Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Duck Drover]

I want to start incubating eggs but I will be off my feet for 3 weeks following surgery on the 15th, which is Tuesday. I sent duck eggs off to be hatched by someone else so they have a chance but I have stacks of chicken eggs piled up. I am going to try hatching all the Silkie eggs because they seem too small to eat so we may just eat all the Orpington eggs for awhile longer.

The Silkie chicks stay smaller longer so they stay inside longer but I am concerned about having two brother roosters with their sisters, who may have started laying before the roosters went to the auction - they were so nice that I wanted them to live. I want to avoid inbreeding so hopefully my main rooster did not give the young roosters a chance to breed the young hens. I think I will set Silkie eggs Monday night and hope my recovery goes well so I can take care of the chicks at hatching.

 

[Leigti]

I use to be a journalist giggle but even spell check didnt say it was wrong my error mae culpa

When I read the word bard I just figured you were dictating and it didn't spell it right. I didn't know that barred rock was really a Plymouth Rock until I got a white Plymouth Rock. I put two into together and hoped it equaled four. So far my little barred rock is the dominant one of my new group of three.
I wanted some different colored eggs also so I got three Easter Eggers. So hopefully one of them at least will lay some different colored eggs. All my others lay various shades of brown. I have hit my chicken limit so I am just going to have to live with the colors I get right now. Maybe in a couple years I will get some others with various colored eggs.
Today I got the area leveled off where I'm going to build the new coop. My house is built on an old creek bed so it is about 95% rock and 5% soil. You can only dig in it with a pick ax. And of course it poured down rain the whole time. It stopped raining about an hour after I was done :-(

 

[pennyJo1960]

When I read the word bard I just figured you were dictating and it didn't spell it right. I didn't know that barred rock was really a Plymouth Rock until I got a white Plymouth Rock. I put two into together and hoped it equaled four. So far my little barred rock is the dominant one of my new group of three.
I wanted some different colored eggs also so I got three Easter Eggers. So hopefully one of them at least will lay some different colored eggs. All my others lay various shades of brown. I have hit my chicken limit so I am just going to have to live with the colors I get right now. Maybe in a couple years I will get some others with various colored eggs.
Today I got the area leveled off where I'm going to build the new coop. My house is built on an old creek bed so it is about 95% rock and 5% soil. You can only dig in it with a pick ax. And of course it poured down rain the whole time. It stopped raining about an hour after I was done :-(

well and dictating was easier with no typos but when I was
forced to surrender I left that behind as well.
I am actually rebuilding my coop the chickens in it
at least my coop is a 17 foot diameter geodesic dome

 

[Leigti]

well and dictating was easier with no typos but when I was forced to surrender I left that behind as well. I am actually rebuilding my coop the chickens in it at least my coop is a 17 foot diameter geodesic dome

Forced to surrender? Now I'm confused.

 

[Leigti]

My chicks are a month old. I just have a heat lamp over them, a 60 W bulb. I have it on 24 seven right now. In the house. My coupe does not have electricity. I think they are about half feathered out. It's still getting into the 30s at night and often raining. 50s and 60s during the day, and often raining when can I move them outside to a coop? All the threads I find on this topic seem to deal with coops with electricity. Their temporary coop, until I get the new one built and integrate them all at the same time, will be a pen with a dog crate.

 

[CGilbert]

My chicks are a month old. I just have a heat lamp over them, a 60 W bulb. I have it on 24 seven right now. In the house. My coupe does not have electricity. I think they are about half feathered out. It's still getting into the 30s at night and often raining. 50s and 60s during the day, and often raining when can I move them outside to a coop? All the threads I find on this topic seem to deal with coops with electricity. Their temporary coop, until I get the new one built and integrate them all at the same time, will be a pen with a dog crate.

I've found that rule of thumb is 2 months. But maybe someone with a bit more experience can chime in.

 

[Bridebeliever]

Gulp. A bobcat was on our property today!

I've never seen one before...until today! It scared me so bad! Our chickens free range!! It was staring at my son and my daughter. Beautiful animal but YIKES!!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Gulp. A bobcat was on our property today!

I've never seen one before...until today! It scared me so bad! Our chickens free range!! It was staring at my son and my daughter. Beautiful animal but YIKES!!

Might want to pen chickens for a bit take the bate away and be very
careful about the kids (human ones) always back away keep a shotgun close at hand

 

[Bridebeliever]

Yep...that's exactly what we were thinking. No way kitty kitty!

 

[olympicchickens]

I'm not able to buy my chicks until the end of May. Do most feed stores continue to sell them that late?