Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[SadieSue]

Hello all! I'm a major newbie! I have recently (Saturday) acquired my first batch of 5 chicks, 2 Buff Orpingtons, and 3 Barred Rocks I'm so excited!!! Then Sunday I was given 6 BA's, but Monday am I woke up and two were dead. :-( I kinda freaked out... Now my babies are spoiled rotten and my daughter, the dog, and, probably, the rabbits are planning a "coupe de coop" for my attention, I think.

I am going to have to go through 522 pages of posts later... in the meantime:

Is anyone hosting a Chicken Coop Tour this year? I absolutely love seeing pics of peoples coops on here, BYC is my latest addiction, but I'd love to chat with some other chick-parents to learn more. I'm on info overload.

Any suggestions on the best places to buy chick supplies, feed, etc?

Has anyone found Oxine in a store? I need some more, but I can't justify spending $32 for 1 gallon, when I can get them for $27 (4+). Does anyone else need any, and want to split?!

When does Tacoma consider chickens to be "adult"?

What is the first thing I should know as a new chicken owner? I found out today that my chicky's are smart! =)

-Andie (aka TacomaFarms or "Crazy Chicken/Rabbit/Dog Lady" hehe!)

Hi TacomaFarms -

Jump right in, this is a fast moving thread! I'm a neighbor, living in University Place between Tacoma and Lakewood. Congrats on acquiring new chicks and chickens. Sorry to hear about the loss of your two BA's. Any idea what happened to them? Are you concerned about the rest of your flock being affected by the same thing?

Chicken Coop tour in Tacoma is usually in June. Check with Garden Sphere over in the Proctor District as they are the ones who organize it and give out the maps.

I have purchased most of my supplies from Del's in Puyallup. Lately though I've been doing a lot of supply shopping at Wilco over in Gig Harbor. I have also shopped at the new store in Auburn, Coastal Ranch and Farm. It's a fun store to explore but just a little too far from me to be super convenient, although it's probably not any further than Puyallup. There is a wholesale place on South Tacoma Way and 56th that sells X-Cel feed I may try soon since they are so close to my home, but it will be a new source for me and I need to make sure the girls like it before I invest a lot of cash there.

This is a great place to learn most everything you need about raising your chicks/chickens. Whatever someone doesn't already know, usually they can refer you to another source.

I have not found Oxine in a store anywhere local. I ordered mine from Amazon.

I don't know what the city of Tacoma considers to be an adult chicken. I would say if they're fully feathered and living outdoors they would be considered an adult if you're looking at city codes. I could be wrong about that though. Some people, (I'm not naming any names) are too busy being chicken "outlaws" to bother with the specifics of city codes. I of course, would never suggest that kind of behavior to anyone though.

I cannot tell you the first thing you need to know as a chicken owner as I think it depends on your priorities. My personal first rule would probably be to make certain you have a safe, comfortable, roomy coop and run for your birds. Build larger than you think you'll need as "chicken math" is a real thing.

Have fun!

 

[Hinotori]

My wheaten ameraucana, Angel likes to sit on my shoulder and snuggle. I've had her since she was about two months and she's eight months now. She was riding along as I did all the evening chicken chores and made sure everyone was back in the pen. One of the new younger wheatens apparently was watching and thought she needed some of that, so she flew up and landed on Angel then tried to get in closer to me. She even let me pet her without complaint. I'm happy that they've decided I'm not going to eat them and be friendly with me.

 

[Hinotori]

Quote: I'm still trying to figure that out; I was thinking about it while I was charging around outside, but I've got to have a snack and think on it further before I do anything. If I didn't think my husband would through a noisy fit, I'd put her in the 10 gallon aquarium and put that in our bathroom, where it's nicely warm, but I am so not armed for that snit fit right now.

So far today I rebuilt the hay table, staked the sheep out for a while, fed everything, moved the sheep pen, watered everything, put down bedding in everyone's pen, filled the EE's seed feeder with safflower seeds, helped the hired hand unload a new bale of hay, a sack of the wrong kind of layer feed (Del's instead of Layena: paper sacks do not work with my storage system) a sack of alfalfa pellets and two sacks of wood pellets, put the sheep back in his pen, overcooked the sweet-potatoes for the rest of the chickens (darn) and cleaned up two puddles of old-dog urine. OH- and shut the last pasture gate to the orchard and bungee corded it good and firm, and did it without having a random cow on the wrong side of the fence. Hooray!

Oh- and washed two loads of Franklin's shirts.

And somehow run a hay-sliver through a pear of rubber gloves and into the end of my pinky finger, which is not fun.

Glad you got that gate done without issue today! You always have such a busy day.

Hay through rubber gloves, THAT is talent. Sorry about that. I hate slivers.

 

[nikki1]

Please help me identify for sure this hen. She is a EE I am assuming. From Privitt hatchery. I was told she was Ameraucana when purchased but after reading how few there actually are figured EE.

Looks just like my Dolly, who is also from Privett...Yeah, EE. Awesome girl, by the way. I wish I'd gotten more!

--Nikki

 

[BantyChickenLuv]

What ways has everyone found the best ways to raise chicks and make them friendly as adults?

 

[KMHunter]

What ways has everyone found the best ways to raise chicks and make them friendly as adults?

Handle them often! Lots of treats when they are old enough for them.

 

[TerrorBird]

What ways has everyone found the best ways to raise chicks and make them friendly as adults?

I'll admit that the four standards I got at the end of April lived in the spare bedroom for about six weeks and had me as an almost-constant companion for the first four weeks. They would scream when I would leave the room to go to the bathroom. I was constantly holding and petting them. They're terribly friendly at seven months old. My very first chickens lived in the house for their first six weeks or so as well and were quite friendly also. They had a bit less attention than my most recent girls because I was in grade school, but they were still very nice. I think that lots of attention when they're still tiny chicks is the most important factor, based on my experiences. The younger you get them, the better. I've gotten slightly older birds (two months or so) that I've tried to make friendly, but it tends not to work very well. Again, this is just based on my own experience.

 

[LaughingFeather]

I had mine in the dining room! Hubbies cousin came to visit and miss fussy butt wouldn't let any animal in the house under any circumstances almost turned white and couldn't wait to escape this appallingly place that allowed chicks in the house under lights in a rubbermaid tub, let alone the dining room! Sorry, no heat in this house and it is the warmest spot. What a prude.

I held mine all the time from the day I got them as chicks, watched TV with them in my lap, at the computer... they poop a lot. I want to make some chicken diapers. Of the 4 I got 3 are really friendly and one is shy and has been from day one. I still bring a different one in almost every night and make a special fuss over her. That way each one gets special fussing each week. This is my first experience with chickens and am in it about 5 mo. and have to admit most people think I am a little nuts when it comes to animals.

 

[LaughingFeather]

Looks just like my Dolly, who is also from Privett...Yeah, EE. Awesome girl, by the way. I wish I'd gotten more!

--Nikki

Thanks all for identifying her for sure. I just pealed some of her hard boiled eggs and they where the most beautiful blue inside. Much brighter than on the outside.

What do you guys do with all your egg shells? I had a girlfriend years ago that would keep them in a spare pan in the oven and cooked them whenever she turned on the oven and then put them with her roses. Should I feed these back to my hens?

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I had mine in the dining room! Hubbies cousin came to visit and miss fussy butt wouldn't let any animal in the house under any circumstances almost turned white and couldn't wait to escape this appallingly place that allowed chicks in the house under lights in a rubbermaid tub, let alone the dining room! Sorry, no heat in this house and it is the warmest spot. What a prude.

I held mine all the time from the day I got them as chicks, watched TV with them in my lap, at the computer... they poop a lot. I want to make some chicken diapers. Of the 4 I got 3 are really friendly and one is shy and has been from day one. I still bring a different one in almost every night and make a special fuss over her. That way each one gets special fussing each week. This is my first experience with chickens and am in it about 5 mo. and have to admit most people think I am a little nuts when it comes to animals.

My family outside of my home thing I am obsessed about chickens, well duh. I have the 4 Silkies in a tub inside. They will go out to the shed this weekend(quarantine), but will bring them into the house to get lots of attention when DW is home. After we raised our first 6 birds in the house until 6 weeks old, she said no more raising in the house, too dusty. I just had them on a towel on the couch, and they wouldn't move. The Paint kept trying to hide under the others. I wish I had it on video.