Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[TacomaFarms]

Quote: But she wants to be able to open it I think.

Jess, if you have any left over roof shingles you could always mount them on the side of the coop right up under the siding ridge so it covers the gap, then you could still open the nesting box. Or duct tape for temporary... I love duct tape!

Quote: x2

 

[TacomaFarms]

So, when I went outside to let the girls out and scoop the coop this is what I found.... what is weird is that it appears to have shown up overnight.... I check the coop a lot, and the wasn't anything there yesterday when I 'put everyone to bed' .... But the girls, so far, have been laying between 11am and 2 pm...

Hmm it is a 'soft shell' right ? They obviously ate it, it was in the opposite corner of the coop from the best boxes.... Should I be checking everyone for anything? I know these are all pretty young hens (6-8 months) ....

This is very strange looking. I'm interested to see what this is... Experts??

 

[Jordann]

S
sometimes it helps if you give it frozen... I notice on some foods the are sensitive to the texture... And eating it frozen gets them to eat slower and it also satisfies the chewing desire ( if you haves chewer) and basically gets a dog to eat new things I have 4 gsd's who happily chow down frozen trout, but won't touch it if it is thawed out....

That's funny! We've tried the frozen deal, but Calvin doesn't believe me and Tank when we tell him it's good. Lol More for Tank I guess.

 

[sarahkatie]

This is very strange looking.  I'm interested to see what this is... Experts??

To me it looked like one egg that was torn apart?? But it is shell colored and soft....they ate whatever was inside

 

[Farmin Momma]

Quote: This is what most call a soft shell egg, but it actually has no shell at all. As long as she lays normal eggs most of the time and only lays one of these very rarely then there is no problem at all. It can be cause by stress or being startled by a loud noise when she is laying, pushing the egg out before the hen had a chance to put the shell on. But if she lays these quite often it means that she needs more calcium.

 

[KMHunter]

So, when I went outside to let the girls out and scoop the coop this is what I found.... what is weird is that it appears to have shown up overnight.... I check the coop a lot, and the wasn't anything there yesterday when I 'put everyone to bed' .... But the girls, so far, have been laying between 11am and 2 pm... Hmm it is a 'soft shell' right ? They obviously ate it, it was in the opposite corner of the coop from the best boxes.... Should I be checking everyone for anything? I know these are all pretty young hens (6-8 months) ....

This is very strange looking. I'm interested to see what this is... Experts??

I would say, fairly new layer, still a pullet. They can take awhile to get it right every time. But keep an eye on them. Do you put out oyster shell?

 

[CarolynF]

With roof flashing, you would slid it up under the lap siding and screw it in place. Then just caulk over the screws. Very easy 5 minute fix
Roof flashing is not flexible. But there is a 2"x2" 90 degree flashing metal in the roofing section. You just could not open the lid and keep open without a hook or something to hold it up.

Because the lid is sloped down, I'm guessing it doesn't stay open by itself anyway. This sounds very much like mikeyb's drip rail solution,

Jessica,
I have a lot of scraps from my pond building days. I'm certain I have enough to cover the edge, if you want. It's heavy duty black rubber pond liner. It has a 20 year outdoor warranty (for all that's worth, lol) It's the pond liner that McLendons sells.

Russ

Russ... Can the pond liner be slipped up under the siding like flashing? If not, what would keep the rain from running under it?

You can purchase a "drip rail" at the hardware store and install it above the hinge area, drip ridge down, usual cost is about $7 and the length is 8' made of aluminum. Are you sure the rain is dripping down or is it being blow upto the hinge area by the wind?

This is a very nice solution. I didn't know what drip rail was until I googled it. It's like a mini rain gutter that gets mounted above the door. Many older cars had them to keep the rain from dripping on you. Also referred to as a drip CAP, right? I saw this video that made the idea more understandable for me link here Is this what you had in mind?

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: I would say, fairly new layer, still a pullet. They can take awhile to get it right every time. But keep an eye on them. Do you put out oyster shell?

X2

 

[Chicken Rustler]

just gonna throw an FYI out there. I may become a little scarce for a bit. See on top of "normal things" I have just booked to vend at 3 events in a row. Starting the 3rd weekend of April with the PNPA show in Vancouver, then the OR SPRING POULTRY SWAP at Canby, OR then May 4-5 is the tour of wineries locally. This means I will be spending MUCH of my time making items to take.
Also last night I got an invitation to the OR fall fleece festival in Salem. But that not Nov 2013.

So if ya don't see much of me for a bit not to worry.

 

[CarolynF]

I like the flow of your coops. Are you going to extend your fencing under the new coop? Do your side doors allow you to sweep and dump your bedding out into a wheel barrow? Is the tarped area an open area with cover for inclement weather? What kind of watering system are you using? I've just been using the standard waterers and am really tired of the icky water. We have a duck and he likes to clean his bill in it. I would like to find a system that keeps the water clean and keeps them in water for more than a day or so.

I am wanting to set up a system where I can have several pens off of central coops. I like what I see of your set up.

Vickie et al
Kelso, WA.

Hi Vickie, The area under the new section (it's just one long skinny coop) won't get fenced, it was too complicated and didn't add enough room to warrant it. But it might be a good storage area for the trash can I use for compost. The doors open all the way down to the floor making it very easy to access the interior. There's a small board at the front edge that's removable, so it keeps the sand from being pushed out until I want to, then it's a straight shot to scoop it out like you said.

I use nipple waterers and really like them. It's a 5-gallon bucket so they have water for a long time. I don't know if they work for ducks, have you heard? When the weather is in the 20's the nipples will freeze so I have an alternate that I bring in at night and take back out in the morning.


ETA: The entire pen has a translucent corrugated roof. The tarp is a reinforced clear tarp (that's why it looks white). I have it hanging there because the rain blows in from that side (the south). The tarp helps block the wind and the rain during the rotten winter weather. I can also pull the bottom away from the side of the pen and create more of a water shed. That does an even better job of keeping their area dry. The grommets on the edge of the tarp are on hooks screwed into the top and side of the frame so it's very easy to put up and take down.