Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Yet another rainy day trying to flood the new chicken pen. The water level is just below the surface of the gravel and I caught the idiot birds drinking nasty poo water from a divot in the gravel, when there is a nice, clean waterer a couple feet away. What is the best way to clean gravel, just wash the poop away? I really need to clean out the brooder but really don't feel up to it today. I'm worn out just sitting in a chair.

I did get some pictures taken when I was feeding the chicks. What do you all think, does Jerk look like a pullet or cockerel? He/she is right around 2 months old. When do the sickle feathers come in?

Looks like a pullet to me





The salmon Faverolles are looking really ratty.

Keep an eye on this one, looks like cockerel feather colors to me(I have only seen pics and my neighbors, so no experience with this breed yet)

I'm pretty sure Tikka (on the right below) is a cockerel. His coloration looks odd for a speckled Sussex, but he's just a hatchery bird. I think he'll be pretty though.

Tikka looks like non-bearded EE more than SS

I don't think anything is going to get done today. It's gloomy and cold. Right now my husband, son, dog, and cat are all sleeping. I'm tempted to join them....

Jennifer

 

[Imp]

Quote:
x2

I was wondering if the spectrum was better on one type versus another. We currently have CFLs, incandescent, and LED bulbs in the house depending on where we use it. Eventually all the CFL will be changed out for LEDs. We have the light we used for in their smaller coop when they were young that we're going to strap up to a beam unless I see something I really like at a store.
In one of my travails around googleworld, I came across a study that stated that the tube florescent lights did not work nearly as well as CFLs or incandescents.
I either do not recall or it wasn't included any info on LEDs.
I'll probably never find it again, but if I do I'll post a link.

Imp- and remember this is subject to MY memory.

 

[KMHunter]

Quote: I agree with Travis's deductions. This last picture doesn't look anything like a speckled sussex. Looks like EE coloring. I had a hatchery SS and it looked nothing like this.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
x2

I was wondering if the spectrum was better on one type versus another. We currently have CFLs, incandescent, and LED bulbs in the house depending on where we use it. Eventually all the CFL will be changed out for LEDs. We have the light we used for in their smaller coop when they were young that we're going to strap up to a beam unless I see something I really like at a store.
In one of my travails around googleworld, I came across a study that stated that the tube florescent lights did not work nearly as well as CFLs or incandescents.
I either do not recall or it wasn't included any info on LEDs.
I'll probably never find it again, but if I do I'll post a link.

Imp- and remember this is subject to MY memory.
Quoting myself again:

Here's a little more info

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/tristate_organic/poultry_2007/Light Management.pdf

http://www.pvj.com.pk/pdf-files/30_1/21-24.pdf

 

[JennS]

Quote: I agree with Travis's deductions. This last picture doesn't look anything like a speckled sussex. Looks like EE coloring. I had a hatchery SS and it looked nothing like this.

Thanks, both of you!! I hadn't even thought about Tikka being something else, I just thought it was bad breeding. But he sure does look like an EE. That comb is still too big for a girl, right? His temperament is very different from the SS pullet, who looks like she is supposed to. She's laid back and doesn't push boundaries, while Tikka was the first one to fly out of the brooder and has the best dexterity of all the chicks. If I even look like I'm going to reach for Tikka, he takes off running.

The black SF is definitely a cockerel. He looks totally different from the pullet I've got. I'm glad you also think Jerk is a pullet. I would be very happy if I could keep her!

Jennifer

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Had to put a saddle on one of my BO's just now, she is getting a good bare spot from "Pig Pen" lovin on her too much. She got me though, scratched my forearm and pooped all over my lap. Yay. I caught her bare spot early enough she will prolly only need to be in it for 3-4 weeks. So now I have a BO and BR(the one that had side torn from mating) in saddles. My broody BR didn't need hers so I took hers off a couple of weeks ago when she started going broody. Time to get some more and just put all of them in them maybe.

 

[SadieSue]

JennS, IMO Jerk is still looking like a pullet and yes, I'm pretty sure Tikka, with that rosy colored comb is a cockerel.

Dawn - I'm keeping fingers crossed that Frodo finds her way home. I wouldn't give up on her yet. She may have gotten frightened away, and is now hiding out from the rain and gloom. I'm sure you're keeping watch for her.

Hallerlake - very pretty piece! You do get focused on a task don't you? Nice work.

Hope everyone had a decent Thanksgiving. Ours was nice, but I missed my girl who decided to stay in Pullman to pick up some work shifts cleaning the dining hall and get some studying done in anticipation of finals coming up before Christmas. She said campus was deserted all week. We called her last night just before our big family dinner at my parents home and she was out looking for something to eat. She finally found food at McDonalds...

I don't think she'll try staying on campus over Thanksgiving week again. Thank goodness Apple Cup was today so her roomies and friends were coming back early!

Okay, so I've got a problem with RATS now. I knew we had them outside, so we've been bringing the feed in every night and guess what? OF COURSE they found the food inside the garage! DANG them!!! I found traces (rat poop) around my feeders this morning when I went to take them back out to the coops.

How naive was I to think it was safe? (The question was rhetorical, no need to answer it... )

It's WAR now. SO - DH and I will be going out tomorrow to find some traps. All feeders will still be brought inside, but we'll be securing them in metal trash cans the same as all our chicken feed. It's been safe the past couple of years in the metal cans. But I need Help and Advice please about traps. What kind is best and where do you find them? We'll have to be setting traps after the dogs have been brought in for the night and then picked up before the dogs are let out in the morning?. I don't want our dogs or cat getting injured by any traps. (Yes, I do have an outdoor cat. She's about 13 years old and has never been a killer.) I want traps that KILL. I'm not interested in catch and release. I want DEAD rats.
Any advice for me please? We don't keep any human food in the garage except some canned food, so that isn't part of the problem. It's us city folks thinking we were so smart by bringing the feeders inside.

I need to nip this in bud asap or it will be the stuff of nightmares. I've been repulsed but not freaked out by the rats outside, but in my attached garage? Yeah, I'm just on the verge of freaking out now.

 

[Hinotori]

Quoting myself again:

Here's a little more info

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/tristate_organic/poultry_2007/Light Management.pdf

http://www.pvj.com.pk/pdf-files/30_1/21-24.pdf

Thanks. I'd read somewhere that the type of light had influence, couldn't remember where or the details.

I was just going to put a 40 watt incandescent bulb out there, but wanted to know what might be best.

 

[FlyRobinFly]

Dawn, I hope Frodo shows up soon safe and sound!

 

[Hinotori]

JennS, IMO Jerk is still looking like a pullet and yes, I'm pretty sure Tikka, with that rosy colored comb is a cockerel.

Dawn - I'm keeping fingers crossed that Frodo finds her way home. I wouldn't give up on her yet. She may have gotten frightened away, and is now hiding out from the rain and gloom. I'm sure you're keeping watch for her.

Hallerlake - very pretty piece! You do get focused on a task don't you? Nice work.

Hope everyone had a decent Thanksgiving. Ours was nice, but I missed my girl who decided to stay in Pullman to pick up some work shifts cleaning the dining hall and get some studying done in anticipation of finals coming up before Christmas. She said campus was deserted all week. We called her last night just before our big family dinner at my parents home and she was out looking for something to eat. She finally found food at McDonalds...

I don't think she'll try staying on campus over Thanksgiving week again. Thank goodness Apple Cup was today so her roomies and friends were coming back early!

Okay, so I've got a problem with RATS now. I knew we had them outside, so we've been bringing the feed in every night and guess what? OF COURSE they found the food inside the garage! DANG them!!! I found traces (rat poop) around my feeders this morning when I went to take them back out to the coops.

How naive was I to think it was safe? (The question was rhetorical, no need to answer it... )

It's WAR now. SO - DH and I will be going out tomorrow to find some traps. All feeders will still be brought inside, but we'll be securing them in metal trash cans the same as all our chicken feed. It's been safe the past couple of years in the metal cans. But I need Help and Advice please about traps. What kind is best and where do you find them? We'll have to be setting traps after the dogs have been brought in for the night and then picked up before the dogs are let out in the morning?. I don't want our dogs or cat getting injured by any traps. (Yes, I do have an outdoor cat. She's about 13 years old and has never been a killer.) I want traps that KILL. I'm not interested in catch and release. I want DEAD rats.
Any advice for me please? We don't keep any human food in the garage except some canned food, so that isn't part of the problem. It's us city folks thinking we were so smart by bringing the feeders inside.

I need to nip this in bud asap or it will be the stuff of nightmares. I've been repulsed but not freaked out by the rats outside, but in my attached garage? Yeah, I'm just on the verge of freaking out now.

I like the Victor snap traps much better than the Tom Cat ones. We've been getting less and less tunnels and mounds and more rodents. I know that it's rats. We had them find a way into the house. THAT is a nightmare. Traps went out at night and I sprayed pepper repellent around. I have bait stations around. The dog has been keeping watch for them. Haven't seen or heard anything last several days, so I think we got them out now. I'm still trying to figure out how they got in the walls.

I can hope the smell of the kittens frightens them some. I can't wait for them to grow up and help out the dog.