Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Chickielady]

I have Black Copper Marans and Barnevelders in the incubator and I did not see an air cell in one of the Barnevelder eggs when I was candeling so I thought the egg was infertile. When I looked more carefully trying to see if there was any sign of life I noticed that there is an air cell in the middle of the egg. I drove the eggs less than 10 miles so I wonder how the air cell ended up on the side of the egg. I am curious how it will effect hatching.

I think they are just laid that way, cuz they do not roll around, they are just air cells on the side of the egg...and they sure do not want to hatch !

 

[Chickielady]

Thanks very much for the warm response!

At this point it's all about the eggs. Chilled easy going temperament that lay well. Color of the eggs is less important to me than getting nice size and good tasting eggs if they happen to be cool colors then that is icing on the cake for me. Maybe later I'll be looking for other attributes? My coop is 4.5' by 6' with 18' x 4.5' of run space. 4.5' x 24' total for the birds.

My breed list at this point is:

Red Sex-link
Black Sex-link
Gold Sex-link
Silver laced Wyandotte
Blue Andalusian
Ancona
Black Jersy Giant
Egyption Fayoumi
Gold Laced Wyandotte

Not in any particular order, based on what could be available at one particular source. I'm easy on the breeds if I know thye are coming from a good source.

Thanks!

I have Blue,Black & Splash Jersey Giants & eggs for sale....will hatch chicks if ordered & they must be picked up within 3 days of hatch.
Check out pictures of the birds in my ad on my sig line, they are awesome !

 

[Chickielady]

General rule of thumb is 4 sqft per bird in coop, 10 sqft of run per bird (you can do less, I have used anywhere from 8-10 sqft total for birds depending on their size). Even at those first larger numbers they're still turn it barren. It's been a while since I looked into it but I want to say for them to not destroy it the requirement is something like 200 sqft of pasture?

Edit: I currently have three rescued hens in a 16x24 area, which works out to 128 sqft per bird and it is barren dirt. Just as an FYI

Another issue is the breed itself, For Example:

12 Buckeye in 1 large pen about 15 X 40 feet, and 12 Black Java in an identical pen, both with 8-10" thick tall permemnent pasture grass....and the Buckeyes ate every blade of grass til it died..(within months !)...........the Javas pen is thick & lush, still to this day.
Some love grass, some not so much !

 

[Chickielady]

Hello! I am in washington too, shelton area. New to chickens and have our first 3 chicks.

Noodle, Empress, and Penguina

Cool Names !

 

[Chickielady]

Argh, the bad-spelling monster gets me again. Also, peppermint oil or food-grade lavender in the dust bath seems to have a soothing/anti-itch effect; when I was at the peak of the infestation, the hens would sit in the dust bath with their feet buried, and come out and not pick at their feet for a day or so.

I do alternate applications of
1) WD-40

2) Vaseline with Melafix (Tea Tree Oil) mixed in (massage into & under their leg scales as much as you can.)




Melafix is pure tea tree oil very concentrated & available at where tropical fish are sold.....a great price for the big bottle, about $3.50 I think???
I got mine at Walmart.Got the huge bottle of vaseline there too !

3) Eprinex the birds every 6 months with 2 applications, 1 week apart.

If they are really infested, I fire up the Dental Water Pix, and fill it with warm soapy water, and use the tiny tip (just for the birds, mind you ) and spary under each leg scale as much as I can.
Then do the Vaseline/Melafix rub.
be advised, you will get spray splashed all over you & your kitchen.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Just because my life is not in any way more complicated than I can handle: I just moved the cows back down the hill, because it's Sunday. You know, the day in suburbia when people mow their lawns? And several of the neighbors keep organic and mow high and feed the clippings to the cows...

First thing they did was run to the salt box: I'm out of salt and nobody's had time to get it to me nor to the cattle. May: never enough time.

 

[Chickielady]

That's just completely uncalled for. I've never said my birds were the best and for the information of everyone on here, I don't even breed and show Buff Orpingtons. And I don't know what the "calm down" is all about. I'm not upset and as far as I know nobody else is either.

I'm also aware that you sell your birds to MFF. What I'm not aware of is how many you've shown or how many awards you've won from showing them. I am NOT saying there is anything wrong with hatchery or feedstore birds. I refer folks to MFF all the time. But anyone who would claim there is no clear comparative difference between a hatchery or feedstore bird with a good SQ breeder bird simply is either completely oblivious to what a breed should look like or I don't know what. It also does a grave injustice to the time, effort, expense, dedication, commitment and everything else that a true breeder goes into in order to produce the best specimen that can be bred.

What I do tell folks is that it does cost the same amount of money to feed a really good looking SQ breeder bird as it does a poor looking bird. Some people care about that and some don't. Makes no difference to me.

But I am getting really tired of your cheap shots at me for whatever reason. You got a problem with me, then at least PM, email, or call me and let me know what it is.

For what it's worth, I totally agree with Tailfeathers !

 

[Chickielady]

OK back to work for me, again !

SF: Hang in there & I told VF you said HI.

 

[Chickielady]

Dropped back for a quick message:

Lutefisk is getting married this week end ???????????????
Hope we get to see Photos !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mollychick2013]

Welcome!

So cute! What breeds are they? Is Noodle the one peeking out from down below, by any chance. She looks like a Noodle to me!

Yep, Noodle is the one peaking out at the bottom. The brown ones are Rhode Island Red and the black and white is a black Australorp. We also got two laying hens today!!!! Golden Sexlinks