Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[BGMatt]

Looking for some input from other poultry people, trying to narrow down breeds again, trying to decide between keeping my Campines or my Dorkings, any thoughts? I only have pairs of each to start, quality is good on both, maybe a slight edge to the Dorkings. Just kind of want to go down to one breed that needs a lot of work to compliment my main breed.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

* Stupid Human Tricks number 1: feeding the wild animals. There were three weanling pups hanging out in the stormwater overflow pond a quarter mile from me, enjoying the sun in the full view of the road, as you do when you're just learning to hunt and still nursing and have all the time in the world. Some idiot who thought they were rescuing orphans fed them all the high-protein dog food they could eat, and we ended up, for a while, with the biggest coyotes you could imagine, totally habituated to humans. Those were the ones who wiped out every outside cat in the neighborhood. If it wasn't for automobiles (or probably semis going back to the box plant), they'd still be around.

Well at least the coyotes did you a favor by eliminating the neighborhood cats before being taken out by traffic!  That is, unless you like cats.  My dog almost lost his eye to a cat that came into our yard so I am not a big fan.

I like cats about 1000% more than I like a suburban neighborhood without them: there were never rats here before (and the coyotes ignore the rats).

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Looking for some input from other poultry people, trying to narrow down breeds again, trying to decide between keeping my Campines or my Dorkings, any thoughts? I only have pairs of each to start, quality is good on both, maybe a slight edge to the Dorkings. Just kind of want to go down to one breed that needs a lot of work to compliment my main breed.

I think the biggest difference between the two is that Campines are better egg layers but not, alas, much for meat, and do not go broody, whereas Dorkings make a substantial carcase, are less productive as egg layers but better for natural brooding?

I'm having a moment of enlightenment this week over how much less difficult it is for me to have chicks raised by broody hens, so perhaps I'm not the one to ask.

 

[orpington lover]

Hi I too am in Washington and new to byc... I'm in tacoma to be exact.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Well, I had an EPIC case of Bad Decision Theatre last night and ended up with BlueBelle loose in the yard.

I would explain in detail, except I still have the kind of headache one gets after being hit in the head with a large chicken, so just let me say that there is no such thing as it being dark enough to grab a chicken off the perch when the moon is waxing full and you're wearing a white shirt.

She's patrolling the yard as if she owned it, which has been her mode since she started coming here as a chick, flirting with Prince and Elvis and also with the teeny-tiny two-month-old Bd'A cockerels. I suspect she'll go into her pen to lay her egg, anc certainly to get her share of today's brown rice and old eggs.

I hope my headache goes away as expeditiously.

 

[AletaG]

Well, I had an EPIC case of Bad Decision Theatre last night and ended up with BlueBelle loose in the yard.

I would explain in detail, except I still have the kind of headache one gets after being hit in the head with a large chicken, so just let me say that there is no such thing as it being dark enough to grab a chicken off the perch when the moon is waxing full and you're wearing a white shirt.

She's patrolling the yard as if she owned it, which has been her mode since she started coming here as a chick, flirting with Prince and Elvis and also with the teeny-tiny two-month-old Bd'A cockerels. I suspect she'll go into her pen to lay her egg, anc certainly to get her share of today's brown rice and old eggs.

I hope my headache goes away as expeditiously.

I know what you mean, except my tiny headache is a lonely banty cross named Penguin, er Hummingbird, er Bumblebee (Depending on what fam member u ask). The Maran he/she's been keeping company is all healed, appears well in all respects and I'm darn tired of my brooder being taken up and having to make special trips to feed/water the little boogers. Unfortunately, my usual trick of wait for dark, add sleepy birds to pile of sleepy birds and when everyone wakes up no ones the wiser didn't work out so well either. Stupid moon. Had to put the dom and the lowest bird in time out. Poor little banty. Not only is it 4wks younger than all the rest, its only friend is a bloody coward (the maran hen, who is understandably afraid of her own shadow after the attack she survived last month)... not been my favorite Sunday today...

 

[Chickielady]

Hey guys, sorry but I am skipping about 8 pages (from 4 days ago) as my computer is so slow & locking up AND I have "thrown out" my back: thinking bulging disc AND/OR Sciatica to the point of going to the doc (slowly & hunkered over) and having 5 X-Rays done, and now on muscle relaxers which does nothing for the pain...darn it all !!!!!!!!

APPLESAUCE !!!!!!!!!!!!
CANNED PEACHES even !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, if I missed anything...please call or e-mail me as BYC just kills my computer.

 

[Gigirg]

I hatched out Catdance Silkie eggs on 2/14 and ended up with 4 boys! They are beautiful and I would love to keep them, but I am getting complaints from the neighbors about their noise. Besides Craigslist, do you all have any ideas on re-homing? They are awesome pets, so I would hope to get them good homes. Help!

 

[sweetmsmisty98]

I hatched out Catdance Silkie eggs on 2/14 and ended up with 4 boys! They are beautiful and I would love to keep them, but I am getting complaints from the neighbors about their noise. Besides Craigslist, do you all have any ideas on re-homing? They are awesome pets, so I would hope to get them good homes. Help!

where in wa are you ?

 

[Gigirg]

East Renton Highlands