Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[justbugged]

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Thank you for the advice! I'm trying to get my flock put together while they're young. It's just being a total PITA. LOL

I wish there were a way to keep roosters from crowing. I just carried Jerk out to the garage to show him/her the coop for a motivational talk. I told Jerk that if it's a girl, it can live in the chicken palace. Otherwise we might be having a BBQ. Jerk is such a sweetie! No pecking, biting or anything when I carry it around. (The pronoun confusion is getting annoying.) It sits quietly on my arm, looks around and just enjoys being carried. Is this unusual for a rooster?

Jennifer
Unfortunately it's not unusual given the time you spend with it, and it's age. I do know that their are many roo's still in Seattle, and you could always try to claim that he was there before the law changed. I shouldn't recommend that, but I do know of others that seem to get away with it. I also have the feeling that you seem to really know that Jerk is a roo, but I don't blame you for having a favorite. I have had a couple of roos that I still completely miss. They can be so lovey dovey, with their special person. Maybe they know that we are their first and best girl, so that we become one their hen's as they get older. After all if you can get in good with a hen that has an aposable thumb and forefinger, you would have the best chance at getting treats, and unlimited food. LOL

 

[Hinotori]

If Duke is a large fowl roo, then it is well within the range of normal for him to be just getting with the program at 7 months of age. I do know that I learned this when I had a couple of light Sussex roo's. I am told by his owner that Carlos is a wonderful roo to his ladies, and that he a very nice rooster with his people. I just wish could have kept his bother Harold.

Duke is a large fowl ameraucana. I know it takes a while on non hatchery birds. He started trying to grab girls about two months ago. Just would grab their neck, they would turn and kick his butt. He didn't know what he was doing. He's been wing dancing lately, too. I do have to say that the head rooster didn't attack Duke when he did it to him. Just gave him a good stare and Duke ran off yelling. I got the wing dance a few days ago and pushed him on his way with my foot. He's always followed me since I got him because he is very friendly and likes being held and snuggling. I didn't take it as aggression. I've been fully expecting the hatchery brahma that is two months younger to actually mature first. HE still is acting like a little kid though.

 

[justbugged]

Well I should go get something done. I need to get the dirty straw from the coop clean out, tilled into the garden, and or the kitchen cleaned up, so that it is nice enough to get pictures of. The kitchen has been done for sometime now, but I have yet to get it to the point of pictures. It still needs a couple of pieces of baseboard trim in the room over all, but the kitchen has been functional since the last week of September. It hasn't helped that I was sick for most of October.

It isn't going to be easy to get going. I over did things yesterday, and I'm having trouble with moving today. I still don't regret getting the coop cleaned out. This just reminded me that I need to get some more straw put into the coop, before they go to bed tonight.




CL I don't think that a swap page has been set up yet. I can do that if you think we need it. I know that I have a list of things that can be put on it.

 

[justbugged]

As for my thoughts on a potluck at the Chehalis show. I completely understand CR's position. He just doesn't have the space for it in his booth, and it's very distracting. We have also had other fall out over the potluck. The sponsor's have had a problems with the outside vendor's complaining about the potluck cutting into their profits. They also have had problems with simply not being asked about it first. I guess I have a problem with that theory, because I doubt that I would have bought anything from a food vendor at the show regardless of a potluck.

Still there isn't really a room for us to gather for a potluck that would be unobtrusive at the Chehalis Show. I would be interested in seeing if CR's trailer would work for a potluck. We could try the trailer out, but I do have questions about power, and seating.

I would be willing to try and get things set up. I do think that this time we should include the sponsors into the planning. In the past we haven't done this, and I really think that this is the real problem. I think if we hosted a closed potluck for just active BYC members and their families, then it would be difficult for a vendor to complain. I would be willing to include the sponsors of the show in the invitation, but we would need to somehow control the open door policy of the past.

I do know that many people attending don't understand that the potluck is not part of the WFF's show, nor do they understand that the potluck is part of our BYC group. I don't have a problem with sharing, but I do think that we should be asking people that are mooching to join our group. I am not sure how to control the group in order to keep it to just a BYC membership. The only thing that comes to mind would be to create name tags, that could be mailed out in advance of one of these shows. We could have a member badge, and a slightly different family member badge. I would be willing to be part of creating, and covering some of the cost towards the project, but I am not manage the cost entirely by myself. As for everyone else this idea would require the impute of your mailing address, and number of badges needed. Maybe it could be done with simply sending in a pre-addressed postage included envelope to a central location, or badges could picked up at the show.

I think that there are still some funds leftover from a previous potluck, and maybe they could help pay the printing costs, and the onetime purchase of badge holders. If we do this then we should commission CR to make us an official donation piggy bank. We unfortunately would have to make sure that it would be locked and chained to a table.

Okay those are my ideas for a potluck at the show's. Does anyone else have ideas? Or have any revisions on my thoughts? I am wide open to any and all ideas about trying to continue our traditions of getting together at the shows. It doesn't hurt that I do love getting a potluck together either.

 

[justbugged]

So now I really have to go and put more straw in the coop. I warning you all! I will be back soon.

 

[Chickielady]

I suppose you have found as difficult as I have to get them chickens to line up and to count off. It would be so much easier to count them if they would line up in say rows of five.

 

[Chickielady]

Well and of course that is that small problem.

The bator is going...so tomorrow may be a whole different count than today, that and at any given moment, someone could pull in here & buy a mess'a birds..............so far, none rustled !!!

 

[Chickielady]

I have read quite a bit about paper piecing, but have yet to try it. I believe that paper piecing was originally designed for hand sewing, and like most quilting been adapted for the machine. So it should be very hard to find a YouTube video, or a written tutorial about how it's done. At this point, I am going to need to either see someone doing paper piecing in person, or take a class in it. I sometimes need to "feel" how something is done, to understand it completely. I can read about it, but so far it hasn't clicked into my brain as to how it is really done.

I cannot hand PATCHWORK......I am far too impatient !!!!!!!!!!!!!

And my Mother corrects me every time I say I am quilting when I am NOT I am actually PATCHING.

 

[Chickielady]

Yes.. I lean on my Army Training .. I yell .. FALL IN .. and they just look at me .. one or two will cluck .. then someone poops .. and they're all distracted again.

Poops will do that !

 

[Nikki99]

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Holy moly you got a ton of potatoes!! I can't wait to put in a garden. I've never had one before b/c we've never had anywhere to put one until we moved in June. I've been spreading all the old shavings from the coop over the area we plan to put the garden. Hopefully that will give the dirt what it needs to do good things for whatever we plant in the spring!
We need to rototille but I'm not sure if I should do that now, or wait until spring right before we plant? This spot we have picked for the garden hasn't ever had a garden in it so it's just regular old dirt and grass right now.
Boy I have lots more to learn....it always amazing me at how much you don't know about something, until you decide to start doing it!

I would give it a good till now, remove any clumps of grass that you can, and cover with a thick layer of organic matter (newspaper, cardboard, straw, shavings, etc) for the winter.

Thanks for the input! If I till now, will I have to do it again in the spring before we plant? And can you tell me the reasons for covering it with the organic matter for the winter please, vs. not covering it.
Thanks!!

Went to collect the eggs yesterday and I found that one of my beloved ladies has gone broody. GRR! I removed her eggs and replaced them with ice cubes. Anyone else have any recommendations? She's one of my best layers! I figure I'll be swapping eggs for about a week. Thank goodness I used fruit boxes because I can just pull the box out onto the counter and poke around behind her and then put her back in her place with little to no protest from her.

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Picture from my instagram feed.

Idk if it'll work (new to chickens) but your idea of replacing the egg with an ice cube is hilarious!! I can just see it now...chicken goes in to sit on what she *thinks* is an egg and gets a BIG surprise!! Hahaha, love it!

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I have a huge empty bed that I've been digging chicken poo into. I probably should get back out there and start doing it again - 'cuz the garbage can is full of poo AGAIN. Must get motivated to go play with poo...

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I have a huge empty bed that I've been digging chicken poo into. I probably should get back out there and start doing it again - 'cuz the garbage can is full of poo AGAIN. Must get motivated to go play with poo...

If you're not planting until spring, you could just pile it on top and dig it in before planting.

Hallerlake, that's what I was thinking I would/could do. Pile it all up, spread it out, let the rain wash everything into the soil, till it in the spring, remove big clumps of grass and any big rocks, plant. Maybe it's not that simple? Wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't. Things always end up being far more complicated then I had originally thought...except chickens. Lol.

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Im in the same boat JB -- I think I have more than 60 and less than 80, but I'm not sure.
I suppose you have found as difficult as I have to get them chickens to line up and to count off. It would be so much easier to count them if they would line up in say rows of five.

Yes.. I lean on my Army Training .. I yell .. FALL IN .. and they just look at me .. one or two will cluck .. then someone poops .. and they're all distracted again.