Greg in SW Washington State

[noneofmybusiness]

I've lurked for a couple years, figured I would join... so, hi. Thanks for having me, and thanks to everyone who shares so much solid info.

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? I'm on my second set of chickens. The spring before last I started 12 chicks of 4 different breeds. We had a bit of a predator problem, a massacre over a couple days, lost 10. Last spring I got another 10 birds and built a 8x12 coop with 7 ft walls, and a 12/12 pitch roof. And got the fence squared away.

(2) How many chickens do you have right now? 12

(3) What breeds do you have? Ameraacanas, cuckoo marans, olive eggers, Wyandotte, Speckeld Sussex,

(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens? I like a bit of self-sufficiency, the socialization with the birds, and I feel better about getting my eggs from well-cared for birds (as opposed to a cruel factory). I also enjoy using a little bit of technology to make raising birds simpler.

(5) What are some of your other hobbies? Gardening, dog training.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. Kids are grown up, we are both working. Got a couple of dogs who totally ignore the hens. I like to garden. I'm in law enforcement.

(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community? Found the site a few years ago, just googling around for chicken information.

 

[gtaus]

Welcome to the BYC forums

I also enjoy using a little bit of technology to make raising birds simpler.

Interesting, I find going low tech usually makes raising birds simpler. But if you have some neat tech ideas to share, please post.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens a wonderful community to explore would love some photos of your coop or birds or both.. This is a link to your state thread also mine
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...me-together-washington-peeps.717207/page-4708

 

[chrissynemetz]

Hi and welcome to BYC!! It's nice to meet you!

 

[Rushdoggie]

Hello from your neighbor (and fellow dog trainer) in Vancouver!

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome! Glad that you joined! Good luck with your flock!

 

[noneofmybusiness]

Welcome to the BYC forums



Interesting, I find going low tech usually makes raising birds simpler. But if you have some neat tech ideas to share, please post.

Oh, not terribly hi-tech. I have a rollaway laying box and a pair of automated doors on the coop. Nothing crazier that that. For awhile I had a watering system running on a toilet valve. Hard water and cold temps made it unreliable. Now I'm back to a home depot bucket and horizontal nipples. My feeder is a small rubbermade trash can with trimmed 4 inch PVC elbows caulked in near the base. Every few weeks I dump in a 50 lb bag. Very little waste and it stays dry in the rain.

So I go out to clean, throw them some scratch or leftovers, and socialize. Without worrying about deadlines. And I can take off for a week without worry.

I'm sure in time I will change things up again...

 

[ValerieJ]

Hi! Welcome to BYC, from a fellow Washingtonian! You sound very well organized with your "high tech" chicken coop and run.

 

[noneofmybusiness]

Let's test out the file inserting function...

This is my new coop, nearly finished last year, beside the old coop that has since been carted off by a grateful landscaper. The new coop has since gotten asphalt shingles. And a shot of my current egg production staff...

 

[gtaus]

For awhile I had a watering system running on a toilet valve. Hard water and cold temps made it unreliable. Now I'm back to a home depot bucket and horizontal nipples. My feeder is a small rubbermade trash can with trimmed 4 inch PVC elbows caulked in near the base. Every few weeks I dump in a 50 lb bag. Very little waste and it stays dry in the rain.

That's similar to me. Here in northern Minnesota, I just use the old fashion metal 3 gallon poultry fount with a metal base heater to keep the water from freezing. For my 10 chickens, I only have to refill the waterer once every 7-10 days. I use a 5 gallon bucket with PVC elbows as my hanging feeder in the coop. Works really good with little waste.

If I filled up the feeder and the waterer at the same time, I suppose I could leave my chickens for a week, except someone would have to collect the eggs. This time of year (-22F at night, 5F in the day), I am collecting eggs 3X per day so the eggs don't sit too long in the nest box and freeze and crack.

I don't have an automatic door, mainly because my chicken run is not night-time predator proof and I want to make sure my hens are locked up tight in the coop every night. I like the idea of an automatic door, but I don't think I would trust it to work every time - especially in the winter when nothing seems to work. So I am happy with a heavy wooden pop door which I open and close with a small rope.