how they like it. Always looking for a way to reuse the grease!
  10. meli229

    how long do i leave the chicks alone with just mama, and other newbie questions?

    Our hen hatched out 4 chicks a few days ago, and she's doing a great job being a mama. This is both her, and my, first time hatching. They are enclosed in one of those larger metal dog crates (about 2x3), inside my hen house. The hen has been in this cage with her nesting box since she started...
  11. meli229

    OMG MY HEN HATCHED EGGS! Now what?

    Thanks for the advice! The nesting box she (and chicks) are in has a lip of about 4 inches. I'm concerned that the chicks won't be able to get out, or if they do, not back in. Should I put some food in the box? There isn't space for water.
  12. meli229

    OMG MY HEN HATCHED EGGS! Now what?

    First off, so sorry if all these questions have been answered. I'm so excited and nervous that I didn't have the patience to scroll though pages. My chicken books don't have much info on hatching "naturally". I went to feed the hens this morning and found out that were chicks under my broody...
  13. meli229

    Tell me why you keep Roosters...

    One of the pullets we got in our last batch ended up being a rooster. To a ratio of 7 hens, there was only a few he regularly mounted and he didn't show any aggressiveness to us. My house is located in a zoning to allow roosters, but I'm still "in town". While we didn't get outright complaints...
  14. meli229

    Americauna or Easter Egger?

    I'm intrigued by the bunny hanging out with the hens in that last picture! Sorry to highjack this post, but do they live together? Or just have the same free range area?
  15. meli229

    understanding ventilation versus drafts

    Thanks all! Sometimes I get so fixated on one issue, I just need reassurance I'm not going totally wrong! JackE, that red coop is beautiful! In Northern California, we don't get super cold (at least by everywhere else's standards- I'm always freezing!), maybe the 20's a few days. Pretty...
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