NY chicken lover!!!!

[Cass]

Does anybody have a " recipe " for a dust bath for inside the coop. I bought a plastic container 26" x 26" x 12" today, just need to put something in it for the girls to bathe in

Lowes sells "play sand" near their cement. (Its at the far end of my store) Wood ashes and sand would make for one happy flock. Don't know if you saw my post regarding cleaning the sand out of the big coop, intending to clear it out of the small side too. I didn't clear the sand out of the small side because 12 birds were in there dust bathing. They looked like they were in heaven, dust bathing in the middle of winter.

 

[cracrzy4chicks]

Thanks Cass & Stony. I'll be stopping @ Lowes tomorrow after work ! Right now the girls are trying to bathe in the wood shavings !

They're quite entertaining half buried in the shavings, when they shake off I get " the look " as if they were saying " come on Mom......really "

 

[rancher hicks]

Tonight I watched the waxing moon ride across the zenith of the heaven like an ambered chariot towards the ebony void of infinite space where in the tethered belts of Jupiter and Mars hang forever festooned in their orbital majesty and thought. .I really should put a roof on this outhouse.

 

[stonykill]

Thanks Cass & Stony. I'll be stopping @ Lowes tomorrow after work ! Right now the girls are trying to bathe in the wood shavings !

They're quite entertaining half buried in the shavings, when they shake off I get " the look " as if they were saying " come on Mom......really "

I love that look. I got it several times today.... but it was "come on food giver....."....

 

[Cass]

Tonight I watched the waxing moon ride across the zenith of the heaven like an ambered chariot towards the ebony void of infinite space where in the tethered belts of Jupiter and Mars hang forever festooned in their orbital majesty and thought. .I really should put a roof on this outhouse.

 

[rancher hicks]

I should have given an update. I have been putting on a light in the main coop with the Dels (which laid anyhow) and the CR's and Orps. The ee's have always laid well and one CR that I know of since she lays in the corner of the coop. Honestly I think they might need a bigger hole in the nest boxes.

anyhow I did see an orp or two laying. I got 13 eggs today.

Though for as old at the orps are they should be laying much bigger eggs. I tossed a couple in the incu for the heck of it. I'm hoping when I cross them with the blacks the resulting progeny will lay bigger eggs.

Heck my BM's are in the first year and lay eggs over 2.0 oz.

The BR's are still not laying but I suspect it's a light thing. I have plans to run a cord to the coop and hang one in there as well.

 

[ChickPrincess]

Rancher,
I've had really good luck with adding light. I have it on a timer from 5 am to 4 pm. I was down to 5 or 7 eggs some days. A few of my BA's recently started laying (it's not too many. I can tell b/c they are really small) and suddenly I am up to 20 or so eggs a day! Today I had 21.
I have added two heated waterers, bought fresh scratch, added the lighting, cleaned out the old mucky straw and put down all fresh wood shavings, scraped the roosts and added something similar to stall boy. They are happy and paying me back for it.
I have 7 tetra tints that I got as chicks back in April. Last summer/fall they were all giving me brown eggs except one who laid a green egg. She quit giving me her green eggs until I added the lighting. Suddenly I have 2 green eggs in a day. I know I didn't miss an egg. It's happened twice now. I must have one that never laid in the summer/fall. Now she's starting to lay at 9 months old??? Strange.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: do you think you could hit it with a sling shot ? It would scare it though ..even if you just got near it ..with a stone

Quote:
Isnt a hawk smaller than a chicken ? I thought they wouldnt attack full grown chickens but they do ? My roo is very watchful of everything so I am glad about that
I consider any predator on my land near my chickens . I have only shot at foxes ..they were not really in danger ..but they didnt know it

 

[Henicillin]

Tonight I watched the waxing moon ride across the zenith of the heaven like an ambered chariot towards the ebony void of infinite space where in the tethered belts of Jupiter and Mars hang forever festooned in their orbital majesty and thought. .I really should put a roof on this outhouse.

This is epic.

 

[Gramma Chick]

How is everyone ( including chickies ) holding up with this wind ? It turns out I didnt have my tarp on the coop very securely .Or NOT Secure At ALL
I thought for sure it would tear it off ...but the part I secured held on ...The chickens hated it flapping in the wind above them .
I ended up throwing logs on the wood roof to keep it down on the coop & over the run ..
Got 7 eggs today ...I have 8 hens ...I think it scared the eggs out of them ..LOL

We were also trapped on our road today . A power pole came down ..Our electric is still on !
the town wouldnt let anyone pass on the road ...after my son left for work ..
he drove under the pole as it was tipped but not down low yet .
when my son came home from work he creatively drove my car in the field to get around it to come home ...
Kids ! I would have done the same thing though ( went around it )