Recent content by stacysfunnyfarm

  1. stacysfunnyfarm

    Chickens vs. Barn Cats - Looking for Suggestions

    I gave up and now buy some cheap dry cat food (meow mix) for the chickens. The ingredients are very similar to chicken food, mostly corn. I feed it to my hens for a treat just before I feed the cats and it keeps them busy. I feed the cats where I can keep busy with chores, so I can keep an eye...
  2. stacysfunnyfarm

    Suggestions for a VERY muddy run?

    I live in Seattle where mud is a way of life. The best solution here is wood chips. Find a local arborist and have them dump a load of chips in your driveway- they usually have to pay to dump so they are usually happy to get rid of them. Wood chips take a very long time to break down and the...
  3. stacysfunnyfarm

    Are fig trees fine to put in chicken coops?

    I have an aviary with a mature fig tree in it. Twenty years on, no problems with hens, ducks or geese. They do eat the ripe fruit, and there is plenty of it! My Shetland sheep wander through and eat the leaves and ripe fruit. That is to say Charlie eats the fruit, loves it! Hamish is more...
  4. stacysfunnyfarm

    Transitioning from roofed to roofless run

    I have built many aviaries/runs in sticky zoning situations. The wire "roof" is an excellent idea, as it will keep out most predators, and allow autumn leaves and snow to fall through without bringing down the wire. During extreme snow, you will still have to go out and knock the snow through so...
  5. stacysfunnyfarm

    My Chicks all Died

    Quail make wonderful pets and my coturnix quail laid nice little eggs for me. I have had good luck with quail chicks in a covered aquarium with an ordinary clamp light set on top, a 40 watt bulb. Place the lamp at one end so there is good ventilation at the other side, and keep the water at the...
  6. stacysfunnyfarm

    Major attack - is this a bear?

    Your local wildlife department probably has bear traps and may be able to bring one out for you. They will usually relocate it for you, too. I am in Washington State and our wildlife department relocated a huge bear from our neighborhood because it started hanging out on someone's front porch...
  7. stacysfunnyfarm

    Unofficial Chicken Show! All Chickens Welcome (Any age, any breed, etc.)! (Ends September 30)

    Age: 4 years Breed: Mille Fleur Gender: Hen Name: Princess Blur Excuse me, I was so excited to show her off I totally blitzed the instructions, so here you go. How about another photo?
  8. stacysfunnyfarm

    Unofficial Chicken Show! All Chickens Welcome (Any age, any breed, etc.)! (Ends September 30)

    Princess Blur came into our sanctuary in 2016. She has since developed a heart murmur and moved indoors. She gets meds 3x a day, spends her days in a pen in the living room, roosts in the master bath at night. She spends afternoon recess out with the rest of the rescued flock each day. I brush...
  9. stacysfunnyfarm

    Keeping a Chicken Run From Getting Muddy?

    Wood chips are by far your best bet. Before you haul all your chips back to the coop, it is worthwhile considering why it's muddy. The best situation is to have a gently sloping yard so that heavy rain runs off to an area you don't care about. Your run is already built, so if it's flat it will...
  10. stacysfunnyfarm

    How do I make my chicken like me?

    Prey animals, like chickens, get scared when you approach like a predator. Predators stalk their prey, they stare at them and sneak up quietly. Talk to them as you approach, or sing a song. Don't look at them as you approach, avoid looking into their eyes, especially. Bring treats in a crinkly...
  11. stacysfunnyfarm

    Keeping a Chicken Run From Getting Muddy?

    I live in Western Washington, too, and know the problem well. I had an arborist bring in a load of wood chips (alder and fir, mostly) a few years back and they work great. They take forever to break down so everything stays nice and clean. As they scritch around in it, it's sort of...
  12. stacysfunnyfarm

    Official BYC Poll: Why Do You Have Chickens?

    I have a non-profit small pet sanctuary and I take in “used pets” that include elderly hens. I have eight right now: four are over seven years old, one is ten! One of them is being medicated for a heart murmur and she lives indoors, in fact that’s Princess in my profile photo. She pecks her meds...
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