Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[CharMac76]

Does anyone else have a mealworm farm here? I just started mine yesterday with 1000 (minus the chickens snack) worms. Can I just say it is truly gross listening to them move around. Creepy too.

 

[CharterChick]

Does anyone else have a mealworm farm here? I just started mine yesterday with 1000 (minus the chickens snack) worms. Can I just say it is truly gross listening to them move around. Creepy too.

I had a worm farm outside for earth worms but the chickens found it! No more worms! LOL I've thought about doing mealworms though

 

[CarolynF]

How does everyone house their birds? My backyard is fenced, but I don't exactly want to just put a dog house out back and let the ducks fend for themselves...

You can see mine by clicking "My Coop" on the left.

 

[Theegoliath]

How does everyone house their birds? My backyard is fenced, but I don't exactly want to just put a dog house out back and let the ducks fend for themselves...

I kinda told myself I wouldn't post this pic, but oh well. Heres our suburban setup. I let them out into the pen (fenced off area that the coop is located in) when I leave for work every morning. My wife then lets them free range in the back yard the entire day. I usually go out and simply close the coop door, putting them to bed. They go back into the coop before dusk all by themselves. I then lock the gates to the chicken pen. We have local racoons, but so far in 5 months, none of them can get in the chicken pen. No dig marks to speak of so far.

Like Carolyn, You can view the coop build through the link under my name.

Our unfinished backyard.


I just finished the pathway going to the chicken pen, and we recently just finished the compost/food corner (aka farm corner). The daily poop scrapings go in the open bin. Once a year, its contents go in the rotary bin. So we don't use the compost till two years after it sits and is mixed. It goes in our garden on the other side of the house : )

 

[gloryblue]

Hinotori wow you sure have some beautiful birds! I've just been peeking in from time to time I hope y'all don't mind a displaced home grown Washingtonian longing to read chatter of familiar places...home..
I'm living in dry dry drought high California desert now....sure miss moist air....

I would love having one of your trios...they are lovely...
But its not in my budget to ship even though I want to.

I've three rescued black roosters, and two I bought as chicks hatched last May...5months old.
These are Buff silkies...I've got them both in with a fibro bunch of mixed breed chicks. ..my biggest problem is I still can't tell what sex/s they are....I heard one crow. ..but that same one later in the evening was 'hen talking' with the chicks...the other silkie was roosting up on a 3ft tall perch...surprising that a shorter one wasn't chosen.

Seems as if last night they were reversed....I could be wrong...I've a brooding lamp in a tight corner where these chicks have freedom to hang in the warmth of the light.....one buff silkie with a big pom pom of a tail...was there with the chicks scratching and soft momma talking to them...could these both be boys that are just being kind at night? Taking turns?
Or are they both pullets with a plan to take turns with the chicks...or roosting high to guard?

I'm new enough I'm not yet able to post pictures...both are very poofy crests with longer feathers at the back of their head...very small wattles are starting to show...one has a wide srea for a comb to eventually grow into. ...the one that crowed has a tighter smaller comb area but higher taller crestand fuller more poofy tail...like a big pompom...the one roosting has a narrower tail coming to a point...but I've not seen this one crow....

I would love dome help...I've more shipping eggs coming...it would be very nice if they both eould take on the new chicks care....

Most of my family...even great sunts and great uncles are in Washington....Washougal, Camas,....etc...lived in Maple Valley near Black Diamond. ...miss home.

 

[Hinotori]

Hinotori wow you sure have some beautiful birds! I've just been peeking in from time to time I hope y'all don't mind a displaced home grown Washingtonian longing to read chatter of familiar places...home..
I'm living in dry dry drought high California desert now....sure miss moist air....

I would love having one of your trios...they are lovely...
But its not in my budget to ship even though I want to.

I've three rescued black roosters, and two I bought as chicks hatched last May...5months old.
These are Buff silkies...I've got them both in with a fibro bunch of mixed breed chicks. ..my biggest problem is I still can't tell what sex/s they are....I heard one crow. ..but that same one later in the evening was 'hen talking' with the chicks...the other silkie was roosting up on a 3ft tall perch...surprising that a shorter one wasn't chosen.

Seems as if last night they were reversed....I could be wrong...I've a brooding lamp in a tight corner where these chicks have freedom to hang in the warmth of the light.....one buff silkie with a big pom pom of a tail...was there with the chicks scratching and soft momma talking to them...could these both be boys that are just being kind at night? Taking turns?
Or are they both pullets with a plan to take turns with the chicks...or roosting high to guard?

I'm new enough I'm not yet able to post pictures...both are very poofy crests with longer feathers at the back of their head...very small wattles are starting to show...one has a wide srea for a comb to eventually grow into. ...the one that crowed has a tighter smaller comb area but higher taller crestand fuller more poofy tail...like a big pompom...the one roosting has a narrower tail coming to a point...but I've not seen this one crow....

I would love dome help...I've more shipping eggs coming...it would be very nice if they both eould take on the new chicks care....

Most of my family...even great sunts and great uncles are in Washington....Washougal, Camas,....etc...lived in Maple Valley near Black Diamond. ...miss home.

My boys help with the chicks. It does sound like you may have two boys. Pictures would definitely help

 

[Espresso]

I hadn't noticed that "my coop" thing before... Thanks.

 

[CharterChick]

I got my eggs!!! She sent 24 and no cracks!!! Only a few detached air cells! If anyone wants to buy bantam Cochin eggs on eBay luckypickens is amazing!!!

And when I got back from the po..

BABIES!!!

 

[CarolynF]

Quote:
Hey Matt, great pictures! Love that pathway!

Just a FYI about the racoons. They won't dig but they can scale those fence boards in a flash. DH and I have actually watched them do it. They hold onto the sides of a board, like you would might hold the sides of a ladder, and up they go. It's awesome and scary at the same time. That's one of the reasons we put a lid on the "secure" pen. It's solid material now, but originally it was the welded wire.

 

[CarolynF]

I got my eggs!!! She sent 24 and no cracks!!! Only a few detached air cells! If anyone wants to buy bantam Cochin eggs on eBay luckypickens is amazing!!!





And when I got back from the po..



BABIES!!!

WHAT? They hatched the same day, really?

Or did I miss something?