Recent content by NBarnes

I've read that you can feed both laying hens and growing chicks grower feed, while providing the hens' need for calcium with oyster shell or limestone? The adults will get the calcium they don't need and won't be hurt by the grower feed, and the young'uns will get the protein they need from the...

Totally normal. Hens usually end up seeing anything bigger than themselves that doesn't try to eat them as a rooster. Mine squat for me all the time, haven't met a hen that doesn't, really. The dog is probably as bewildered as you are.

Too many genuinely nice roosters looking for homes to suffer a mean one to live. Fred's best use in this world is in a crockpot, if that's his attitude towards things.

I went digging around and found peachick's work (http://www.signaturefeathers.com/wheaten/wheaten.html); now that is what I want from my EEs! Sadly, MD is pretty far from WA.

I have vague memories of there being a couple with an Easter Egger project in WA state? The Wife and I have decided to increase our flock a bit (we don't have enough eggs to give away to friends), and we're in agreement that we'd like to get more EEs. I remember this theoretical EE breeding...

What kind of concerns are associated with tree structures such as the one in that shot? Our ranch is on the edge of a fairly significant forest preserve, so I have access to plenty of deadfall that I could use. Are there biosecurity concerns with using that kind of material? Would they need...

The impression I've gotten is that chicks are, in fact, not completely vulnerable to chills. The problem is that they eventually get cold and then need to go someplace warm to heat back up. If they were being mothered by a hen, you'd see days old chicks running around like ping pong balls in...

How many are you planning on housing in that? I'm curious, I have seven hens that are in a coop+run combo that I inherited from the previous house owner, but I've recently come to the conclusion that their accommodations need some serious improvements (especially in the rainy-rain-rain Pacific...

We're in the top of the Snoqualmie valley and we get valleyset a bit less than an hour before true sunset. The girls usually stop ranging so much around the start of valleyset, getting closer to the coop in their foraging, until they put themselves away. If they aren't out, they'll usually...

Do the uncovered nest boxes work for you? I know hens can be pretty uncreative about laying, but my understanding is that they prefer dark and enclosed spaces for their clutches. And if you're planning on using it as a breeding pen, you may be faced with trying to coax a broody mama into...

NHR == New Hampshire Red Or so I assume.

Hamburgs, perhaps. They are smaller laying birds, with good feathering and quite small combs. The Hamburg in our flock is easily the smallest of our hens, but she keeps up just fine in the laying and the pecking order.

Quote: I noticed that the Washingtonians thread in that forum was well-loved and far more active than I have time to keep up with. It's nice to see other people who have the same problems with making sure their chickens have adequate shelter than I'm finding; the increased flock size going...

Quote: I noticed that the Washingtonians thread in that forum was well-loved and far more active than I have time to keep up with. It's nice to see other people who have the same problems with making sure their chickens have adequate shelter than I'm finding; the increased flock size going...

Not that new a member, but posting here for the first time. I'm just this guy, you know, living in North Bend, WA on my fiancee's horse ranch. One two-year old boy, two horses here, three horses at boarding school, two barn cats, three spoiled indoor cats, and seven chickens. The coop was on...