Oregon

[Zanna]

Hello fellow Oregonians! I am new to Salem Oregon as of August, 2014. I have a small hobby flock. I have Lavender and Black Ameraucanas, a Welsummer, Blue and Splash Copper Marans, Mille Fluer D'uccles, Olive Eggers, and a breeding trio of Blue Laced Red Wyandottes. My girls have FINALLY started laying again!! Yay!

Anyone else located in the Salem area and what do you have?

Welcome, we are almost neighbors I am a little south of Salem, in Jefferson, not too far off the I-5. I have, well, just too many chickens!! My main breeds I am working with are New Hampshires, Delawares, Black Copper Marans and a few Ameraucana's. Also have a few hatchery birds so I get a coloured egg carton like yours and they get propagated by a few broody hiders each season. Just heard the first peeping from some hatching New Hampshires as I write, 2nd batch of the season.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Hopefully someone has been able to connect with you on this, and unfortunately that is a direction I do not go in...however, I find these website photos and descriptions really accurate and helpful in determining if you have mites/lice or examining the poo.

Be aware that you likely won't see evidence in the poo unless there is a big overload. Most of us simply do a protocol regularly knowing that all chickens have worms. It is more a matter of keeping them in check with the bird's own immune system and some sort of supplemental treatment...either herbal, DE, or worm meds...depending upon your personal flavor.

Keeping ACV in their water (non-metal) does a lot to help keep their gut acidity up so that their immune system is doing its job.

For lice, check at the vent area during the day to see any white nits and scurrying yellow flat bodies. Mites are really hard to see and generally discovered under the bedding in the nest at night with a flash light. As they draw blood, you often will see little blood dirt trails rather than the mites themselves which tend to be night feeders.

I notice scruffy looking tail feathers that is not associated with molting as the first sign of lice/mites.

Check the legs to make sure all scales are smooth and flat. Vaseline works great to rid any scaly infestations, but you have to reapply faithfully for several weeks to starve out the mites AND clean and treat your coop.

I like Orange Guard to spray in the coop, and Sevin dust or Poultry dust spread in their dusting area....also in the coop under bedding periodically. It really helps cut down on the pest growth.

I hope this helps until you can get someone out your way:

Poop:
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/?topic=17568.0

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html


Lice/Mites
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=lice

Lady of McCamley

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm learning that, to a degree, weather can impact what type of run/coop set up keepers decide on.

I am considering sand in my coop and then more of a DLM in the run. Are either of these a bad idea for Oregon flocks? Anything special you can share on the do's or don't...any tips? Anything would be appreciated!

We will have 6 ladies, run will be 10x6, they will have free range time in the yard as well. The coop is 5' W x 3 1/2' H x 4 1/2' D.

Thanks!

It would depend upon your soil make up as to what would be best for you.

I have HEAVY clay soil, so I have personally chosen not to go the sand route as that mixed with my soil would be equivalent to what they sell for Ross Island concrete mix.

For the run, I do best with pine shavings...the Bear Mountain, or better the Natures Pine Shavings, at WilCo. The Natures is a bit finer grain. That mixed into my clay soil is slowly, slowly, with the chicken manure, giving me a rich loam....so rich that my farmer daughter and husband came out to visit and remarked what rich dark loam I now have.

I used to use straw, but that did not break down well with my clay...again back to making bricks. It did not decompose well at all in my set up, and would rot and stink. I like how the pine shavings absorbs the moisture well, keeping things dryer in the run, and also keeps the smell down.

Outside of the run, in the general chicken yard, we use bark dust of various types...We started with cedar chips before we had chickens, which isn't the best for chickens, so we've covered that up with other bark mixtures. We've had oak chips from an old school site (self hauled for free off of Craigslist) and we've used the free wood chippings from tree trimmers. Just fine enough to shift and toss, but the free stuff obviously has some bigger chunks here or there. That has really help keep the mud down.

With the mixing of pine shavings,bark and manure...I am finally getting decent loam that is not thick mud.

My 2 cents.

Lady of McCamley

 

[Garjzla]

My flock is so dirty! Maybe Oregon isn't too neat and tidy because of all the rain. I guess I should learn how to bathe a chicken, and fast!

Does anyone know how?

 

[only1bgirl]

@SalinasChicken Gorgeous birds and eggs! I live in Salem and have four silkies as pets, for eggs and garden fertilizers. Do you use all of your eggs or Do you sell some?

 

[Garjzla]

I have one black female Wyandotte hen, I don't know if I want to keep her for breeding or not. But, just in case, I want to see if anyone has any black wyandotte roosters for sale.

So, does anyone have any available? But I don't know if I want to cut down on the standard chickens because I don't really eat eggs and I don't eat meat, and they are kinda being bullies on the littles.

 

[SalinasChicken]

@only1bgirl

Hi neighbor! I love silkies, I sold my flock of silkies before our move. It was very hard to do :/
Right now we are using all our eggs, I have 4 kiddos so we eat a lot lol. During the peak of laying season I sell excess eating eggs from my laying flock. I'll start gathering and hatching BLR eggs soon too, those don't get eaten

 

[only1bgirl]

I bet that was hard to sell your Silkies, easy to get attached to them, I have a white hen who follows me around like a dog, she's the boss of the flock, her docile sister is a grey partridge they both have gone broody on me the last couple of days. I worried about the partridge she gorged on grass and her crop was huge and impacted. I think we're out of the woods now with her. Such bad timing if I realized she was going broody I wouldn't of let her out they seem to really pack it in to ready for brooding. I have a buff girl and boy, just found him a home, the neighbors did not like a rooster around and with summer coming I had to give him up, very hard to do but found a great home for him where he can make a ton of chicks! Your eggs are beautiful if you have extras this spring you want to sell PM please. I hope your settling in well here, it will stop raining by June I promise!

 

[farmgirlroots]

SalinasChicken I just sent you a pm.

 

[darkbluespace]

Hi all!

I am looking for fertile Coturnix quail eggs, standard or jumbo or Jumbo adult birds. Portland-ish area.

I tried Craigslist, but no responses : (

Thanks!

Alyssa