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  1. EricaD

    Broody Hens and Foster Care

    I've read other threads on this subject, but couldn't find an answer to my specific question. We have 3 hens who are trying to sit, have been for over a week now (maybe 10 days or so. Could even be 2 weeks?) I feel so bad - we've been pulling them off the nests once or twice each day and...
  2. EricaD

    Advice for meaty housing

    Hi there! We LOVE our laying flock! Got them last spring and have really enjoyed them, so now we're looking to venture into meat birds this summer. We have a couple of great flat areas on our property, which are perfect for the meaties. I have a spare 100' roll of electric poultry netting...
  3. EricaD

    Is a Buckeye Roo a Good Choice?

    Sadly, we lost our Salmon Fav roo just before Thanksgiving. They were free ranging and all 17 hens were fine, but we only found 3 piles of roo feathers in the yard, so something got him, though we don't know what. It was during the daytime. So we've now stopped free ranging (also lost a...
  4. EricaD

    Tasted our first roosters this weekend!

    So I've been debating what kind of chickens I want for meat next year. I've tasted several cornish x from local farms, and finally found someone willing to process and sell me a handful of barnyard roosters so that I could do a taste test. These guys were under 6 months old, and dang, TINY...
  5. EricaD

    Winter Turkens - Dumb Idea?

    Soooo, after doing tons of research I THINK I want to try turkens for DP birds. I already have a mixed laying flock (18 hens, 1 roo), from which I'll also cull any unwanted roos each year, but I also want a straight forward DP meat bird and research tells me that turkens may be what I seek (not...
  6. EricaD

    How many roosters for 18 hens?

    I currently have 18 hens, all varieties (barred rocks, leghorns, welsummers, wyandottes, salmon favs, brahmas, EEs, ameraucanas) and only one rooster (salmon fav). I do want fertilized eggs and to be able to hatch chicks every year - is my ratio too high? Should I get another rooster? Or...
  7. EricaD

    OMG, so anxious for eggs I'm gonna crawl out of my skin!

    Our chickens are about 16 weeks old now, and I'm getting so ANTSY! There's no point to this thread but to vent, lol. I'm ready for some dang eggs!!!!!!!! I've spent about $2k, between the shed coop, electric netting, charger, supplies, etc. - these eggs are going to be worth their weight in...
  8. EricaD

    Our Flock's New Digs Are Finished!

    I THINK we're done :) We set up a shed from Costco for the coop, and just added in some tiered perches made from 2x4s that we built last weekend. They love it! But all 18 chickens try to squeeze themselves on the highest bar, lol. As they grow, some will just need to move on down :) The...
  9. EricaD

    When to Get My Roo?

    So I have 16 pullets (supposedly, lol, I bought them as pullets from my local feed store - they order from one of the hatcheries so they're probably pretty accurate) and I'll need a roo. My plan was to get a grown roo from craigslist, one that has a good temperament and needs a home (rather...
  10. EricaD

    Hawk/Eagle Protection With Electric Poultry Netting?

    Hi everyone! My plan is to install an automatic door on our coop and enclose a huge area for free ranging using electric poultry netting (I'll be using 300' of netting for the space I have, so over 5000 sq ft of "run" space). This way the chickens (I have 16 of them) can more safely free...
  11. EricaD

    Need Electric Poultry Netting Help

    So I'm looking to buy the PermaNet from Premier. Most likely two 100' sections to start with, then possibly increase that to 3 or 4 sections, depending on how it goes. The idea is for our 16 chickens to have as close to free range as possible when we're not at home (will install an automatic...
  12. EricaD

    Deep Litter Questions for Shed-Coop with Solid Floor

    So we're building a resin shed to make into our coop, and it has a solid resin floor. I really want to use the deep litter method but have searched and can't figure out if that's doable on a solid floor or does it have to be dirt? I want to keep the solid floor because it's predator/dig proof...
  13. EricaD

    Got Some Chickies!!!!

    Soooo, I was planning to wait until the summer, but the coop is going up next weekend and our local farm store had Salmon Faverolles, so I went for it! I picked up 2 each of White Leghorns, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Light Brahmas, 3 Salmon Favs, and 1 each of Americauna and Barred Rock (they...
  14. EricaD

    Tasting my first meatie tomorrow!

    So I found a local farmer who has a little farm stand where she sells raw cow's milk, farm eggs and fresh fryer chickens (she's also the one who will process the birds for me when the time comes - $5/bird for butchering, cleaning, bagging and tagging). So, as I embark on my own chicken...
  15. EricaD

    Dumbest Things People Have Said About Your Chickens/Eggs/Meat

    OMG, I was telling a lady at work the other day that I'll be getting chickens this summer and plan to have lots and lots of eggs. I told her I'd bring some in for her so that she can taste how much better they are. Know what she said? Her: "Oh my GAWD, eeeeeewwwwww, I could never eat those...
  16. EricaD

    Anything wrong with this DP plan?

    So, for those who use DP birds, here's my plan and I just wanted a sanity check. After spending loads of time here reading about CX's, DP's, all the different breeding projects, etc. my head is spinning! I have 10 chicks coming in August (9 females, 1 roo). All are full size, assorted...
  17. EricaD

    Preparing for late summer chicks - need feedback!

    So here we go! I've been on BYC for several weeks now, doing lots and lots of research! I've thought through everything and wanted feedback on my plans, as well as answers to a few questions. For background: I live in Western WA, pretty mild. Summers generally max out in the 80's, with...
  18. EricaD

    Which Coop Design - I Can't Decide!?

    Ok, so I've purchased 2 sets of coop plans and can't decide which to build!!! I bought TheGardenCoop and CleanCoop's "Shiloh" plan. We plan to keep around 15-ish chickens, so TheGardenCoop plan needs to be modified to accommodate more chickens, if I go with that one. Here are the 2 designs...
  19. EricaD

    Ordered my chicks! And, ummmmm, I think I have a chicken problem...

    So I just ordered my chicks from Meyer! I'm nervous about mail order and hatchery chicks, but have decided to give it a go. I scheduled them for early August delivery, because we're taking a long trip in July. Between now and then we'll be building the coop! I ordered: A Welsummer, a Blue...
  20. EricaD

    Need Coop Help!

    So I'm new to all of this but super excited :) We have 5 acres, though mostly wooded, but there are several suitable spots to keep the coop, and I plan to let them free range most of the time anyway. The Plan: I already succumbed to chicken math and my original plan of getting 3-5 hens...
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