Utah!

[bitsyhorse]

Those top eggs are an example of some really nice speckled eggs. Not my image, but I wish it was.

yep, mine have been varying degrees of those spots... started out with the real splotchy stuff, but now have mellowed out to the middle ones. But mine are more of the dark one in the top left.

okay, terrible pic... but I just took it today because one of my hatchlings from may laid her first egg, and it was a pretty green/blue

 

[frmboyinthecity]

yep, mine have been varying degrees of those spots... started out with the real splotchy stuff, but now have mellowed out to the middle ones. But mine are more of the dark one in the top left.

okay, terrible pic... but I just took it today because one of my hatchlings from may laid her first egg, and it was a pretty green/blue

That's a great looking mix! I love those nice dark eggs.

 

[bitsyhorse]

this is the girl that laid the green/blue egg. She's a EE mixed with Salmon Faverolle. She's so friendly, and I love her to death

 

[frmboyinthecity]

this is the girl that laid the green/blue egg. She's a EE mixed with Salmon Faverolle. She's so friendly, and I love her to death

She looks like a snowy owl! She's looks awesome!

 

[RJSorensen]

Bitsy, I thought she had an owl look as well, might be so. I was looking through some summer photographs and stumbled upon this one. Seems as though I am working to keep ice away now, but there was a time just a few short months ago when it was a daily treat the birds looked forward to. Sometimes we would garnish the bowl with a lemon, sometimes we were too busy to do so, but the cool water was a hit… all the time. Now, not so much.



RJ

 

[sundancenbare]

No it does swing open and closed but you don't have to pull it as it shuts autotmatically I love it Ill see if I can find the link

I made a mistake, It was the pullet shut I like so much the name confused me its on chickendoors.com I am going to buy another one when I get back to Utah and replace the one I don't like.

 

[iPickYupik]

iPick, what Modern Game Birchen's do you have? I don't remember if you have a rooster or not to go with your hens. Also how are the Modern Games doing in the garage, are they looking ok with that for protection? I am slowly taking somewhat of a fancy to them. They are hands down the DW's favorite birds, even over the French Hens we got from Lisa. We will have to see how the birds weather this winter.

RJ

RJ they've been doing great in the garage. I have a trio of each (the birchens and the brown reds). I really need to scale down and plan to put them on KSL again. Hoping to get them sold before the holidays in case we get talked into heading to NM or CA to visit family for the holidays.

 

[RJSorensen]

Thanks iPick. Glad you and yours are doing ok this winter season. It was good enough outside today, that I took a moment to go out with the birds and I took a camera. Something I don't do often, the DW takes most of our photographs these days. I've several I would like to share, a couple of overdue pictures of my big coop 12' x 20' where I keep my large fowl. The kitchen garden is along the front of the coop and the tomato plants reside in front of the three windows, which face the south.



This is a view of the rear/short side and exit point for the birds when it is not covered with snow. That would be Honk, our French hen from Lisa the enabler. She is last out, I suppose because she can not see the narrow pop door, at least not very well.



I am working on updating the interior and fixing her up to her former glory. She was once red, but no more, I like white in my out buildings. I hope to put in a small divider in the east end, with which I hope to pen my Banty Silver Duckwings for egg collection and hopefully some hatching. I am thankful to have this building with a nice cement floor, though the four foot height in the back is a tad tight for me. But the birds don't seem to care and it is big enough I suppose for a couple of sections, should I need them. A time when big worked out to be better.

Yes the lights work, and we are in full compliance with all OSHA standards and regulations, if you were going to ask. Our certificate of occupation is prominently displayed inside the front/main door, per state and local requirements. Maximum occupancy is 50, but I only ever keep 20 or so. Where I free range around 300 days a year, there is not a lot going on in there, other than eggs and sleeping.

Best to all and your birds,

RJ

 

[RJSorensen]

The Banty coop looks fore-longed with the west end planter barren and the big pot out front in winters decline. I decided to plant a plastic evergreen tree in it for the off season, the DW has a name for this type of thing, but it is not one which I remember. I might light it up, to cheer up the bird's Christmas wreath on the front door. My sliding hardware cloth door has turned out to be a wonderful management tool. And the birds like to lay behind it in the sun, knowing they are safe and secure. A lot of wing stretching goes on in there. This top view is from the west.



This below is the east side of the new coop, on the far right you can see half of my outdoor horizontal nipple watering bucket, it has a bucket heater in it and has worked out well, at least thus far into the season. The space in front of the chairs is where we feed out treats, ice water in season, and sometimes scratch. We have a radio and a metal table, some wind chimes a place to hang the egg baskets, an atomic clock with temp, most everything is able to be squirted off as needed, I do like my birds and enjoy seeing them as often as I can. For those of you whom know of Henny Penny, she sends her best regards and seasons greetings. We still paint her toes pink, much to the delight of the neighboring children. When Silver Penny allows us to do so, we indulge in her pedicure as well. The pavers have been an nice addition, they catch some warmth and the birds like to lay along the front/south side of the coop and sun. I like the all weather, not sloppy surface for my chicken coop deck/hang out place.



This is the north side/back of the coop. It also has the required OSHA exit markers, but this one has faded quite a bit, but still does the job. I use double gate latches and one of those green snap locks you can perhaps see on the left latch. The pop door has both cleats and anti slip strips. We had a slip and fall last year, so we doubled down this season with the black sandpaper strips. I don't know if you can see it, but there is a plexiglass insert in the pop door opening. This is sized to keep the LF and Turkeys out of this building. It is in the shape of a long oval and lets in light, without letting in the unwanted birds. I fancy it to be my version of a NASCAR sanctioned throttle plate. Plus with the north wind I do not want an opening larger than needed. It is setup so as to be able to accept various inserts as needed down the road.



It would appear that Silver Penney is on the ramp and Kaydee is poking her head through the pop opening. I also double lock everything, Raccoons are smart and persistence, so one latch is not enough to protect your birds. Even if it can not be gotten into, I double loch/latch all doors and such. Remember everyone loves a nice chicken dinner…

Best to all and your fine birds,

RJ

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

The Banty coop looks fore-longed with the west end planter barren and the big pot out front in winters decline. I decided to plant a plastic evergreen tree in it for the off season, the DW has a name for this type of thing, but it is not one which I remember. I might light it up, to cheer up the bird's Christmas wreath on the front door. My sliding hardware cloth door has turned out to be a wonderful management tool. And the birds like to lay behind it in the sun, knowing they are safe and secure. A lot of wing stretching goes on in there. This top view is from the west. This below is the east side of the new coop, on the far right you can see half of my outdoor horizontal nipple watering bucket, it has a bucket heater in it and has worked out well, at least thus far into the season. The space in front of the chairs is where we feed out treats, ice water in season, and sometimes scratch. We have a radio and a metal table, some wind chimes a place to hang the egg baskets, an atomic clock with temp, most everything is able to be squirted off as needed, I do like my birds and enjoy seeing them as often as I can. For those of you whom know of Henny Penny, she sends her best regards and seasons greetings. We still paint her toes pink, much to the delight of the neighboring children. When Silver Penny allows us to do so, we indulge in her pedicure as well. The pavers have been an nice addition, they catch some warmth and the birds like to lay along the front/south side of the coop and sun. I like the all weather, not sloppy surface for my chicken coop deck/hang out place. This is the north side/back of the coop. It also has the required OSHA exit markers, but this one has faded quite a bit, but still does the job. I use double gate latches and one of those green snap locks you can perhaps see on the left latch. The pop door has both cleats and anti slip strips. We had a slip and fall last year, so we doubled down this season with the black sandpaper strips. I don't know if you can see it, but there is a plexiglass insert in the pop door opening. This is sized to keep the LF and Turkeys out of this building. It is in the shape of a long oval and lets in light, without letting in the unwanted birds. I fancy it to be my version of a NASCAR sanctioned throttle plate. Plus with the north wind I do not want an opening larger than needed. It is setup so as to be able to accept various inserts as needed down the road. It would appear that Silver Penney is on the ramp and Kaydee is poking her head through the pop opening. I also double lock everything, Raccoons are smart and persistence, so one latch is not enough to protect your birds. Even if it can not be gotten into, I double loch/latch all doors and such. Remember everyone loves a nice chicken dinner… Best to all and your fine birds, RJ

Your coops always look soooo clean and beautiful! I took the walkway out of ours when we tilled the runs, and painted it, and it was disgusting after a week. You must work your butt off mister Your birds have an awesome flockmaster.