Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[itsren]

Well darn it. No coop raising this weekend. We are getting bogged down in details, and I am sooooooo sick and tired of painting! It's doing all the little nooks and crannies that's killing me. Lamont put in the poop tray today. He designed it to sit on supports on each end, and I can lift it off to take it out if I need to. I think he's going to add a triangle support in the middle as well. I hope he remembered the vinyl flooring; I forgot to look in it to see if he put it in. I'm done painting the storage cabinet, but need to add another coat to the nest boxes. The lower doors are painted, but not the upper doors. And I will need to paint the poop tray, the whole exterior, the window, and the roost and pop door when they are done. We did get the vinyl put on the coop floor, so hopefully it'll be done gassing out by the time the birds go in. Vinyl stinks!



I'm seriously worried that we will miss our deadline.

Jennifer

Jennifer, you'll be very happy that you put in the detail work when it is done. We did that with our first coop, the work was long, I began to wonder if I was going overboard, but it has really paid off. My little coop and run is the easiest care coop and run, and the SAFEST coop and run, that I could have hoped for. At first, I found myself getting jealous of the big coops and runs that I had seen (although I'm still holding out hope of having a beautiful run like Justbugged someday). But, when it comes to daily cleaning, i'm so happy I have the set up that I do, and that I had taken the time to put on multiple coats of white paint all over the interior.

Just keep on plugging away - when it is finished, you will be very, very glad you put in the extra effort. It looks beautiful. It going to be a great coop.

 

[Farmin Momma]

Stick bugs? Would any body like some? After 2 years of having them we are ready to rehome ours. They are easy to keep. We have ours in a tank with a tight fitting lid and feed them blackberry leaves. PM if interested.

Now there is the one thing that can multiply faster than wabbits !!!

They do multiply fast, even if you don't think are you'll get a surprise. When I was a kid my class studied them, at then end some kids got to take them home. Mine were in a 30 gallon tank and I wanted them to habe little babies but I never saw any eggs. For some reason my adults all died. I put the tank out side so I could clean it one day but never got around to it. Winter came and the dirt in the tank froze, tank filld with water and as that froze my tank shattered. I still did not clean it up. Finally spring came, my ”mom” told me to clean it so out I went. When I knelt down next to it with my garbage bag ready to pick it up I noticed there were hundreds of spiders.crawling all over it. It took me a sec, but I realized they were not spiders, but hundreds of baby walking stick! I was so happy, ”mom” was not. Sadly I did not get to kep them cause now I didn't habe a tank. But what a surprize it was.

By the way CR, how is your hatch doing now?

 

[itsren]

Quote: Sorry, I should have asked Shell, White or Yolk?

Here's the info I have:

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/329/factors-affecting-egg-quality

Russ

Awesome link Russ! Thanks!

 

[FirewifeJess]

Quote:
We LOVE our Easter Eggers. I have 5! One of them is very flighty but I haven't had her as long as any of the others, everyone else I've had since they were tiny things. They do lay dependably, however, not *quite* as well through their first winter as I'd hoped. During the summer my 2 laying EEs were keeping up well with all my brown egg laying pullets, but now that winter is here they have dropped off a bunch and one may have quit entirely during her very first winter! I can't wait for spring! All my brown egg layers, however, are still laying an egg a day with almost NO breaks at all.

 

[FirewifeJess]

OK guys, how BAD of me would it be if I took back the offer of my Easter Eggers off CL. I have someone who wants to come today for Thelma, and the little girl is sitting in the nest box on some already-been-laid eggs for the first time today!!! GRRRRR. Now I really want to keep her, or charge a lot more for her. I really don't want to regret getting rid of her...would rather hurt myself fixing the coop up so she can stay than let them go. WDYT? Should I tell the guy I promised her to that I've changed my mind? I feel like a total jerk!!

 

[itsren]

Quote: OK so MY BIG question HOW did they get from the bator to the aquarium ???? Tell me you DID NOT open it. I thought we had been over this lesson before!!!

Silly girly

We have the tiny bators - and we opened in a bathroom where the humidity was measured at 85%. DH did that with the first hatch, as well - and it saved a chick. The humidity was actually extremely high after three chicks hatched - the walls of the bator was thick and dripping with water. I think opening it helped a lot. The 8th one that hatched last night - I was afraid we had drowned in the shell because we had left the three hatched OEs unopened in that bator so long, and that egg had been pipped for hours and nothing. It did hatch overnight, but it still drying out.

The 4th BCM that hatched last night - we left it in the bator overnight and it was still sopping wet this morning. With all those open egg shells and wet chicks - I think humidity got way too high.

OK people - if you hatch - please know every bator is not the same. I have two Brinsea mini's. They heat up quickly (manufacturer directions - turn them on one hour before you put the eggs in), they fill with moisture quickly - so, please know, what someone with a Brinsea mini can do - don't do that with a bigger bator! It is not the same! If humidity falls on a bigger bator, you'll probably be in trouble, because the humidity will take time to build up again. Not so with the Brinsea mini's.

 

[itsren]

Quote:
I was very disappointed to discover that 5th BCM "pip" was a piece of fuzz on the egg. Bummer! Still holding out hope though...

 

[itsren]

We LOVE our Easter Eggers. I have 5! One of them is very flighty but I haven't had her as long as any of the others, everyone else I've had since they were tiny things. They do lay dependably, however, not *quite* as well through their first winter as I'd hoped. During the summer my 2 laying EEs were keeping up well with all my brown egg laying pullets, but now that winter is here they have dropped off a bunch and one may have quit entirely during her very first winter! I can't wait for spring! All my brown egg layers, however, are still laying an egg a day with almost NO breaks at all.

Our current EE boy (Blackie, the first) is extremely flighty. I'm not sure where that comes from. DH has been threatening to pull out the fishing net during the evening chick chase. So far, I've managed to keep DH from doing that - but I HAVE resorted to pulling Caunnie (my big girl EE) out the coop to have her help me round Blackie up.

My EE quit laying, too. And once she stopped, she's done. Hopefully she'll pick up in the spring. She won't squat for me, either, any more - but my Light Brahma still does, even though she's not laying, either.

 

[itsren]

OK guys, how BAD of me would it be if I took back the offer of my Easter Eggers off CL. I have someone who wants to come today for Thelma, and the little girl is sitting in the nest box on some already-been-laid eggs for the first time today!!! GRRRRR. Now I really want to keep her, or charge a lot more for her. I really don't want to regret getting rid of her...would rather hurt myself fixing the coop up so she can stay than let them go. WDYT? Should I tell the guy I promised her to that I've changed my mind? I feel like a total jerk!!

I'm not sure what I would do in that situation - but, whatever the case, I certainly wouldn't raise the price if you sell to the guy that wants to pick her up. Call him and talk to him. Most people are pretty understanding.

 

[Farmin Momma]

Jess, don't feel bad about changing your mind, it happens!