Maine

[Mainechick168]

Hi All,

We are in North Yarmouth and have a flock of 8 that are mixed breeds and mixed ages. Our oldest 3 (buff orpington, lacy wyandotte, black sex link) were hatched in early May and we have not seen an egg yet.

What are the chances we will get eggs this year? My gut tells me if we haven't seen anything yet, we're probably not going to until the spring. They free range most days. When they aren't free ranging, the have a 10'x10' run.

I was on here looking for advice on how to button up the coop a bit for the winter. The thread provided a lot of great ideas.

I bet you will get eggs this year. We had some last year that were born in april ( I think!) and they did not start laying until late fall, but for the most part, layed right through the winter, 2 of them were buff orps too. We also do not add any light or heat.

 

[quailtrail]

The inside of the new coop is all done. Outside just needs siding...DH needed it to match the house and garage. Much bigger than I expected. ..butcan always add more

As I was preparing the inside the girls went into their temp quarters. 2 let us just pick them up and put them in their new home. And 2 DH had to chase lol!!!

They are finally settled in. They squacked quite a bit at first but are now all snuggled close in their roost.

Now that they have a new coop they need to stay in it for a few days before they can come out and free range right?

Getting a pair of buff orps tomorrow. I should keep them separate from the others correct? For how long? Once in the coop with the others do they need to stay in the coop for a few days to learn where their home is or will they follow the others??

 

[superchemicalgirl]

So, SCG: I'm one of those annoying students who sits in the front of the classroom waving her hand in the air, asking the "What if" or the "But why" ?'s. I know that every breed is different, as every hen within that breed, and also weather and housing and nutrition all come into play, SO, hypothetically, comparing a pullet who starts laying in July with a pullet who starts laying in late Sept or Oct with the pullet who doesn't start laying until late winter... what's the lay cycle going to look like through the first lay season?

Generally my first years all lay through the winter - not a lot, but enough and through to the next fall. My older girls who molt in the fall don't usually start laying again until the next spring. I have had them start as early as 16.5 weeks (leghorn) and as late as... yeah still not laying and was born 01.01.2012 (showgirl). I generally hatch in winter (usually around the first of the year) so I have laying pullets about when spring starts (and many of my birds start laying and then give it up for being broody) which is also a great time to sell them.

I keep both a shotgun and a regular firearm within close distance in the house. If something happens to me I don't want to be stuck using a shotgun that can require use of both hands. But there is nothing better than hearing something outside at night, turning the light on and picking up your shotgun for whatever it is outside to see (call first before you come over!). You generally need to be less accurate with a shotgun, so it is a good home defense weapon.

That being said, I have a wonderful "varmint" shotgun that has a barrel that is a 22 and swaps out for a 410. Bought it at Dicks a few years ago. I use that shotgun more than all the others. The 410 has a spread similar to my 12 gauge but without the kick. You can also buy large slugs for it if you had a larger predator problem. The 22 rifle is great for skunks, weasels, foxes, rats, etc. It only holds 1 round though. When I had a rat infestation a few months back I sat on the porch and picked them off with that shotgun and a 22 handgun with a clip of regular bullets or rat-shot in it. I had a pellet gun for the rats but the pellets didn't kill them, they required the 22.

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks all for the shot gun info... Interesting discussion.

 

[hoppy]

i have a young gray male call duck looking for a home if anyone is interested. he hatched this yr, i have one and he is not needed. pm me if interested. $10

 

[lazy gardener]

I am playing with the idea of getting or hatching some guinea hens next spring b/c I hear that they are excellent foragers, especially when it comes to ticks and squash bugs. My garden is over-run with the latter this year b/c I have not used any pesticides. Who has experience hatching or raising guineas? I understand that they are on the wild side. Also noisy. How noisy? Will they even go in to roost with the chickens? How aggressive are they in a mixed flock? Will clipping their wing(s) slow them down enough to keep them on the tame side, or would it be best to allow them to stay fully flighted so they can do their wild thing??? Any one used a guinea for a broody for chick eggs? Experience there? What about hatching guinea eggs? Incubation time? Same temp and humidity requirements? (I used dry hatch last time with very good results.) I'll be brooding some Dom chicks in the spring... they, in my experience tend to be a bit more fragile than the other chicks that I've brooded. Would it work to brood guineas in the same brooder with them, or would I need to put a divider in? Are guineas likely to imprint on a person the way a chick will? Thanks for answering my copious questions.

 

[Widget]

I am playing with the idea of getting or hatching some guinea hens next spring b/c I hear that they are excellent foragers, especially when it comes to ticks and squash bugs. My garden is over-run with the latter this year b/c I have not used any pesticides. Who has experience hatching or raising guineas? I understand that they are on the wild side. Also noisy. How noisy? Will they even go in to roost with the chickens? How aggressive are they in a mixed flock? Will clipping their wing(s) slow them down enough to keep them on the tame side, or would it be best to allow them to stay fully flighted so they can do their wild thing??? Any one used a guinea for a broody for chick eggs? Experience there? What about hatching guinea eggs? Incubation time? Same temp and humidity requirements? (I used dry hatch last time with very good results.) I'll be brooding some Dom chicks in the spring... they, in my experience tend to be a bit more fragile than the other chicks that I've brooded. Would it work to brood guineas in the same brooder with them, or would I need to put a divider in? Are guineas likely to imprint on a person the way a chick will? Thanks for answering my copious questions.

They are the Pyrenees of the bird world. Second only to a peacock with noise level. In other words very noisy. Great for neighbors who think roosters are loud. They are fantastic at bug control though so they are handy to have around. Anything up high becomes a perch. When I had some they loved the roof of the house to get a better look at the world. However I did find them aggressive towards the chickens. So much so that I did not get upset when they became a meal for the fox that was picking off my birds one by one. Things have been much more peaceful since they left.

 

[Jazor]

Thanks for the info.

I have been looking into getting a shotgun for the home and the HR sounds like a steal. My only issue is that I have no experience with shotguns and have yet to find anyone who can show me how to safely use one. I am not near any ranges and from what I have read online not all of them allow shotguns. And even though there are plenty of handgun courses (did one to get my concealed permit a few years ago) there does not seem to be any other courses available.

It would be a hike from Limington, but Fox Firearms (in Vassalboro) offers many different courses--and they are really flexible. I would imagine if you rounded up a couple people, they'd offer a shotgun course.

I admire your patience--and willingness to train before grabbing a gun off the shelf. That's a smart move, not enough people do it. Honestly, you could "learn" plenty from research and watching training videos online (for free) but you need to spend time shooting to become truly accustomed. I would highly recommend you spend that time with an instructor, or at least someone with vast experience of shooting, shotgunning, and weapon maintenance as well. Having the gun, shooting the gun, and caring for it are all pieces to the puzzle.

Cheers,
Jazor

 

[MEMama3]

I have a friend who needs to rehome her 12 golden comets. They are 18 months old, healthy and still laying regularly. Financial issues are causing her to sell her farm. She would prefer that they stay together. If anyone is interested please PM me.

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks Widget. I'm now thinking that getting guineas might not be such a great idea. I still think that a rent a bird program would be a fantastic idea. I'd put guineas and ducks at the top of the list... Of course I'm just joking here, but I sure could use the extra pest control at certain times of the year.

My male cat, 3 y.o. all of a sudden is drooling copiously. He's leaving a big puddle where ever he happens to be. I'm wondering if he got into something, or if he has a lesion in his mouth. (something causing some irritation) I may be headed to the vet with him tomorrow. Any one out there ever dealt with these symptoms in a cat?