Maine

[CoopChick719]

My girls were very skittish after the fox visit last year. I kept them in the pen for a few days with some treats then we went to supervised range time. We are back to free ranging for a few hours each day after work & all day on the weekends, if I'm going to be home.

Saw the gold & white cat again this morning when I went to open the coop. Thinking I should keep the playyard gate open so he can catch anything in there in the early am.

 

[IZZYBELLA]

Thank you, everyone, for your understanding. I am sad for her loss. The dynamics of my little flock have changed as a result of her loss. And they are much more paranoid than before this event.

I completely understand what you mean. My flock was appeared in shock for a few days after a fox took their leader... very subdued and huddled together quietly. They came out of it, but they are still much more cautious than before when they leave the coop. (I only do closely-supervised free ranging now.) I'm sorry again for your loss. It sucks.

On a lighter note, my younger birds are finally laying! I just love finding the teeny tiny first eggs! I've found them on the coop floor, in the run, by the feeder... yesterday one was actually in the nest box! My first flock last year laid in the boxes from day 1, so I was unaware that some take awhile to catch on.

 

[striperon]

On to more positive things. Got a start on the privy/storage, bought the lumber and plywood and began to build. I have had the siding for at least a month from a big sale at the Board Barn in Cumberland. My goal is in the last picture, except the siding will be vertical, the roofing will be used aluminum, and the colors won't be the same. I am also making it 4' x 4' (DW's wishes), the one in the photo is 5' x 4'.

My photos are of the floor. The bottom timbers are 4"x6" pressure treated. I used half lap joints at the corners, each corner secured with 2- 3/8" x 4" lag screws that were countersunk so the plywood could sit flat on top. I have one wall framed, but not pictured. I will frame all the walls atop saw horses before adding them to the base. I am building in the driveway and will move the finished product into place once it is done. Building in the driveway keeps me close to electrical power, keeps lumber handy, and makes cleanup easier being right in front of the garage door. Tools and lumber inside, pickup outside.

I surprise myself with the number of tools needed: drill, miter saw, circular saw, hand saw, hammer, tape measure, wrenches, pneumatic nailer, air compressor, saw horses, tape measure, framing square, and so on. Geez, the list gets long. I have never been good at framing with just a hammer. The studs and plates move so much when I hit them, so I bought a pneumatic nailer, in fact 2 of them. I wore one out already after building several decks, and sheds. The miter saw makes for straight cuts every time, too. But all the tools make for a big production over a small project. lol

The floor is two 4' x 4' sheets of 1/2" OSB. I painted the sheets on both sides using a full quart of Thompson's Waterseal. The reason for the extra OSB sheet is that I purchased several sheets on Craigslist cheap, plus I felt that piling up 50# and/or 100# bags of feed would make a single sheet sag. With two sheets, the floor should withstand whatever I pile on top of it. Thompson's Waterseal will make the floor last longer. It is already very heavy. I have a small John Deere tractor with a loader that I can push or pull it with. A heavy base should make it difficult to blow over in the wind.

 

[Marcy54]

@striperon I love the little out building that you are making! We have a tool shed, very rustic, but with a nice roof and windows, the tar paper is peeling off, and the door is just plywood. I think we are going to put more paper on the outside and cover it with something before winter. This will be next springs big chicken coop. New door, and some roosts, It has lots of space inside so I think, I could maybe put some metal bins to store some of my supplies. I hope to expand the flock, maybe even have some meat birds next year.

It is amazing how many people I have met out here just through the chickens. I had a nice discussion with my mail carrier, she is a neighbor and also has a rooster.

 

[learycow]

Can't wait for spring to start breeding my rippled and barred muscovy! Anybody else in ME breed muscovy ducks?

 

[lazy gardener]

Do you process any of your Muscovies for meat? I've heard that they are great for the table. Beautiful birds. As hard as it is to kill a chicken, I'm guessing it would be even harder to kill a duck.

 

[learycow]

Do you process any of your Muscovies for meat?  I've heard that they are great for the table.  Beautiful birds.  As hard as it is to kill a chicken, I'm guessing it would be even harder to kill a duck.

Ducks, I find, have much more personality so I cannot bring myself to kill any! I have sent several out to be processed and Muscovy meat is fantastic. Not as fatty/greasy as other breeds.

 

[lazy gardener]

Where do you get them processed, and would you mind me asking about the cost of processing, and the size of the finished carcass??

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Ducks, I find, have much more personality so I cannot bring myself to kill any! I have sent several out to be processed and Muscovy meat is fantastic. Not as fatty/greasy as other breeds.

I've processed one duck (which I got from you as an egg, learycow!) and I cried and cried. Unfortunately I ended up with 4 males and 1 female so I had to do something. I certainly don't enjoy processing roosters, but at least they seal their fate acting like jerks and I'm happy to once again have peace once they're thinned out a bit, but processing my sweet and spunky duck was a lot worse (although he was delicious).

With a little bit of equipment you can process your own birds at home. Takes me about 20 minutes to do a rooster start to finish and I'm not speedy. Ducks are longer because of the more intense plucking required.

In Central Maine there are two places that I've heard of to get your bird(s) processed but I've never used either so I'll let someone else comment.

 

[TAMMACLEAN]

Where does everyone buy their straw from and how much do you usually pay? I'm trying to figure out what we are going to do for the winter.