MARYLAND THREAD!

[MuscovyMadness]

I bought one at the Sharpsburg poultry swap. There is another coming up on the 3rd.

That's a great idea! I have never been to the Sharpsburg swap.... is it fairly large? I have my little Dina and couldn't be happier with her. Amazing calm temperament and everyone gets along well. The person I got her from lost his last Showgirl so I have been searching for several months to find flock mates for her. Did you get your Showgirl as a young chick? Do you know if the breeder sells Showgirls with Silkie feathering?

This is Dina chilling with some of her buddies. If I get too close they think I have food so I had to take the picture from a distance and crop it. LoL

 

[greenfeathers]

It's the only swap I've been to but it seems good size. Has goats turkeys ducks geese pea fowl guineas and of course chickens of all ages. Rabbits and puppies this past one too.

I didn't know she was a showgirl when I got her. I just thought she looked awesome. The picture is shortly after I got her she's a bigger now.

If you go, go early for the best choice. You can even contact the farm and see if they know of a breeder bringing some.

 

[MuscovyMadness]

Hi! I'm new here as well. We live in Clarksville, MD. No chickens yet but have done tons of research and picked out type of coop I want to build. Anyone in my area and have either built a Woods style open air type coop or doing deep litter? Suggestions on the best breeds for laying for a newbie would be great too!

Welcome! I actually live in NOVA but I'm from Maryland originally. If you want a breed of hen that will consistently lay XL brown eggs then I would highly suggest Comets. There are so many breeds to choose from but for a productive egg layer, I just love them. They lay better than my RIRs... and don't seem to eat as much food as my other girls (Wyandottes, Orpingtons, Sussex). We also have Easter Eggers & Ameraucana which are a nice variety and lay colored eggs. Leghorns are nice for white eggs.... not sure about their production but my 5 month old Leghorns have started laying 4 times a week already. The eggs are small at first but will increase in size as the birds mature and "Egg Laying Season" is in full swing.

As for an open-air cage...... this is an example of one of my grow out pens. My husband builds things pretty solid which are difficult to move but they last and last. We are in the process of making uniform breeding pens for everyone which will be partially covered/ partially open with enclosed nest boxes. Our ducks will have the same setup but with much longer runs. This example of our 9x12 grow out pen has been wonderful. Even with high winds and rain, no one is getting soaked. We plan on attaching clear plastic to the sides to use it in the Winter. It is 6 foot high with an 8 foot roof pitch and the water runs off easily. The tarp is temporary but we get the two pack from Costco and these suckers ladt and last! If we need additional space for hens to lay eggs we can easily add removable nest boxes in the Spring. We make our waterers from food grade buckets purchased at Walmart. The bicycle hooks for hanging, also Walmart. And the chicken nipples you can get dirt cheap on eBay. The only problem we have encountered is some chickens like to lay on the cross bar and I constantly have to scrub droppings off the water bucket lid but we have figured out how to solve this.

Sorry for the long post but we have had birds for several years now and have learned from our mistakes and always like to offer suggestions from what we have learned.

Oh, and a word on food. I ferment a 5 grain scratch along with 20% layer pellets. Our birds lay ginormous eggs ...seem to have less droppings and there is less food waste. Google fermented food....the benefits are worth it IMO. Also..... recycle any bit of food from your pantry and refrigerator. Fruits/vegetables starting to turn ..leftovers etc. Just try to stay away from processed foods and things that have sugars and salt. I actually contacted a local church that runs a food bank and twice a week I get all the food that is going into the trash. This particular organization is rather large and supplies other food banks in the area. They have contracts with local grocery stores along with Target and Panera... so they have to pick up food every single day or they lose their contract. I literally can come home with 10-12 banana boxes full of food and I will say 90% is fit for human consumption. It's disgusting how much food this country throws away. I keep some for us and pay it forward to a few other people. I generally don't like to use a lot of bread but if I do it is always be organic multigrain and I always pre-soak it. I tried shopping up pieces of food and everyone fought over it so now I process everything in a little food processor and although it does take a little time my birds don't waste a thing. I am feeding a lot of birds but if you only have a few this is a breeze. I mix everything together.. fruits vegetables yogurt grain bread and fermented feed. My chickens ducks and even peacocks and geese devour it. It has cut my food bill down less than half and I actually see an improvement in production, feathers, etc. When I lived in Maryland I just went to Giant and Food Lion and asked the produce manager if I could have all the cut greens and fruit that were not good enough for them to sell. I would get a box or two with no trouble but since moving to Virginia last year I was unable to get anyone to work with me.... until I got the hook up with the food bank. It doesn't hurt to ask and I encourage everyone to recycle as much as they can.

A few pics of one of the grow out pens and my bird's food

 

[MuscovyMadness]

Sorry for the extra extra long post didn't realize how much I was writing until I hit submit. LoL

 

[MuscovyMadness]

It's the only swap I've been to but it seems good size. Has goats turkeys ducks geese pea fowl guineas and of course chickens of all ages. Rabbits and puppies this past one too.

I didn't know she was a showgirl when I got her. I just thought she looked awesome. The picture is shortly after I got her she's a bigger now.

If you go, go early for the best choice. You can even contact the farm and see if they know of a breeder bringing some.

Perfect! Thank you so much.

 

[calvertcompany]

I'm in Middletown MD up on South Mountain which is in Frederick County...moved here 9 months ago from Anne Arundel County....started 5 months ago with 6 Rhode island reds mixed with something I can't remember & 2 Khaki Cambell Ducks...loving the country life!!!

 

[Kdunn222]

I have 8 chicks one rir, silky and duccle mix, americanu and duccle mix.in southern MD. Also looking for home for adult flock of 8. 6 egg layers (2) rir mix, 2 rir, silky (broody) and Americanu but rir rooster brownie and duccle blueberry need to rehomed together with them. They free range and have coupe. Selling adults for lowest 200.good home and pets.but consistent egg layers.brown,blue/green and tan.text 704-236-7603

 

[ChickityChina]

I am pretty excited to go to the Maryland Swap Meet this year too!

I have been unable to make it in previous years. Anybody else planning on going to the swap meet on Sept 3? It sounds like fun. Also, does anyone know if there are any kid activities there? I am thinking of bringing my little girl, but I don't want her to be bored walking around with me all day.

 

[greenfeathers]

I am pretty excited to go to the Maryland Swap Meet this year too!

I have been unable to make it in previous years. Anybody else planning on going to the swap meet on Sept 3? It sounds like fun. Also, does anyone know if there are any kid activities there? I am thinking of bringing my little girl, but I don't want her to be bored walking around with me all day.

Kids won't be bored. I didn't see any specific kid activities last time but it's basically one giant petting zoo. I took my 5 yo daughter and 2 yo son. They both enjoyed it. Of course they got to pick an animal. Mommy talked them into rabbits....

Not sure i'll make this one.

 

[ChickityChina]

Kids won't be bored. I didn't see any specific kid activities last time but it's basically one giant petting zoo. I took my 5 yo daughter and 2 yo son. They both enjoyed it. Of course they got to pick an animal. Mommy talked them into rabbits....

Not sure i'll make this one.

Awe good to know thanks! I wasn't sure if the kids would be allowed near the animals at all. =) Haha rabbits. Nice.