Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[csling]

I know what you mean,,,it takes much more motivation for me to get moving on these gloomy days.....I much prefer summer,,,heat and all...

Me too! We just moved back to pa after living 10 years in NC. Crazy I know but all our families live here and traveling 18-20 hrs round trip a bunch of times a year gets very old! But we're still trying to adjust to pa weather again and mother nature isn't making it easy lol.

 

[fisherlady]

I'm working on my coop design. How high on stilts should the coop itself be if I want to use the space underneath for extra run area for them? I'm thinking two feet or should it be two and a half?

2 foot is fine for the birds, 2.5 ft is easier to see what is going on under there.... and 3 ft is probably easier for you to reach under to clean if the coop itself is larger than 4x4. If it is a smaller coop then keep it the 2 or 2.5 level so there will be less rain incursion under it during wet weather, the higher it is the more angle of opening available for rain to blow under, basically the only time it would stay dry is if the rain was falling straight down with no wind at all... and that isn't often. (this is if it is under 4ft square, without doing the geometry I don't think it is as big of a deal once you get above that)

 

[troyer]

absolutely gorgeous! What breed is that?

Good stuff...is he a cubala, of one of your experiments...(I kinda remember you were crossing the cubalas with something else)?

The rooster is 1/2 Sumatra - 3/8th Cubalaya - 1/16th Dark Cornish and 1/16th Sebright. He is an almost perfect blue splash color.

 

[chippysmom327]

Troyer, those are breathtaking!

Quick question: My hen has been doing broody poops for the last few days now. She had one egg last evening that she was sitting on, then was on the roost at night. Then this morning she was just on the egg again. I let her out and she went out but I haven't seen if she's back sitting on it or not. It'd be so awesome if she went broody because I have some eggs in the bator now, and I could give her a few.

So the question is, why the broody poop?

 

[fisherlady]

Troyer, those are breathtaking!

Quick question: My hen has been doing broody poops for the last few days now. She had one egg last evening that she was sitting on, then was on the roost at night. Then this morning she was just on the egg again. I let her out and she went out but I haven't seen if she's back sitting on it or not. It'd be so awesome if she went broody because I have some eggs in the bator now, and I could give her a few.

So the question is, why the broody poop?

Basically a 'broody poo' is just a poop that has been put off for an extended number of hours. A bird doesn't have to be broody to have them, they can happen any time a bird feels it can't go whenever it wants. So although much larger than normal, they aren't exclusive to broodies.... though broodies are what they are associated with, simply because they so rarely get off of the nest when incubating.

Now, that being said... it doesn't mean your girl isn't getting into a broody mood... You can't make it happen, it is hormonal, but you can help encourage her by making sure she has a draft free box with minimum of harassment from other flock members, preferably dimly lit, and place 'fake eggs' into it and cross your fingers.


edit to add... and Gracie is hatching her latest now... she was due late this evening, but first pips were yesterday morning. We didn't bother her last night, but today DH checked and she has 5 out and dry, egg #6 still hasn't hatched and he didn't keep her up long enough to check for pip or zip, so don't know it's status.

 

[chippysmom327]

Troyer, those are breathtaking!


Quick question: My hen has been doing broody poops for the last few days now. She had one egg last evening that she was sitting on, then was on the roost at night. Then this morning she was just on the egg again. I let her out and she went out but I haven't seen if she's back sitting on it or not. It'd be so awesome if she went broody because I have some eggs in the bator now, and I could give her a few.


So the question is, why the broody poop?

Basically a 'broody poo' is just a poop that has been put off for an extended number of hours.  A bird doesn't have to be broody to have them, they can happen any time a bird feels it can't go whenever it wants.  So although much larger than normal, they aren't exclusive to broodies.... though broodies are what they are associated with, simply because they so rarely get off of the nest when incubating.

 Now, that being said... it doesn't mean your girl isn't getting into a broody mood... You can't make it happen, it is hormonal,  but you can help encourage her by making sure she has a draft free box with minimum of harassment from other flock members, preferably dimly lit, and place 'fake eggs' into it and cross your fingers.


edit to add... and Gracie is hatching her latest now... she was due late this evening, but first pips were yesterday morning. We didn't bother her last night, but today DH checked and she has 5 out and dry, egg #6 still hasn't hatched and he didn't keep her up long enough to check for pip or zip, so don't know it's status.

Thanks! Can't figure out why she would feel she needs to hold it. :/ Hopefully she is going broody.

Congratulate Gracie on her chicks for me!!!

The chicks did awesome on their little shoots with the kids. It was the day that it was extremely cold and windy. I put about five hand warmers under an old handtowel, and brought a lamp. It was only 75 watts, but everything was fine. The shoots were in a barn anyway.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

As soon as we have a barn, cow & horse are on the list. So are peafowl!

How could I be so silly! Of course! White peafowl or the traditional blue-green?

I desperately want a horse. I have all my life but my husband doesn't want one so I'll probably never get one

Never say never, sometimes the men soften up a bit as they age. Also having the kids gang up helps too, I hear.

I'm working on my coop design. How high on stilts should the coop itself be if I want to use the space underneath for extra run area for them? I'm thinking two feet or should it be two and a half?

Mine is only like 16", my girls will have to duck until I can build a better coop. I'm already thinking about this and they haven't even stepped foot in this one yet!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

What a gorgeous weekend we are supposed to have! DH was sick late this week and into this weekend. I think I might be getting it too. . I wanted to finish my coop this weekend.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I'm working on my coop design. How high on stilts should the coop itself be if I want to use the space underneath for extra run area for them? I'm thinking two feet or should it be two and a half?

ours is on a slight slope and I think it goes from 2 1/2 feet to 3 feet. But then again, our coop is 6 ft x 10 1/2 feet so we needed to be able to get under it if necessary.

 

[LadyBehir]

Gave them a dozen small crickets. Funny watching them chase them.