Eastern Washington

[RPB1]

New to back yard chickens. We have 4buff orpington for the grand kids. Chicks are 12 days old. Coop and run almost done. They should love it in sunny Yakima! One question tho at what age can the chicks have a treat(some strawberry) or go out side in the yard?Great thread!

 

[chickenwings]

Hi everyone!

Adorable babies MaggieRose & chickengarden!

lovinchickypoos, I'm sorry that you've had such a rough go of it lately! I hope things are going the other direction now.

Welcome RPB1! My chicks are almost 6 weeks but have been going outside for short periods since they were a few days old and are now sleeping out in the coop but I still haven't given any treats besides corn & mealworms yet. (and whatever they can find in the yard).


-Hannah

 

[Vickis Girls]

RPB1, we're glad you could join us! Sounds like my story, except my chicks(also for the grands) won't be here for another month. My coop is finally finished(except for pop door and ramp), but still doing the roof for the run. My uneducated guess would be that your babies are ready for a treat.

I have a question: somewhere I read to put a couple inches of pea gravel in the run, with a couple inches of straw on top of that. What do the rest of you think?

Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Vicki

 

[lovinchickypoos]

These girls are killin' me! I've had Mo, the Cochin, trying to go broody for awhile so I gave up and am letting her have a go at it. A couple days later Crow decides she's gonna do the same. Ugh, OK, fine! Last night when I went to check on them, all 4 boxes were full of broody wanna-bes! 4 broodies?....NO WAY! Sorry ladies!

 

[NinetreesMom]

Welcome from another relatively new member RPB1! Enjoy!

Lovinchickypoo, hope things are turning around in your run on bad luck. Sounds like now you need a good broody buster!

Chickengarden, I love the idea of "front yard ducks". That made me smile

We just picked up an auger to start fencing, another step towards making our Dixie farm home. We are headed out there over memorial weekend. Can't wait!

I love the spring too. I decided not to do a veggie garden this year since we will be focusing on building the house, and it is killing me, but boy do I have big dreams for next year .

Down to 10 cream Legbar hatching eggs and 1 lav Orpington from 21 shipped eggs on day 10. Hopefully I dont lose too many more at the next candling!

Happy Weekend everyone!!!

 

[maggierose]

New to back yard chickens. We have 4buff orpington for the grand kids. Chicks are 12 days old. Coop and run almost done. They should love it in sunny Yakima! One question tho at what age can the chicks have a treat(some strawberry) or go out side in the yard?Great thread!

Welcome RPB1! This is a great site and you will learn so much! Everyone here is so helpful!

I have found my 3 amigos (all Buff Orpingtons -- the sweethearts!) love dandelions, dry grass seeds, clover flowers, any dry grasses basically. I couldn't wait and started giving treats like this to them at about 10 days... if they didn't like it, they just ignored it. OF COURSE with their medicated chick feed and lots of fresh water. I have found my girls don't really like fruit yet... they're all about grains and fresh dirt, and they love chick starter grit, the fine ground gravel I get at the local feed store.

Going outside I waited until it was very warm and no wind. I understand it was hard on them in the wind. Mine are now 3 weeks, and in the coop full time, with the heat lamp. They are hardy, and healthy, and enjoying life. They perch themselves, and I have a little Petco Hamster waterer that I taught them to drink out of so no more poo in the water!! yay! ok.. I'll quit blabbering on and on about the girls but you will have so much fun watching your chicks develop!! It is amazing! Handle them frequently and hold them and love on them... they grow by the hour!

Enjoy!

 

[maggierose]

RPB1, we're glad you could join us! Sounds like my story, except my chicks(also for the grands) won't be here for another month. My coop is finally finished(except for pop door and ramp), but still doing the roof for the run. My uneducated guess would be that your babies are ready for a treat.

I have a question: somewhere I read to put a couple inches of pea gravel in the run, with a couple inches of straw on top of that. What do the rest of you think?

Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Vicki

hmmm... wonder why someone recommended that... my thinking would be to let the girls play in the dirt... I do have straw, and wood chips for them to play in also, and baby chick starter grit also. Pea gravel might be a little big for them right at first... you want them to have some kind of rocks for their digestion and to develop good gizzards, so that's why I got starter grit. My amigos LOVE it, and we go through it like crazy. I mixed it with their food right at first... like 1-2 tablespoons with a feeder full of medicated chick food. Now they "free range" with me watching them like a Mama hawk, and eat bugs and dirt... pea gravel would make me a little nervous I think just because of it's size and how little new chicks are. Plus with pea gravel mixed in with your straw it would be harder to compost, me thinks. Don't know... just kinda what I think... hope this helps!

 

[Vickis Girls]

maggierose, thanks so much for your input. I think it was recommended as a base for drainage so that the run could be just hosed off or something now and then. I can't remember where I read it, so I can't go back and reference it. I know it wasn't for them to eat or anything, but as a base for the straw. Also, do you know how long the grass would hold up before the run turned into a mud hole? The run is going to be covered, but snow/rain will still blow into it, and freeze(we're in the mountains). Oh, maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing, I just know I'd rather haul it in with the tractor now instead of the wheelbarrow later. Any ideas would be so appreciated!

So five years ago this very sweet cat adopted us, and we learned to love him very much. He didn't want to come in, but chose to stay outside and be fed/loved there. He'd get in front of me when I was walking, and lay on his back in front of me to get petted, and reach out and grab my pant leg or socks to keep me there if he hadn't got all the love he wanted. So Wed. afternoon I fed him and then he got eaten by a coyote. I'll be so glad when I can stop crying. He was such a joy for me, I've had lots of cats, but he's the only one who would let a kid take him up the ladder and lay like a baby in their arms to go down the slide.
Lets all remember to love our pets today.

 

[chickengarden]

maggierose, thanks so much for your input. I think it was recommended as a base for drainage so that the run could be just hosed off or something now and then. I can't remember where I read it, so I can't go back and reference it. I know it wasn't for them to eat or anything, but as a base for the straw. Also, do you know how long the grass would hold up before the run turned into a mud hole? The run is going to be covered, but snow/rain will still blow into it, and freeze(we're in the mountains). Oh, maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing, I just know I'd rather haul it in with the tractor now instead of the wheelbarrow later. Any ideas would be so appreciated!

So five years ago this very sweet cat adopted us, and we learned to love him very much. He didn't want to come in, but chose to stay outside and be fed/loved there. He'd get in front of me when I was walking, and lay on his back in front of me to get petted, and reach out and grab my pant leg or socks to keep me there if he hadn't got all the love he wanted. So Wed. afternoon I fed him and then he got eaten by a coyote. I'll be so glad when I can stop crying. He was such a joy for me, I've had lots of cats, but he's the only one who would let a kid take him up the ladder and lay like a baby in their arms to go down the slide.
Lets all remember to love our pets today.

OH, Vicki. I'm so sorry.

 

[lovinchickypoos]

Hugs to you, Vicki!!! Its so terribly hard to lose them, especially in a tragic way like that. I hope your heart will heal quickly.