Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Hinotori]

We just got our first chickens yesterday - 3 easter eggers, 2 welsumers, 1 Baxter Barn leghorn, 1 wyandotte, and 1 barnevelder. They're 12 week old. I have a couple questions:

1) During heavy rain, they're completely unwilling to go out from under the coop (we have an elevated coop with a little enclosed run directly under it). I suppose that's to be expected? I don't much want to go out either quite frankly.
2) They seem unwilling or unable to climb the ladder to the coop and the roosting bars. Is that normal? Yesterday they were falling asleep in the enclosed run under the coop (where I've put quite a lot of straw - they were quite cozy). I carried them one by one to the roosting bars. Is that normal at first?

Thanks,

JD

Welcome!

I remember when my first girls would refuse to go out in the rain. Just wait until it snows and they act like it's lava. Perfectly normal chicken behavior. You will have to teach them to go up the ramp.

 

[Hinotori]

New and saying hi from N. Pierce county!

Hello there! Welcome to the group

 

[Hinotori]

Hi! I'm Marcell from Lacey. Just joined and am picking up some eggs from Penny1960 on Wednesday to hatch. I have been wanting chickens since moving down here from Alaska.

I have a Farm Innovator Model 4250 Pro Series incubator. I am picking up a separate thermometer and hygrometer tomorrow to prepare for my eggs. I originally bought it for a lone duck egg that I brought home from the wildlife rescue I volunteer at- nothing happened with the egg unfortunately (well, maybe fortunately- I would have been at a loss with just ONE duck!).

Lots of questions. Lots of learning to do. Would love to get to know some more fellow Washington friends.

If you have suggestions on coops, I am all ears!

Thanks all- looking forward to getting to know you all better.

Welcome to the group.

I see you've already been given the advice of make the coop twice the size you think it needs to be. It still won't seem enough

 

[bwauck]

Hello im in vancouver wa and am looking to rehome an americana girl who suddenly hates someone she was raised with. There has been no success on reintroduction and I dont know what else to try. I really like this girl too so im totally bummed at this new development. Any ideas appreciated. This is not simple squabbling ,this hop on immediately and she weighs twice as much

 

[junebuggena]

Hello im in vancouver wa and am looking to rehome an americana girl who suddenly hates someone she was raised with. There has been no success on reintroduction and I dont know what else to try. I really like this girl too so im totally bummed at this new development. Any ideas appreciated. This is not simple squabbling ,this hop on immediately and she weighs twice as much

How big is your coop/run, what other breeds do you have, and how many?

 

[Hinotori]

Hello im in vancouver wa and am looking to rehome an americana girl who suddenly hates someone she was raised with. There has been no success on reintroduction and I dont know what else to try. I really like this girl too so im totally bummed at this new development. Any ideas appreciated. This is not simple squabbling ,this hop on immediately and she weighs twice as much

Welcome


First, are you positively sure that it's a female? Hatchery sexing of chicks is only 90% accurate.

 

[Hinotori]

Try one for a christmas picture. I'll try again on a different day when my back isn't hurting.

It took me half an hour to get him to sit still and leave the hat on for any amount of time. He was not happy with me, but he ate the scratch I gave him after.

 

[bwauck]

8x10 Three wee ones raised together for year and a half. I keep adding perches further away and higher but its not helping. Squabbles have been fairly common . The white is always the one who ends up bloody. This go around the two americanas gang up on her . Now have other americana in with white girl and no problem. Two americanas and a rhode island white

 

[Hinotori]

8x10 Three wee ones raised together for year and a half. I keep adding perches further away and higher but its not helping. Squabbles have been fairly common . The white is always the one who ends up bloody. This go around the two americanas gang up on her . Now have other americana in with white girl and no problem. Two americanas and a rhode island white

I had to make the decision to eat two 9 month old rocks one year because they turned vicious to any hen who wasn't a rock. They would hunt the poor silkies down if they were out of their pen. two other rocks reformed their ways after a week in separate isolation. Solitary confinement for a week or two sometimes fixes the problem

 

[bwauck]

Now that you mention it I am assuming it is a hen because there have been three different colored eggs lol. Ive never seen one come out of her but she spends lots of time in there sitting. I always wondered about her though because her personality is so different than the other two. Just my luck if it was a rooster after all this time though lol .