Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[LittleMissPurdy]

***Hello & Welcome to all the new-Peeps!!

.....
We are now getting 5 eggs from 6 birds..so not too bad .Ginger is still doing her "broody" thing. I just haven't been up to getting her separated..not wanting to deal with 3 separate areas right now. Been MIA lately..granddaughter was over and we have had our "To Do Projects" list to keep us extremely busy!!

**Stake-sorry to hear your having Hawk issues again..we have a lot of crows that nest..i think that does help deter the predator-birds. To attract crows: Pine trees-they love them!.. Scattering corn/crackers/suet cake....water source..remove any items that may scare them. You don't have scarecrows around in your decor do you?

..also, if you purchase a "crow-call"..that really get's them going!! I had one as a kid..I love crows!! Just remember, whenever you add food to an area, other birds will come in too...so, however you think best to handle your situation. Just throwing some thoughts out there.

We are in the process of enclosing the lrg coop area! Finally!!..We have a large piece for the back panel, just needs attached. We are keeping our eyes open for windows, 3 would do the job, and a door..preferably with windows. People are always tossing those items away..we are sure to come across these things soon enough. We have to remove the small coop, after the back is placed. Then build the "floor", because we are not going to be messing with the issues we had earlier this spring. We have extra flooring tiles from previous projects to place over the wood-floor, and a 10 gallon bucket of white paint to brighten up the inside when all is done. Using sand as our bedding, so nice & easy to keep clean!! Because of the small area that is there (wood), we are looking at putting the $$ we would have spent on paint towards some siding, so that this coop will match the other buildings/barn on the property.
Once we get the back portion & floor finished, we will then start on the pallet fencing around the run.
I am going to be a thread piggy now....

...




There are large pieces of sod in the runs from the "fruit bush-bed"...they birds are enjoying this immensely!!

**Garden is doing well, getting a chance to dry out a bit from all that rain...we are down to 1 and a "maybe it will make it" cantaloupe plant

**The newly made "fruit bed". These are Blackberry & Raspberry plants.(Thank you again **Sharron!)

.. We have posts & 11 foot railings for the canes...they will be added later..The area from where the dirt ends-to the stakes sticking out of the ground is where the blueberry bushes will go. We have the bushes, they are waiting patiently for their area to be prepared...I am trying to recover from the last section....

There is grass in the runs again!.

...Enclosing that large coop is really going to change the looks of things!! It is also going to create MORE room for MORE birds

... Along with a pallet fence..can't wait till get it done!

Granddaughter is reading "The Little Red Hen"...

....

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

WE GOT OUR 1ST EGG!!!!! Wow, what timing... DH was seriously ready to throw in the towel, but I wasn't ready to give up!! Thanks soooo much to everyone for all the advice and support, this is freaking AWESOME!!!



My 10 yr old was very impressed by it's size... you can't see his HUGE grin behind the eggs, but it's there lol!

Congrats!!

Be patient with them, they have had a lot happen in the past week.

Are you Fermenting your feed? This would help to make the food bill a little less.
As far as your "pest" issue, *Silkie and the others have steered you right...no big thing, just treat them and move on.
Any animal, especially outside kept, will get some sort of pest from time to time. I don't believe that there isn't one of us here who hasn't had to deal with something in one fashion or another. Hang-in there, good, bad or otherwise...this is what you have when you raise animals. If you haven't already, researching and learning as much as you can on whatever you are raising or proposing to raise is the best plan for both you and your animals. That way, if something should arise..your confidence in the knowledge you have acquired will carry you through that situation. You will most likely be ready and have the appropriate supplies on hand and not have to make emergency runs/calls and just feel out-right overwhelmed.
I say this to you as a newbie also,(just a tad over a year) the people here are fantastic at answering and just being there in their support, but it ultimately our own responsibility to learn as much as we can our own sake and our animals. JMHO..hang in there, they will reward you with eggs for being a great caretaker! -Danielle

 

[KlingKlan]

Congrats!!

Be patient with them, they have had a lot happen in the past week.

Are you Fermenting your feed? This would help to make the food bill a little less.
As far as your "pest" issue, *Silkie and the others have steered you right...no big thing, just treat them and move on.
Any animal, especially outside kept, will get some sort of pest from time to time. I don't believe that there isn't one of us here who hasn't had to deal with something in one fashion or another. Hang-in there, good, bad or otherwise...this is what you have when you raise animals. If you haven't already, researching and learning as much as you can on whatever you are raising or proposing to raise is the best plan for both you and your animals. That way, if something should arise..your confidence in the knowledge you have acquired will carry you through that situation. You will most likely be ready and have the appropriate supplies on hand and not have to make emergency runs/calls and just feel out-right overwhelmed.
I say this to you as a newbie also,(just a tad over a year) the people here are fantastic at answering and just being there in their support, but it ultimately our own responsibility to learn as much as we can our own sake and our animals. JMHO..hang in there, they will reward you with eggs for being a great caretaker! -Danielle

Thanks bunches!! I thought I had done a thorough research job (been reading here and other sites, along with google searches for about 3 months lol), but reading about it and actually doing it are entirely different things as I've come to realize

. I believe my girls are happy or at least content, I know they are spoiled already lol! The issue I seem to have run into is that all my research just didn't prepare me for the actuality of having so many "situations" at once in the 1st week, most of which simply didn't come up during my research... which is why I am enormously grateful for BYC and all of you

!

Now I'm off to research fermented feed, thank you very much, for my deloused and officially "laying" girls! Onward and upward

!

 

[wingstone]

 
Congrats!!   Be patient with them, they have had a lot happen in the past week.
Are you Fermenting your feed? This would help to make the food bill a little less.
As far as your "pest" issue, *Silkie and the others have steered you right...no big thing, just treat them and move on.
Any animal, especially outside kept,  will get some sort of pest from time to time. I don't believe that there isn't one of us here who hasn't had to deal with something in one fashion or another. Hang-in there, good, bad or otherwise...this is what you have when you raise animals. If you haven't already, researching and learning as much as you can on whatever you are raising or proposing to raise is the best plan for both you and your animals. That way, if something should arise..your confidence in the knowledge you have acquired will carry you through that situation. You will most likely be ready and have the appropriate supplies on hand and not have to make emergency runs/calls and just feel out-right overwhelmed.
I say this to you as a newbie also,(just a tad over a year)  the people here are fantastic at answering and just being there in their support, but it ultimately our own responsibility to learn as much as we can our own sake and our animals. JMHO..hang in there, they will reward you with eggs for being a great caretaker! -Danielle  

Thanks bunches!! I thought I had done a thorough research job (been reading here and other sites, along with google searches for about 3 months lol), but reading about it and actually doing it are entirely different things as I've come to realize . I believe my girls are happy or at least content, I know they are spoiled already lol! The issue I seem to have run into is that all my research just didn't prepare me for the actuality of having so many "situations" at once in the 1st week, most of which simply didn't come up during my research... which is why I am enormously grateful for BYC and all of you !



Now I'm off to research fermented feed, thank you very much, for my deloused and officially "laying" girls! Onward and upward !

Pretty sure one of us would have made sure you got a few hen's laying...it is always a gamble when getting older birds.

Glad it worked out, and remember a few of us are fairly close if you need help.

 

[LisaYolkUm]

Hurray for the first egg!

I remember how exciting it was for me...............

I keep pulling out the nest drawer and saw nothing..............and one day I thought I saw something move.................double checked............and YES it was an egg!
COOL

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GARDENERS: QUESTION= I made a tower out of chicken wire with straw edging ..............well its growing so well!

The question I have is that the stems and leaves are growing outside of the cylindrical wire................so if I add more dirt............its not really covering the stems and leaves...........so they wont be really rooting.................

what to do?

should I try to tuck the stems in toward the middle? or??

the potatoes are the root..............so I want more of these!

thanks in advance

 

[wingstone]

I have a few scovies available, some older boys and I have 3 chicks that are about 2 weeks, or I have broodies on 16 eggs...
Can not remember who was looking for scovies, I have the large french white and I think Beag Lady has some other colors of scovies, she is in the Harrisburg area.

 

[KlingKlan]

Pretty sure one of us would have made sure you got a few hen's laying...it is always a gamble when getting older birds.

Glad it worked out, and remember a few of us are fairly close if you need help.

Thanks wing! My, people are so neighborly here

.

 

[griggy]

We got our garden in this weekend and my husband just put the nesting boxes in the big coop. Our oldest teenagers are 15 weeks old with the others not far behind so we are looking forward to some eggs!

My eggs from Wingstone and CC are doing great so far. Yesterday was day 7, and out of the 46 I started with, I still have 44 going. Was able to clearly see embryos moving in almost 30 of them yesterday. Very cool. I hope it still keeps going good!

Does anyone raise turkeys? My husband wants to raise turkeys!

 

[wingstone]

We got our garden in this weekend and my husband just put the nesting boxes in the big coop. Our oldest teenagers are 15 weeks old with the others not far behind so we are looking forward to some eggs!

My eggs from Wingstone and CC are doing great so far. Yesterday was day 7, and out of the 46 I started with, I still have 44 going. Was able to clearly see embryos moving in almost 30 of them yesterday. Very cool. I hope it still keeps going good!

Does anyone raise turkeys? My husband wants to raise turkeys!

Heritage turkey or board breasted turkey for quick meat?

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

We got our garden in this weekend and my husband just put the nesting boxes in the big coop. Our oldest teenagers are 15 weeks old with the others not far behind so we are looking forward to some eggs!

My eggs from Wingstone and CC are doing great so far. Yesterday was day 7, and out of the 46 I started with, I still have 44 going. Was able to clearly see embryos moving in almost 30 of them yesterday. Very cool. I hope it still keeps going good!

Does anyone raise turkeys? My husband wants to raise turkeys!

does anyone raise turkeys...

....wow, you have opened up the door on that one!!! How many you looking for??!! Okay, to clarify myself so that I don't get into trouble, I am not laughing at you...okay...i am laughing cause now you are going to see how Neighborly..*enabling*..we all actually are!!
This is my first time raising turkeys. I got mine at the local thingy-boob..and I know a few others, this is their first time too, so..we are just as "new to it all" as you!!hahaha
*Wing is a real good one for this, as well as *CC and *SIlkie. ...so cool, another turkey person!

Thanks bunches!! I thought I had done a thorough research job (been reading here and other sites, along with google searches for about 3 months lol), but reading about it and actually doing it are entirely different things as I've come to realize

. I believe my girls are happy or at least content, I know they are spoiled already lol! The issue I seem to have run into is that all my research just didn't prepare me for the actuality of having so many "situations" at once in the 1st week, most of which simply didn't come up during my research... which is why I am enormously grateful for BYC and all of you

!

Now I'm off to research fermented feed, thank you very much, for my deloused and officially "laying" girls! Onward and upward

!

Oh yeah..that is the first thing you learn!!! That we don't know it all

...hahaha,
Just a little friendly...When you first get a bird..doesn't matter from who either...check them out, if they are good to get birds from, they will completely understand.

Even if they have a few "pests", at least you know right from the get-go. That is also one of the many..very many..reasons why we have to quarantine...and even if received from the same place..i to can learn!! hahahaha
Anyway...i have ran into issues, so it is always best to know what you have (with-in reason) right from the beginning..also...talk about learning curve..I had hatched eggs last year.for the first time..6 eggs, 3 hatched..then all of the sudden, they got sick...what is happening right?...well, it could be this, that and everything in between, but in the end..found out it was the wrong feed for the chicks...simple...not my fault, but..because i was relying on someone elses opinion/suggestion..instead of maybe finding out myself maybe i could have saved the others..who knows...one did make it..and she is nuts, so there you go. hahaha...
Fermenting is very easy...got a bucket, and scoop with holes-or second bucket, feed, ACV or yeast, water..something to stir with...then you are there!! hahaha, there are different ways to do it. SOme just kinda "soak" the feed, I like to do the full-on ferment..can be a little offensive to some..i don't mind it, but DH does..so it is out int the chickens shed. You can "strain it" or get it to "loaf" up...very simple and it help pump-up the nutrients of the feed, the acv helps their digestion/absorption, helps with their hydration also.
You can Ferment any feed, crumble/pellets/mash...i have done the crumble and right now doing the mash...Lots of info out there, can get a bit confusing. I f you have questions..we have ears..or in this case eyes...

..
I am so glad you got your first egg!! It really does help to lift the egg-spirits..and that's why we do this ..right?!