Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[Bassleg]

Quote:
Now that's what I am talked about......I hope I hope,,, I have 8 with black marking out of 25.

 

[joletabey]

That would be great, wouldn't it? Are you going to band those particular chicks and keep track to see? It might be good information for us all if we could prove that to be true.

 

[Cetawin]

BEWARE OF DELLIE MIND CONTROL!!! Never ever look one of the adorable heathens in the eyes....they will bend you to their will and their every desire. USE CAUTION!!

 

[poultryhaven]

Quote:
I agree. Im raising for meat birds and i decided on keeping a roo probably cause he's so darn nice! lol

 

[Cetawin]

Oh it is very true...one look and the next thing you know you are waiting on them hand and foot....cooking for them, checking on theg constantly, baking for them, letting them live in the house and garage longer than they should...letting the visit you inside and watch TV...

They are EXPERTS at mind control.

 

[kathyinmo]

Rain water ....
I was just thinking. Some people have watering systems that use rain water. Why didn't I think of that earlier (like a month ago!)...

I have been (all this rainy season) dumping out rain water and filling with fresh water every single day. I mostly use white dishpans for the older birds. I like white, because then I know it is clean. When it rains it splashes mud on the sides of the container, but the water is generally pretty clean. STILL, I have been dumping it out! So, yesterday I decided to leave the rain water. Guess what .... they don't like it. Well, I think they don't like it anyway, because they drank very little of it. Yet, the couple tubs in the yard with fresh water were used.

Do you leave the rain water in the water dish?

Feeders ....
What kind do you use? I am soooooo tired of cleaning up feed from under the feeders. I constantly worry that it will get wet (the excess that is on the ground) and they will eat it and get botulism ! How can I keep all this feed off the ground? Today I bought a couple of those galvanized hanging bucket feeders, and thought I would try that.

Flies ....
With all this rain there are many more flies than I have ever had. I think using DE might work inside the coops, because it is not bad in there. But outside ......

...... flies are around the feeders and the poop on the ground. I have hung fly sticky strips, which is helpful, but they fill up in a day! What do you do about flies? I never had this problem last year (ok, I only had a few chickens then!)..

 

[macmama]

Quote:
We're having a horrible fly year in AZ too.
We bought hanging Rescue fly traps from Home Depot. They are $5 and they WORK. They smell horrible if you get too close-- but we bought 3 for our small backyard where we have a little flock and within 5 days all 3 had 2-3 INCHES of dead flies floating in them. I can't even guess how many flies that is... but it's definitely in the hundreds.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
I've never had good luck with those kind of feeders I did get some plastic ones from American livestock that have plastic strips dividing the feed lip and as long as you adjust it so not too much feed comes out it works and I bought the top cover to keep the birds off the top but the best feeder by far is using free buckets with a lid from the bakery and using a hole saw (3" size) up as high as it will fit it make 5 holes in a bucket they have to put their head in it to eat and they try to get their feet in their but they can't. I don't get rain like you do but when I had a storm with wind no rain got in there and the holes were high enough no splash back got in either. I use those buckets with nipples for waterers too works sweet and I just add my ACV in there keeps the slime down too.

you can see the chicks eat out of them too I just made it smaller for them.

as for flies I use predators and have for years I just never have many of them and forget about them until I go away from home...

 

[joletabey]

It IS a horrible fly year, and to my shame, I admit to having failed to order fly predators this year. I WILL NEVER EVER DO WITHOUT THEM AGAIN!!! I may try to get some anyway, even though it's already June. DE doesn't do a thing in my coop. I think I am going to get some strips to hang way up in the top - since this bunch doesn't roost, no one should be bothered.

I have a hanging waterer outside, so it gets a little rain water in the bottom- mine seem OK, but prefer fresh with ACV. I feed crumbles rather than pellets as they don't waste much with crumbles. Well, the Dels don't. The Orp Terrorist Girls have their drama queen hissy fits and knock everything over all the time, so I am going to go to some kind of hanging system with them, too. I mean hang the feeders, not the girls.

The feed attracts flies, too. YUCK. MAJOR YUCKETY POO!

It is also the worst year for ants. There are ants everywhere. I wish the chickens would eat the flies and ants.

 

[kathyinmo]

What is fly predators? Never heard of it before.