Maine

[ashandvine]

8 out of 12 RO eggs have clear veins. Two are duds. Two are unclear so they get a few more days in the sauna. Live chicks [again RO] coming next week. I have many Marans, OE and EE in the incubator [hint hint to those who want chicks]. I will be attempting to hatch pure Breda again and the Hedemora chicks are lively little pippers. No duck eggs. Maybe they are burying them? And no geese eggs either. Hopefully the gradual warming trend will help.

 

[chickiegirlsme]

Hey,
I grew up in Windham and am now living in New Vineyard, Maine (north of Farmington in the Western Mountains). We built a coop last year for our 3 Buff Orpingtons. Three of the walls are made out of pallets, the fourth wall is two doors that open up for easy cleaning of the coop. We insulated the walls, roof and one of the doors with the "pink stuff". They other door has a panel we can open for added ventilation in the summer so we were not able to insulate it. At both ends of the peak of the coop are two 3" round vents. We also made two water heaters out of square cement blocks, flat outlets and 60w lightbulbs. One is outdoors, one is indoors. They work really well, at least until the lightbulbs burn out as one did overnight last night. Our chickens showed no sign of being cold. As long as the weather is above 10°, I open the door each morning to allow them to use their run. They go in and out at will. Really, the only times they don't like to go out are days when it is snowing. Our run is fully fenced and has chicken wire overlaid with tarps overhead. I'd like to have let them be free range, but we have a pair of broadwing hawks in the spring, summer and fall, and a barred owl that seems to like to land in one of the trees near the chickens. We also have raccoons, coyotes and barn cats in the neighborhood. Anyway, back to your question. I'm very glad we insulated the coop (painted pine boards outside, fully plywood lined). With this cold weather this winter, we had a few days that were below zero all day long, and the girls have seemed to be comfortable. Just as an aside. One of the best things we did for them is to build the coop so it is raised up on legs about 2' high (fully fenced this area too). Under the coop we put a plastic kiddie pool and put about 3" of dirt/sand/ashes in it. They love being able to have dust baths even in the winter.

 

[CoopChick719]

Any readers have Goose Berry bushes? Any one know if they can be propagated from existing plants?

Are these similar to Quince berries?

@CoopChick719 That's hilarious! !!!

Happened to be in Waterville today and swung into TSC. ..all set up for chicks

♡

was trying to resist the urge...luckily none yet!!!

Thank quailtrail! Not sure DH shares your sentiment but....he'll get over it!

He sent me a picture of 2 baby goats born at a farm in Houlton wanting to know if we got rid of the chickens, could we get those instead. I said I don't see why we can't have both. He said he needed the coop for the goats to live in. I said Honey, you are wicked handy, build a new shed for goats.

 

[suzMEchicks]

Jazor , I thought I had the egg eating problem under control but I have been away for 2 days and my husband is tending them while I'm gone. He says there have been no eggs since I left early Tuesday . Even when They were eating them there were some. I think he just hasn't been out checking for them. They are probably out there frozen which is better than eaten ! The curtains which I made from wood pellet bags ( cut to size and stapled), seemed to be working before I left. It's so frustrating . I will hire the neighborhood kid next time I have to be away .

 

[suzMEchicks]

As for the offenders- I was going out often on days off and I started to have a sense of who was the most likely culprit or so I thought. The black ones( sex link) were always frantically looking in the nest boxes so I thought it was them. But the 2 times I actually caught them it was the leghorn once and the RIR the other time. It's all of them if they get the chance I guess.

 

[Jazor]

...It's all of them if they get the chance I guess.

Yes, mine are the same. I've seen two of my Red Stars attack eggs before. Half the time it seemed that two of the chubby beasts would get into the nest box at the same time and in the chaos someone would break an egg. Then the excitement of "this is food!" kicks in and it's a free for all which breaks more eggs which leads to more eating etc.

I think collection is key. When I'm able to collect the eggs--it seems as though they nearly forget about eating them. Mon-Fri I'm gone 0530-1800 or so, and this gives them plenty of time to lay eggs and eat them before I ever check. I go down to the barn every morning, and usually get 1-5 eggs at this time. I think daylight savings will help. Assuming the sun will wake them up sooner, they will lay their eggs sooner and when I go down to the barn to collect eggs there will (hopefully) be more there at 0530 than there has been.

That's what I'm waiting for. Game cam + Daylight savings might save some from becoming supper. Maybe. Unless someone wants to "rescue" the offenders, but really...who wants chickens that are suspect egg eaters? ha

 

[dowgirl71]

Are these similar to Quince berries?


Thank quailtrail! Not sure DH shares your sentiment but....he'll get over it!

He sent me a picture of 2 baby goats born at a farm in Houlton wanting to know if we got rid of the chickens, could we get those instead. I said I don't see why we can't have both. He said he needed the coop for the goats to live in. I said Honey, you are wicked handy, build a new shed for goats.

Yes, my husband LOVED the idea that he had to build a new shed!! And he made sure he put a small tool bench in my coop, too, but it's OK. Nice having a counter top in there for chicken "stuff."

 

[lazy gardener]

Coop chick, I don't think they're the same thing. As I remember, they're pinkish to yellow translucent, have a fairly large seed, you can see some striping of the tissue under the skin, and the bushes have thorns... of course, this is the best I can recollect from 50 years ago. This is an other heirloom plant that is destined to extinction.

 

[yankeehill]

Any readers have Goose Berry bushes? Any one know if they can be propagated from existing plants?

I have some up by the rock wall. I am not sure if they are wild, or were planted there a LONG, LONG time ago. The area was completely grown up when we moved in, and we have slowly been reclaiming the rock walls. You are welcome to some, come spring.

 

[lazy gardener]

Thank you. I'm inquiring for Kentucky Mom.