Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[sharron]

getting the storm now, came up fast, just barely had time to lock the chicks in the coop and grab the dh's baby ducks before they drowned

 

[tweetr1979]

We just had the front edge of the storm come though - talk about windy and man the lightning is insane!! Really hope I won't need the generator!

 

[nbenevento]

We just had the front edge of the storm come though - talk about windy and man the lightning is insane!!  Really hope I won't need the generator!

The storm seems to be past us here in the Pittsburgh area. No loss of power. We never lose power anymore since I bought a generator. It seems as if it was more of power outage preventer considering I haven't lost power once since I got it.

 

[tweetr1979]

I am over in central PA, have a small cell coming this way and another bigger one behind it.

 

[SilkieSensation]

getting the storm now, came up fast, just barely had time to lock the chicks in the coop and grab the dh's baby ducks before they drowned

We got hit here about 2 hours ago. Ran to do the night feeding & stuffed birds in before they even completed their dinner. Then got totally soaked while trying to stuff baby guineas into the enclosed section of the outdoor brooder because they were stupid & sitting right next to the wire getting soaked with the ducklings. I'm STILL all wet!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Aunt Kat, send chad a pm he has the info to hoovers

 

[LisaYolkUm]

Todays chicken tails.....1 painted the new coop....results two BOs painted green and one dog with white nose.
2. chicks did the jail break again (5 of 6)...enticed two with food and intimidated the other three...seems they don't like wet feet and, roost on the gate, then decide to forage the neighborhood...need to find a way to keep them away from the gate....

I would love to see pics of your painted coop! and your chicks too!

As I am very new to all of this..............ie Backyard Chickens forum and have never raised a chicken.................I am wondering if folks might share some ideas about the best first chicken for me to raise.

I was thinking bantams............since they are small in size............and I just thought maybe 2-3 birds to see how it goes...............

Which bantam would you recommend and why?
if not a bantam----what breed would you recommend and why?

I am building the coop over the next few weeks....................and have read a lot. That's where I am at with this whole thing!

 

[SilkieSensation]

Quote: Your breed choices are going to depend on what you are wanting from your birds. If you are just wanting interesting pets then bantams would be excellent choices because they require less space & less feed, however, they also give less eggs on average & the eggs are much smaller. If you are wanting them for egg production then any of the layer breeds will work. Birds that are specifically bred for high egg production tend to need to be replaced about every 2 years because they will begin to lose productivity after the 2nd year. Heritage breeds will lay for a longer period consistently but may not lay every single day like the production birds do. So here are the questions you will want to answer before deciding on birds:
1. Do I want eggs or pets or both.
2. Do I want big eggs but higher feed cost, or small eggs & smaller feed cost.
3. Do I want to get new birds every couple of years but have higher output or be able to keep the same birds for 4-5 years with slightly lower output.
4. Do I want fancy birds to show off or functional birds to lay eggs.

 

[AUNT KAT]

i use Walter Nolt in Ephrata. (717)354-0289. He processes on Tuesdays by appointment, make sure you call ahead.

THANKS BLARNEY!!!! WILL CALL HIM TOMORROW!!!

I am over in central PA, have a small cell coming this way and another bigger one behind it.

FOLKS, MY HUBBY JUST GOT IN FROM FLORIDA AND WAS STUCK A WHILE DUE TO BAD WEATHER. IT'S COMIN!!!

Aunt Kat, send chad a pm he has the info to hoovers

THANKS!!! WILL CHECK WITH CHAD TOO!! WHERE IS THAT???

 

[stake]

I would love to see pics of your painted coop! and your chicks too!

As I am very new to all of this..............ie Backyard Chickens forum and have never raised a chicken.................I am wondering if folks might share some ideas about the best first chicken for me to raise.

I was thinking bantams............since they are small in size............and I just thought maybe 2-3 birds to see how it goes...............

Which bantam would you recommend and why?
if not a bantam----what breed would you recommend and why?

I am building the coop over the next few weeks....................and have read a lot. That's where I am at with this whole thing!

Lisa:

Post 25850 is the pics....if eggs are not a concern, I'd get some silkies...Both the BOs and Dorkings of my group are pretty friendly...the GLWs are a bit more skidish....but none are mean...there are so many types to choose, that whatever you think you want to start with, won't be what you will end up with....and if you think you want three birds...build a coop for six.....lol...
again, you are more than welcome to visit to get a feel for what you may want....