Nevadans?

[NevadaRon]

How high should nest boxes be?

There's no set rule. You just don't want them to be too high - no higher than they can hop/fly into. My last coop I put them 1 foot above the floor. My first coop they are two feet off the floor. It doesn't seem to matter to the chickens though.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

There's no set rule. You just don't want them to be too high - no higher than they can hop/fly into. My last coop I put them 1 foot above the floor. My first coop they are two feet off the floor. It doesn't seem to matter to the chickens though.

Mine are stacked double. The first is a few inches above the floor, and the next is about 3 feet above, but with a perch right in front that narrows the gap down to just over 2 feet. Some chickens lay in the top one, some in the bottom.

Lately, though, they're choosing not to lay. I got 2 eggs today, 6 yesterday, 5 before, 4 before that. I usually get 7-9 a day. I haven't gotten fewer than 6 since mid-March.

I blame this whole illness thing, though only one of the hens has shown symptoms. And my broody is no longer broody. She spent a couple of days on the nest, and now is acting normal again.

 

[SunnyDawn]

How high should nest boxes be?

Just put them lower than the roosts. Otherwise they will want to sleep in the nest boxes.

 

[sherylreno]

Oh wow Missy, that is a huge difference in egg production. I'm so sorry. Let's keep praying everything will come out okay at the end of this and everyone will start laying like they once did.

The ravioli's I have in the freezer are beef and chicken. We use to use veal but people do not like the way the calf is treated so we changed it to the beef and chicken because it resembles veal more. If you want to serve a meat dish with it then I would suggest making a spinach with ricotta filled cannelloni baked in a marinara sauce and topped with cheese. We freeze the ravioli's as we make them so they are still very fresh when you cook them. The ravioli's are $1.00 a piece. They are a good size. I usually make 9 ravioli's per person.

 

[VCfeathers]

Hey everyone,

I am just busy. Trying to get this place up and running properly. I felt kind of bad about the condition it was in while you were all here.

Anyway, i was wondering if anyone has experience with Guineas, or Peafowl. I've seen 4 Rattlers in fewer days and I know the birds won't kill the big ones (all were over 5 feet) but if they'd alert me then I could relocate them. Does anyone know of breeders near by? and if not would someone with incubator space be willing to hatch for me?

 

[VCfeathers]

Sunny I meant to ask how your chicks are doing?

All of our birds are happy and healthy. We had a few days of concern with our leghoens but it seems to have just been a heat issue. I've started running the little drip/ sprinkler line near the coop in the afternoon, and most of the girls will dust bath close enough to get damp. All of our chicks are well. I do seem to have a large number of roos in my EE/ Ameracauna chicks though.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Sunny I meant to ask how your chicks are doing?

All of our birds are happy and healthy. We had a few days of concern with our leghoens but it seems to have just been a heat issue. I've started running the little drip/ sprinkler line near the coop in the afternoon, and most of the girls will dust bath close enough to get damp. All of our chicks are well. I do seem to have a large number of roos in my EE/ Ameracauna chicks though.

Last Saturday at Home Depot, I bought a hose attachment that puts out a constant mist. I imagine it will waste a TON of water, so I'll just turn it on during the hot part of the day, but it will probably be a relief when it gets up near 100 degrees. It was less than $10.

 

[NevadaRon]

Hey everyone,

I am just busy. Trying to get this place up and running properly. I felt kind of bad about the condition it was in while you were all here.

Anyway, i was wondering if anyone has experience with Guineas, or Peafowl. I've seen 4 Rattlers in fewer days and I know the birds won't kill the big ones (all were over 5 feet) but if they'd alert me then I could relocate them. Does anyone know of breeders near by? and if not would someone with incubator space be willing to hatch for me?

Someone just down the street from me has some. I have no idea if they breed them or not though. I can tell you that guinea eggs are wonderful - the best eggs I've ever tasted! I hear the meat is excellent, too. I've contemplated getting them myself but I don't have any mature trees yet and from what I gather they really need trees to hang out in.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Sunny I meant to ask how your chicks are doing?

All of our birds are happy and healthy. We had a few days of concern with our leghoens but it seems to have just been a heat issue. I've started running the little drip/ sprinkler line near the coop in the afternoon, and most of the girls will dust bath close enough to get damp. All of our chicks are well. I do seem to have a large number of roos in my EE/ Ameracauna chicks though.

Hi Mandy! Glad you are doing well. The chicks are doing great very healthy and growing fast! They'll need a bigger brooder soon but the big brooder is full right now and these guys are still in quarantine anyway. Steve is building a run area right now so the little ones can go out and stretch their wings. They will LOVE that!!!

I don't know of any guinea breeders around here but if you get a source for eggs then I'll hatch some keets for you. I have been wanting some white peafowl myself, though they are so noisy at breeding time! Of course guineas are always noisy lol! They are great little bug and snake hunters though, from what I've read. I've never owned either but grew up around peafowl. I hate to try and hatch shipped eggs though! Our local POs seem to be so hard on the eggs and the results are so dissappointing. I don't wanna be responsible for the eggs not doing well.

There are guinea breeders in California. You might check the Sacramento area. Try posting on the CA thread.

 

[SunnyDawn]

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We have one of those. The chickens seem to hate it. But maybe my chickens are just weird.

They seem to like it better when I wet the ground. They come running when the hose is on but avoid the mister like the plague.

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I've never heard of folks eating the eggs! If they are that delicious maybe I should check into getting some too!