California - Northern

[ronott1]

Quote: I have been using sweet pdz but will look into the Litter Life product.

Big Ole Bird has a lot of Humeric Acid in it.

 

[PetRock]

I have been using sweet pdz but will look into the Litter Life product.

Big Ole Bird has a lot of Humeric Acid in it.

I'll let you know how LAB works. It is very low cost to make and lasts 1-3 years in the refrigerator or the same amount of time outside the refrigerator if mixed in equal parts with molasses.

 

[OR4-hmom]

I'm interested too since dogs have been a lifelong hobby


Good Luck!!!!

Someone else who likes the "Wedge-heads"!

Hope your dogs get home safe, sound, and soon Jason.

 

[lawatt]

it's quite misty and chilly here this morning, and i decided it was time to take some new chicklet photos:


out foraging under the trees



Max, looking handsome as ever



playing queen-of-the-hill on the rocks



broody eleanor on her nest



all three nesting boxes are full -- everyone's busy!

 

[PetRock]

it's quite misty and chilly here this morning, and i decided it was time to take some new chicklet photos:


out foraging under the trees



Max, looking handsome as ever



playing queen-of-the-hill on the rocks



broody eleanor on her nest



all three nesting boxes are full -- everyone's busy!

Nice pics! I love that tree!

 

[Deerling]

I'm going to come back later and comment on everyone's posts! For now we're off to UC Davis with some fresh chicken poo. Ah, the glamorous life of a chicken shepardess.

 

[kimberliem]

Hi all!
I'm relatively new to the forums so thought I'd take a minute to introduce myself. I've had chickens on/off for a few years and heavily relied on advice given here but have hid in the shadows.

I live about a half hour south of San Francisco on the coast. I literally have 'backyard chickens'. We had 4 for a couple of years that went to a neighbor when we last moved. After months of getting organized, unpacked and trying to find the right spot to build a new coop...I desperately missed the fresh eggs and the hours of chicken entertainment...I took the plunge and bought a pre-fabbed coop and hatched out a couple of eggs in a homemade incubator. Of the 8 eggs that I received (from back east so fertility may have been bad after shipping) three developed. All 3 hatched into healthy happy chicks...a splash orpington, a black orpinton and an americauna. The black ended up being a boy - the local feed store took him and 'sold him to a nice family' - I think I could have culled him if I needed to...just not sure I could have eaten any of it. This saved me having to make that decision. We picked up 2 more started pullets at that time - a blue laced red wyndotte and a California white leghorn.

We had some integration issues initially but all 4 have worked out their issues. It is interesting seeing the different dynamics at play...but I digress....

The girls have a 3.5'x3.5' coop with 3 nesting boxes and a 3.5' x 9.25' run. They are let out each day...typically mid-morning to 'free range' through the backyard and return to the coop each night. I'm building another 6 foot extension for the run for the occasions where we need to leave them for a weekend. We spent a LOT of time working with our lab when they were chicks - putting them on her when she was in a submissive calm state. The chickens still climb on her and 'groom' her but she completely ignores them.

We don't show our chickens - although that's how we talked my husband into getting them originally - 4H...but he likes the eggs and entertainment enough that we now just enjoy them. Our chickens are totally our pets. We get so much entertainment value from them. And I can't wait for this new batch to start laying to have fresh eggs in the house again. And what a pretty basket it's going to be. Eventually I want to add a welsummer or maran to get a chocolate colored egg and a cream legbar or true araucana for a blue egg to complete my rainbow. I'm just not sure I could convince hubby to let me have a brooder inside again right now...so would either need started pullets or wait until next year.

Kids went with a "P" naming scheme this time....
Pio - Americauna
Pippy - Splash Orpington
Pumpkin - Blue Laces Red Wyndotte
Penny - California White Leghorn

Anyway, thank you all for being such a great resource through the years! And I hope to 'get to know' you all a bit better and be more actively involved on here.
Kim

 

[liz9910]

Hi all!
I'm relatively new to the forums so thought I'd take a minute to introduce myself. I've had chickens on/off for a few years and heavily relied on advice given here but have hid in the shadows.

I live about a half hour south of San Francisco on the coast. I literally have 'backyard chickens'. We had 4 for a couple of years that went to a neighbor when we last moved. After months of getting organized, unpacked and trying to find the right spot to build a new coop...I desperately missed the fresh eggs and the hours of chicken entertainment...I took the plunge and bought a pre-fabbed coop and hatched out a couple of eggs in a homemade incubator. Of the 8 eggs that I received (from back east so fertility may have been bad after shipping) three developed. All 3 hatched into healthy happy chicks...a splash orpington, a black orpinton and an americauna. The black ended up being a boy - the local feed store took him and 'sold him to a nice family' - I think I could have culled him if I needed to...just not sure I could have eaten any of it.

This saved me having to make that decision. We picked up 2 more started pullets at that time - a blue laced red wyndotte and a California white leghorn.

We had some integration issues initially but all 4 have worked out their issues. It is interesting seeing the different dynamics at play...but I digress....

The girls have a 3.5'x3.5' coop with 3 nesting boxes and a 3.5' x 9.25' run. They are let out each day...typically mid-morning to 'free range' through the backyard and return to the coop each night. I'm building another 6 foot extension for the run for the occasions where we need to leave them for a weekend. We spent a LOT of time working with our lab when they were chicks - putting them on her when she was in a submissive calm state. The chickens still climb on her and 'groom' her but she completely ignores them.

We don't show our chickens - although that's how we talked my husband into getting them originally - 4H...but he likes the eggs and entertainment enough that we now just enjoy them. Our chickens are totally our pets. We get so much entertainment value from them. And I can't wait for this new batch to start laying to have fresh eggs in the house again. And what a pretty basket it's going to be. Eventually I want to add a welsummer or maran to get a chocolate colored egg and a cream legbar or true araucana for a blue egg to complete my rainbow. I'm just not sure I could convince hubby to let me have a brooder inside again right now...so would either need started pullets or wait until next year.

Kids went with a "P" naming scheme this time....
Pio - Americauna
Pippy - Splash Orpington
Pumpkin - Blue Laces Red Wyndotte
Penny - California White Leghorn

Anyway, thank you all for being such a great resource through the years! And I hope to 'get to know' you all a bit better and be more actively involved on here.
Kim

Welcome to the thread!

 

[debs_flock]

Hi all!
I'm relatively new to the forums so thought I'd take a minute to introduce myself. I've had chickens on/off for a few years and heavily relied on advice given here but have hid in the shadows.

I live about a half hour south of San Francisco on the coast. I literally have 'backyard chickens'. We had 4 for a couple of years that went to a neighbor when we last moved. After months of getting organized, unpacked and trying to find the right spot to build a new coop...I desperately missed the fresh eggs and the hours of chicken entertainment...I took the plunge and bought a pre-fabbed coop and hatched out a couple of eggs in a homemade incubator. Of the 8 eggs that I received (from back east so fertility may have been bad after shipping) three developed. All 3 hatched into healthy happy chicks...a splash orpington, a black orpinton and an americauna. The black ended up being a boy - the local feed store took him and 'sold him to a nice family' - I think I could have culled him if I needed to...just not sure I could have eaten any of it.

This saved me having to make that decision. We picked up 2 more started pullets at that time - a blue laced red wyndotte and a California white leghorn.

We had some integration issues initially but all 4 have worked out their issues. It is interesting seeing the different dynamics at play...but I digress....

The girls have a 3.5'x3.5' coop with 3 nesting boxes and a 3.5' x 9.25' run. They are let out each day...typically mid-morning to 'free range' through the backyard and return to the coop each night. I'm building another 6 foot extension for the run for the occasions where we need to leave them for a weekend. We spent a LOT of time working with our lab when they were chicks - putting them on her when she was in a submissive calm state. The chickens still climb on her and 'groom' her but she completely ignores them.

We don't show our chickens - although that's how we talked my husband into getting them originally - 4H...but he likes the eggs and entertainment enough that we now just enjoy them. Our chickens are totally our pets. We get so much entertainment value from them. And I can't wait for this new batch to start laying to have fresh eggs in the house again. And what a pretty basket it's going to be. Eventually I want to add a welsummer or maran to get a chocolate colored egg and a cream legbar or true araucana for a blue egg to complete my rainbow. I'm just not sure I could convince hubby to let me have a brooder inside again right now...so would either need started pullets or wait until next year.

Kids went with a "P" naming scheme this time....
Pio - Americauna
Pippy - Splash Orpington
Pumpkin - Blue Laces Red Wyndotte
Penny - California White Leghorn

Anyway, thank you all for being such a great resource through the years! And I hope to 'get to know' you all a bit better and be more actively involved on here.
Kim

Welcome, nice group you have there!

 

[chicksnthestiks]

Hi all!
I'm relatively new to the forums so thought I'd take a minute to introduce myself. I've had chickens on/off for a few years and heavily relied on advice given here but have hid in the shadows.

I live about a half hour south of San Francisco on the coast. I literally have 'backyard chickens'. We had 4 for a couple of years that went to a neighbor when we last moved. After months of getting organized, unpacked and trying to find the right spot to build a new coop...I desperately missed the fresh eggs and the hours of chicken entertainment...I took the plunge and bought a pre-fabbed coop and hatched out a couple of eggs in a homemade incubator. Of the 8 eggs that I received (from back east so fertility may have been bad after shipping) three developed. All 3 hatched into healthy happy chicks...a splash orpington, a black orpinton and an americauna. The black ended up being a boy - the local feed store took him and 'sold him to a nice family' - I think I could have culled him if I needed to...just not sure I could have eaten any of it.

This saved me having to make that decision. We picked up 2 more started pullets at that time - a blue laced red wyndotte and a California white leghorn.

We had some integration issues initially but all 4 have worked out their issues. It is interesting seeing the different dynamics at play...but I digress....

The girls have a 3.5'x3.5' coop with 3 nesting boxes and a 3.5' x 9.25' run. They are let out each day...typically mid-morning to 'free range' through the backyard and return to the coop each night. I'm building another 6 foot extension for the run for the occasions where we need to leave them for a weekend. We spent a LOT of time working with our lab when they were chicks - putting them on her when she was in a submissive calm state. The chickens still climb on her and 'groom' her but she completely ignores them.

We don't show our chickens - although that's how we talked my husband into getting them originally - 4H...but he likes the eggs and entertainment enough that we now just enjoy them. Our chickens are totally our pets. We get so much entertainment value from them. And I can't wait for this new batch to start laying to have fresh eggs in the house again. And what a pretty basket it's going to be. Eventually I want to add a welsummer or maran to get a chocolate colored egg and a cream legbar or true araucana for a blue egg to complete my rainbow. I'm just not sure I could convince hubby to let me have a brooder inside again right now...so would either need started pullets or wait until next year.

Kids went with a "P" naming scheme this time....
Pio - Americauna
Pippy - Splash Orpington
Pumpkin - Blue Laces Red Wyndotte
Penny - California White Leghorn

Anyway, thank you all for being such a great resource through the years! And I hope to 'get to know' you all a bit better and be more actively involved on here.
Kim

Hi and welcome! I find the chickens very relaxing, I make sure I watch them about ten minutes every morning