Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[DeesHens]

5 hens, couple of them getting real old, no eggs

(no extra light)
had to buy eggs from the store
couldn't believe how light my various batters are - pancakes to cakes, so pale!

I know what you mean. Even when we buy local grown organic eggs the yolks are so pale compared to the ones our hens have laid for us.
Looking forward to adding to our flock soon so by summer we can strictly eat our own eggs. They are so yummy.

 

[DeesHens]

Quote:
I agree. Your pic of Flo is precious. My heart breaks for you. Warm hugs.

 

[mikeyb]

I happened to be reading science journal while waiting for my sis to get treated yesterday and ran across an article about cat urine. ugh.
Not a pleasant thought, BUT, it was about the natural instinct (their brain is hardwired to this) of mice and rats. When they get, even a very slight scent fo cat urine they painic and flee the area and will not return for a long time.
Where to get it? That crossed my mind while I was reading and voila the article said; the researchers went to a local vet that handled cats expecting to get a small vial of vile stuff. Lo and behold they got liters!
So, I was thinking if your having a problem with mice/rats, a scrap or two of cloth in the litte box might be enough to staple to an area where they are gaining entrance to the coop and it would block them. Or maybe you have a vet that your are on friendly terms and he could help with the urine.
Just passing it on. I wished I would have looked at the cover of that jounal so I could give a link, but alas I did not.
Maybe I'll try to research that article tomorrow on the internet.

 

[itsren]

Oh. Well.

My daughter just mentioned that the person who will be doing her marriage ceremony next summer would like to be paid in chickens.

No pressure or anything...

That's funny. And awesome!

 

[itsren]

My EE Janis. She is such a sweet thing. Cuddly and very interactive with you.

My Caunnie looks just like that. She's a sweetheart. When she wasn't laying, she stopped wanting to be around me, but now that she's laying again, she's back to following me everywhere, wanting me to pet her and doesn't mind being picked up.

 

[itsren]

That hasn't been mentioned. I want to set another clutch as soon as Malvina shows the first sign of being ready, or botrrow an incubator next month, maybe, but I also want to have sufficient Hamburgs to make it sensible to sell eggs by the end of the next reproductive cycle.

And I need a new rooster for the EEs.

Are you interested in an Salmon Fav/Am cockerel? Blackie needs to find a new home sometime soon...

 

[itsren]

Question. What number of chickens has put you from an enjoyable hobby to a awful chore. I can see the chicken math culminating in my own life. I want this one and that one... Reality check. I have 5 now. one too old to lay I think but she will live her life out with us. As will all my pets. I live on 1 1/4 ac in the woods with neighbors who have more chickens than I and several roosters. What number was your tipping point and why. What has caused you to cull your flocks?

I have not culled, but I did take drop my group from 15 to 13 because I was pretty sure the 2 I took to auction were cockerels, and they are not legal here. All cockerels will have to go. I will only keep 6 pullets, the remaining pullets of my little chicks, if there are any, already have a home to go to.

I have realized that I am not enjoying keeping up with 13 (3 older pullets, 2 older chicks, 8 tiny chicks) - even though I know in a few months they will be pared back down to 6. Three sets of chickens of varying ages is a lot of work. My middle set (Blackie and Latte) have been causing me a lot of worry and the emotion of it all is very wearing. Right now I'm thinking chicken math sucks - mainly because the chickens won't cooperate with how I want them to behave.

A lot of the frustration I am having is my 3 big girls are not welcoming my little Latte, and I'm worried sick that she won't be OK when Blackie leaves. Whenever the big girls are around, Latte shoves her head under Blackie. DH thinks I'd make a terrible farmer because I can't keep my emotions out of it and I spend too much time worrying about a chicken. It would have been a lot easier on everyone if Latte had hatched with a sister so she always had a chicken buddy.

My thoughts are the extra chickens aren't too bad, but the extra effort you have to go through to try and calm terrified newbies to the flock can be very overwhelming.

 

[itsren]

Welcome to BYC but no, sorry, I need a particular rooster, actually two particular roos: a Blue or splash Ameraucana, and a second Silver Splash Hamburg.

Read ahead and your post answered my question.

So... anyone else interested in Blackie? If not he will go to auction when he starts to crow. Thankfully, he still cheeps for the most part. I can tell his voice is beginning to change though, so I don't know how long I'll be able to keep him.

 

[itsren]

This is why every one of my long-term chicken containment plans includes a dog-proof fence. I don't trust rat terriers much if any, though, being as how we once had one just bigger than a chihuahua kill a four month old lamb.

Good to know. Although, I mentioned getting a rat terrier to DH and he told me if I built a dog house for one I better plan on living in it.

Somehow I don't think he's very fond of the idea at all.

 

[itsren]

So I know that some of you use sand in your runs, and I think I remember that some of you use sand in your coops also. I would like to switch to sand for many reasons, but don't know what kind to buy. Can anyone tell me what would be the best type of sand to use?

I use washed play sand in my brooder since the brooder is in the garage and I'm allergic to pine chips. Got it at Lowes. I use a sand scoop that is meant for taking care of lizards and such to clean the poop out of the brooder.

Outside, my run is dirt - easy to run the hoe over the ground to get the poop into a pile and scoop the pile each day. My coop has pine chips. If I clean the coop in the morning, it is easy to scoop the poop off the top of the pine chips each day. If not caught early, the girls will have a digging party and I'll get to dig for poop in the pine chips. Bleh.