Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Hens and Roos]

Quote:
Depending on the weather, we open the coop doors around 8 am and the chickens can go in and out of the coop as they wish. We haven't had any problems yet with them laying the eggs outside. In the winter time our inside pens are roomy enough that we don't have to open the doors to the outside runs unless the weather is fairly nice. The chickens will put themselves to bed and then the door is shut at dark.

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
Mine got all kinds of peppers including the Bhut Jolokia aka ghost pepper ( way hotter than habaneros) LOL! Most of my tomatoes did horrible last year. I got them started late. The peppers didn't seem to mind though. The black cherry and the sungold cherry tomatoes did the best. It is already time to start tomatoes and peppers from seed again here. I've been digging out the seeds and going through the seed catalogs to see what to plant this year that might actually do good lol.

 

[Debbi]

Ivywoods ~ I go out and open the door, usually, about 7:00am. If the weather is bad, like really cold, lightning, or freezing rain, they go out when I deem it fit. They break down the door when they think I'm late!

Go out and open your new pop door, and let them come out when they will. Same with going back in. My birds will suck every last bit of daylight out of the day before they will go into the coop. I find, if I stand there and watch them, they take their sweeta** time!

Go inside and wait till it's almost dark, and they will probably put themselves in.

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Mine got all kinds of peppers including the Bhut Jolokia aka ghost pepper ( way hotter than habaneros) LOL! Most of my tomatoes did horrible last year. I got them started late. The peppers didn't seem to mind though. The black cherry and the sungold cherry tomatoes did the best. It is already time to start tomatoes and peppers from seed again here. I've been digging out the seeds and going through the seed catalogs to see what to plant this year that might actually do good lol.

Good to know! I know one thing I'll be planting this year is PUMPKINS!! They went Wild for the pumpkin I fed them and were bugging me for MOOOOORE!!!!!

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
I open mine around 8 unless I have to be somewhere earlier then I have to do it before I leave or call the house and tell someone to go open it lol. I like to wait until it is good and light out even though thier pens are pretty secure I think most of our predators are nocturnal except for the hawks and eagles but the run is covered.
I never did leave them locked in the coop when they were first laying, I just put a plastic easter egg in their nest boxes and if they laid a egg in the run I put it in the nest box and then put the hen in the nest box. Eventually they get the idea. When you get your second generation of pullets, they watch the older hens and will lay in the box.

Have you tried hanging a flashlight in your coop when it gets dark the chickens should go into the coop for the light. You can also trick them by throwing a little scratch in a pan and shaking it and putting it in the coop every evening. Soon they will be waiting in the coop for it lol.

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
Mine got all kinds of peppers including the Bhut Jolokia aka ghost pepper ( way hotter than habaneros) LOL! Most of my tomatoes did horrible last year. I got them started late. The peppers didn't seem to mind though. The black cherry and the sungold cherry tomatoes did the best. It is already time to start tomatoes and peppers from seed again here. I've been digging out the seeds and going through the seed catalogs to see what to plant this year that might actually do good lol.

Good to know! I know one thing I'll be planting this year is PUMPKINS!! They went Wild for the pumpkin I fed them and were bugging me for MOOOOORE!!!!!

Oh yeah! Mine went psycho for pumpkins and watermelon too! I bet pumpkins will do real good where you live.

 

[bigoakhunter]

Quote:
Agree about the tomatoe thing...my girls' will do anything to get a cherry tomatoe!!! Or any kind for that matter. The other thing they will fight over is pumpkin seeds.

 

[Terri O]

Quote:
It is odd that they say that beans are toxic to birds...I regularly bought (and now mix my own version)of "Bean Cuisine" made to cook and feed your birds as a supplement to their regular food. All of my birds love it--I have been feeding it for about 5 years now...

Thanks for the welcomes BTW! I am hoping to take a few pics of my cuckoos and posting them tomorrow...you guys can rip on them and I can see if I can actually start with them or if I should just start over!

Terri O

 

[Debbi]

Hi Dave!

Yep, fed them to the bigger chooks and the youngsters, and they all went crazy for them! Pip would stand at the fence and whine till I handed him one of his own, and be back in two seconds for MORE!

 

[flgardengirl]

Check out this link..scroll down to #10. I think it is the raw or dried beans that are bad due to hemaglutin I think if the beans are cooked, drained and rinsed it is okay. Also this list says that onions and garlic are bad but I know people who feed thier chickens raw garlic and swear by it. Maybe it is just the garlic powders that are bad? Interesting...
http://birds.about.com/od/feeding/tp/poisonousfoods.htm