Minnesota!

[Rhetts]

Maybe its just my water but I seem to get that slime build up fairly quickly in the waterers. I scrub every week always and then as needed. Some weeks one time a week is fine other times it is like 4 days later I need to scrub. So am I doing something wrong? Am I missing something? Or is my water just that bad that the slime builds up super fast? What do you guys do for it?

@gofeedthegirls I didn't get to take pictures today like I had planned to. I will get them soon though within a couple days.

 

[KlopKlop]

Maybe its just my water but I seem to get that slime build up fairly quickly in the waterers.  I scrub every week always and then as needed.  Some weeks one time a week is fine other times it is like 4 days later I need to scrub.  So am I doing something wrong?  Am I missing something?  Or is my water just that bad that the slime builds up super fast?  What do you guys do for it?

I'm assuming you have well water and are using an unfiltered outdoor hydrant or faucet. We get brown sludge in our waterers too and just clean it from time to time when it gets thick. The reason that you *shouldnt* get that when using water from inside your house is because you should have a particulate filter and probably a softner that should take care of the iron in the water

 

[duluthralphie]

I get algae in my waterers and need to clean them weekly, or just add a tad of vinegar to them.

I must be in a primitive place I have well water with no filter and no softener. I doubt the algae would hurt the birds it is just unsightly.

 

[Cyrus83]

Finally got some dark eggs from my marans

 

[holm25]

Pretty!!

 

[holm25]

Ralph I didn't know you thought your legbars were noodles!

 

[Minniechickmama]

I have a baby egg!

I assume it is a "oops" It could be a pullet egg but my oldest is only 15 weeks old. Kind of young.


I did not think I had any olive layers in that pen so who knows.. I am betting no yolk when I break it.

You may just have a fart egg, dear Ralphie.

 

[Minniechickmama]

What does it take to raise a few ducks? My chicken math has made me want a couple of them ha. Can I house them in my chicken coop? I know I need some sort of water for the ducks but what exactly? What works for you that have ducks? I am thinking I only want 3-4 of them...for the eggs I have no desire to cull them for meat. Feed? Any "special" care they need that chickens dont need?

My recommendation is no, do not house them together. Ducks, aside from being messy and slopping water, any water, everywhere, are also aggressive breeders (rapists) and will jump anything that has feathers and probably more if they can sneak up on it. Plus, ducks require a higher protein feed and ability to forgage (dig ankle breakers) into the ground with their bills. I would look at Khakis or the egg hybrid for eggs.

 

[Minniechickmama]

So one of my SLW, Morticia is molting. She was trying to go broody about a week before she started molting, but I talked her out of it. So... she has become very skinny. she was eating, just not as much, her crop was maybe 1/4th full the last few nights. last night and tonight though it was pretty full. should I be worried? or do some lose weight when they molt? I've been giving extra protein and such...

With the hotter weather this week, my birds have been eating less, plus molting kicks them off their norm. FYI, early longer molters tend to be less productive layers.

 

[duluthralphie]

You may just have a fart egg, dear Ralphie.

I have never heard then called a fart egg, I have always called them Ooops...

I am betting it is yolkless. BUT maybe it is one of Bert's babies, Bert having been a super rooster could have super chicks....