San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[SunValleySeramas]

Hey all, Just checking in, still not feeling to great, kinda got held back from recovering dure to having to be at work while the boss was in CHINA. I am hanging in, chickens are all well, the cocopop eggs are coming along in the incubater. time will tell. I am needing a chicken gathering, it seems as though the subject somes and goes!!

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

@ desertdarlene: I'm afraid we'll see more and more of this as the novelty of a backyard flock wears off for some people. People dump their dogs....they dump their kids!!.....I don't see why they wouldn't dump their poultry.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

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It does, doesn't it?!! Sorry you're still not feeling good. Hard to recuperate while on the job.

 

[desertdarlene]

I'm sorry you're not feeling well Carahamer.

The lady at Chollas Lake also told me a story about a person who tried to get them to take her swan, but they refused. Then, I guess they snuck the swan through the "back gate" anyway. The swan didn't live very long because it ate one of the metal weights that people use for fishing. Very sad. Poor animals.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

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Darn! I would love to have a flock of Muscovies!

 

[luvanimals2]

The young hens continue to lay.

Found 3 eggs around the coop today. So frustrating that they are not laying in the nest box. I went to the feed store to get straw for them and they knocked down my first improvised version. I used a VERY large litter box. Then I took those metal milk crates and filled it with straw. There are some wooden eggs in there but they are choosing to lay on the ground. Ugh........

Nancy

 

[tigerrrrrrrlilly]

Don't worry Nancy, they will figure it out. My pullets always do that at first. If you can get one to start laying in there the rest will follow. I use plastic rubbermaid tubs with a door hole cut in, they like the privacy once they get used to laying. I think at first they don't understand and are like "What's this thing coming out of me? plop!... then... OOh a bug! " lol
Instinct will take over eventually and they will "nest" their eggs. Keep using the dummy eggs for when they get the "idea" and figure out it's a nesting place.

 

[luvanimals2]

Tammy, Thank You! I know eventually they will figure it out. I know they are trying to frustrate me.

Do you mind posting a picture of your Rubbermaid containers? I just cannot seem to get it in my mind. I used a LARGE open litter box and filled it w/ bedding at first. They went in it and started pecking at the wooden egg and then attempting to eat the bedding. During the night they knocked it over. So I went to the feed store and got some straw and placed it in those really OLD metal milk crates. Yeah, I think they had wood ones but this one is made with ALL metal and it is HEAVY so that they could not knock it over. They are stepping in but no one is brave enough to lay inside. Then again there is not any privacy when there is a dozen hens checking out the box.

Nancy


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[SunnyCalifornia]

My hens' favorite nest is a costco box. LOL It set me back a fortune, I tell ya!! Every trip to Costco is at least $200 !

 

[KensingtonHens]

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Dana, that was a smart move! A little TLC from the loved ones helps a great deal. And of course the wine is always a plus. So sorry for your heartbreak!

My husband and I drove out to pick up two little ones from Lynne this week and boy are they sweet. Quiet and shy and gentle. Lynne's place was fabulous!
Beautiful chickens and ghinny hens (spell?), goats and trees and lettuce and peace!! It was wonderful and a beautiful day trip.

I can't get my big EE to stop sleeping and pooing in the nestbox. I raised the roost bar this afternoon to a higher altitude!! See if that works. And there is some stinky poo now that wasn't there before. It's only once in a while but, boy, it stinks!

Any ideas? All the rest of their poo is fine. Firm and odorless.
Their vents are clean and free of bugs, and the diet hasn't changed, except for more greens then usual. I planted a small garden inside their pen, filled with Johnny-jump-ups and cale. Had to surround it with chicken wire but they still can get whatever grows through. Give me any ideas!!

SunnyCalifornia-love the box/nest!! What a clever idea!