NY chicken lover!!!!

[Gramma Chick]

THANKS to everyone who offered suggestions to keep the outdoor run / pen cleaner. It's great to learn what works (and what hasn't) for other folks. I need to get a finer-tined rake. The one I'm using is a little too wide to grab up and hold the poop for disposal. Thanks again for the good ideas and advice!

CASS - sorry about your leg. I had my shin bone slammed by a bike falling out of the back of my van last year and it was excruciating. I thought I might have chipped the bone, too. It took a long time to heal and I still have a sort of dent in my skin. I hope you heal quickly.

Henicillin - I think it's pretty neat that you're giving that funky little disabled chick a chance. Sounds like he/she has bonded with you.

TOB

We use all kinds of stuff for the run ...Dried grass clippings is the best ...smells wonderful ...straw , leaves ..Free is best . we layer it
It is all wet now & needs to be changed
do you have a pitch fork ? that seems to work best to clean stuff out ...(Deep Litter ..)

 

[Nuttyfrom6kids]

I had an EE like that.  I just rubbed the crack with a white candle and put it back under the hen and it hatched just fine. 

Will try that with a white candle like I said it seems to be progressing so I figured I would leave it

We use all kinds of stuff for the run ...Dried grass clippings is the best ...smells wonderful ...straw , leaves ..Free is best . we layer it
It is all wet now & needs to be changed
do you have a pitch fork ? that seems to work best to clean stuff out ...(Deep Litter ..)

Can you just throw dried grass clippings in the run or do you have to chop them up into small pieces first? I thought I saw somewhere that you can get crop problems if you don't chop up grass clippings into small pieces I would love to throw some grass clipping in the future but not if I have to throw them in the food processor first.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
Hi , Did you get the egg cartons today ?
**** If any one is interested 20 large egg cartons shipped for 6.60 ***** Priority shipping ****

This How I do it when the grass dries ( if it ever stops raining ..( it is raining again now at 3:34 am ...UGH )
we mow the lawn ...after the grass has dried a few days ..(.if there are clumps- break it up more - or the grass is still green it needs to dry more & be broken up more
I just rake it & put it in my lawn cart & put it in the coop or the run or a garbage bag . If you have a lawn sweeper this is easier as it collects it all

As it is no longer green they dont eat it ...just walk on it ...LOL it is approx 1 inch long ?

I did this last year ...bagged it & stored it in a dry place ..I also stored dry leaves in garbage bags .
I am still using last years grass & leaves that I gathered inside the coop & run . We did add some straw to the run also

 

[vmdanielsen]

Will try that with a white candle like I said it seems to be progressing so I figured I would leave it
Can you just throw dried grass clippings in the run or do you have to chop them up into small pieces first? I thought I saw somewhere that you can get crop problems if you don't chop up grass clippings into small pieces I would love to throw some grass clipping in the future but not if I have to throw them in the food processor first.

I would not process grass clippings or other foods(to much work for me!!). If your chickens do not have access to small stones, by free ranging, I would feed them grit. Grit can be purchased at many chicken feed stores.

 

[miquwid]

Speaking of which.  My EE in the Del coop has taken over the Dels eggs.  That poor girl.  This will be the second time another hen has moved in on her.  So now I have three hens sitting on eggs.  Buckwheat in the bottom, the EE in the middle box (where the del was) and the Del in the top box.  I took two of the eggs from the EE and moved them up with the Del hen.  

Now the chick that hatched the day before yesterday was out again in the run.  Running around, so I stood and watched to see how it was going. When it got under the Del hen that is brooding two earlier chicks and the hen squatted to cover it I knew it would be okay.  Tonight I did check and there it was under the Del hen nice and warm.  

Help me Jesus, I swear there is a conspiracy going on with all these broody hens. 

Good luck with your broodys lol

So at 5:30am this morning as I leaving the house to walk the dogs I here my silkie hen sounding her I need attention alarm so I every single neighbor can hear me till you get here. So I tie the dogs up and run down and I swear she looked at me and said "hey" lol

 

[Breella]

Maybe something like my TSC silkies.



This is the silkie i like. I wish i could breed them just like this guy. No poof so they can see no leg feathers to get dirty at all, or have other birds peck. Still mainly silkie feathers, black skin, 5 toes, and all black eyes.

Ha, my TSC Silkie has 5 toes on one foot and 4.5 toes on the other. One is growing out of the other thumb toe, and it's tiny. It also has semi-regular feathers on the wings, but every thing else is Silkie. Has more of a mohawk than a poof too and at just 11 weeks is much bigger than the pure breed Silkie I got from Lynzi.

 

[armorfirelady]

Can you just throw dried grass clippings in the run or do you have to chop them up into small pieces first? I thought I saw somewhere that you can get crop problems if you don't chop up grass clippings into small pieces I would love to throw some grass clipping in the future but not if I have to throw them in the food processor first.

I just throw the clippings in as is. All my hens in the hoop coop are over a year old. I will tear up fresh kale & turnip greens for the tots since the youngest is 5 weeks. But Stella tries to break those pieces up smaller before she eats them. They also have grit available to help them.

 

[Lynzi777]

Ha, my TSC Silkie has 5 toes on one foot and 4.5 toes on the other. One is growing out of the other thumb toe, and it's tiny. It also has semi-regular feathers on the wings, but every thing else is Silkie. Has more of a mohawk than a poof too and at just 11 weeks is much bigger than the pure breed Silkie I got from Lynzi.

Yea, thats how my first two silkies were I got from a local woman. Her adults were the same way, so I'm thinking her stock was hatchery.

 

[Lynzi777]

Day 19 for the bator eggs and nothing yet, so I'm not sure if they'll be early birds or not. I cannot believe it is raining AGAIN! I'm tempted to let the silkies out in it so they can get a "shower" last time I did that with Duncan and Pearl they looked beautiful the next day. LOL The chicks are pretty dirty so they could use a bath. This aughtta be interesting. I'll be sure to have my phone ready to take pictures.

 

[rancher hicks]

Maybe something like my TSC silkies.



This is the silkie i like. I wish i could breed them just like this guy. No poof so they can see no leg feathers to get dirty at all, or have other birds peck. Still mainly silkie feathers, black skin, 5 toes, and all black eyes.

clearly that bird is giving me the evil eye.

that's why I didn't want silkies or birds with feathered feet. It's just too muddy here.

Lord have mercy with all this rain it's like something out of a horror movie. Dark and cloudy. My arthritis is killing me.