Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Hi Everybody!
Itsren, I'm ok with boys, I have a large family to feed, so I will probably cull them before they start to crow. Of course, ask around if anybody wants a him for their flocks and not dinner ;0)

So I looked online and was so sad :0( they won't have a couple of the breeds I am looking for until May/April. I am getting so anxious!! We're going to finish the coop and run this weekend, (TacomaFarms, did you still need those boxes?) and they will be so empty :0(
Idk if I should get the chicks they have available and get the add-ons a couple months later, which would mean eggs sooner from half of them...????

Also! Again, I have no problem getting any chicks from Ideal-Poultry if anybody is interested!! No shipping for you! I will be ordering straight runs from each breed, so will be getting more than we need. If I have extra pullets or cockerels in the following breeds and you want them, gotta let me know!
Mottled Cochin
Red shouldered Yokohama
Golden laced polish
Buff Orpington
Buff silkie
Colombian Wyandotte

You should really try and get the Silkie from a breeder, there are many in the Seattle area. KM Hunter is one. Sheryl Butler is in WA. Catdance is in WA. I think you will be happier with a Silkie from a breeder as opposed to a hatchery. Just my .02

 

[itsren]

Quote:

I honestly think it to be very much like when we were raising goats. There were years you could not get doe kids for anything. Then some years were nearly all doe kids and some years were a near even split. IMHO it is things far beyond our knowledge or comprehension. I think IF there were a known way to control the m/f ratio nobody would end up with excess males.

OK. That's good to know. I did drop the temp in the one bator that I can control to the lowest factory recommended setting of 99.3 (instead of 99.5). The other bator was kept at it's factory setting since it is an Eco model and you can't really control the temp easily.

So... according to the Chinese calendar, what year is it? The year of the rooster?

 

[itsren]

Hi Everybody!
Itsren, I'm ok with boys, I have a large family to feed, so I will probably cull them before they start to crow. Of course, ask around if anybody wants a him for their flocks and not dinner ;0)

Good!

The drama Blackie created this morning - he almost found himself sitting on our plate. DH was willing to do the deed. We were late for everything today because we couldn't catch him. We finally used a giant fishing net and slapped it over the top of him. He got tangled in it, but we did get him in the box. We've never had to resort to treating him that way, but this morning we had to. That didn't feel so good. At the auction, one of the little BCMs escaped his box twice. Ooops. But, I caught him both times as he was popping out and ended up just hugging him until everyone was checked in. I have no idea what happened to him, or any of the others, after I left them there.

So, it's done. 6 boys have gone to auction. I feel numb today. Suddenly the PVC chicken tractor looks huge with the 3 remaining littles in it. Latte and the big girls are roaming in the yard. I put Latte in the coop with the big girls when I left this morning, and was terrified I was going to come back to a bloody chicken. She's OK. She's spending more time on the grass than she would when Blackie was here. He wouldn't let her. Maybe this will be good and she'll gain some independence.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Took our 12yo Aussie in to the vet today to get checked and get shots. He has a testicular tumor. So he is gonna get neutered in a week. only a 15% chance that it is cancerous. But he is old, so if we get a few more years out of him I am willing to put a few hundred down on him. DW is sick and it is raining here, so indoor chores for me today. Hopefully after her nap she will still be up to seeing the Hobbit.

 

[ChickAudie]

Quote:

You should really try and get the Silkie from a breeder, there are many in the Seattle area. KM Hunter is one. Sheryl Butler is in WA. Catdance is in WA. I think you will be happier with a Silkie from a breeder as opposed to a hatchery. Just my .02

Hey Trav! How ya doing?!! I can't argue with that, my main concern is they will come together at the same time at the same age, as there are so many different sized birds I want. I like the idea of "front porch" develivery

I will only be keeping one of each and ordering 3xs that, to make sure I get a pullet. I know breeders are better, but as a first timer, I am happy just to get any!!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Quote:

. I know it is hard when you CAN"T have boys, but it is the right thing to do.

 

[itsren]

I really wish I lived in the country now. I so want to have 100 chickens and 2 roosters. Not for the eggs but for the enjoyment of owning chickens. I spend time with mine. I talk to them, They know their names they know "go to your pen" Yesterday one came up to me and laid an egg at my feet. It was so cool she was just like oh gunna lay an egg here have it.

That's neat that she's so trusting with you - enough to lay an egg at your feet.

I'm with you - I wish I lived in the country.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

You should really try and get the Silkie from a breeder, there are many in the Seattle area. KM Hunter is one. Sheryl Butler is in WA. Catdance is in WA. I think you will be happier with a Silkie from a breeder as opposed to a hatchery. Just my .02

Hey Trav! How ya doing?!! I can't argue with that, my main concern is they will come together at the same time at the same age, as there are so many different sized birds I want. I like the idea of "front porch" develivery

I will only be keeping one of each and ordering 3xs that, to make sure I get a pullet. I know breeders are better, but as a first timer, I am happy just to get any!!

Oh, you think you will be able to just have one huh? Good luck with that one. Those things are like crack, once you have it you must have more and more(I have never tried crack, but have friends recovering from it)

 

[itsren]

It's just dels has a minimum of 6 chicks. I only want 2 because I live where there are limits on how many chickens you can have. While I'm sure owning one to many wouldn't do harm owning 4 to many I'd easily get caught because the noise and smell.

Yes, Del's does have a minimum. Reber Ranch does not. I bought my first 3 at Reber. I asked one of the girls there why they don't impose a minimum the way Del's does, and she told me they wanted to support backyard flocks and they understand that not everyone can have 6. She also said just because a person buys six, if they don't want them, they might not be responsible with the remaining. So imposing a minimum to maintain a "flock" doesn't necessarily mean that all 6 will be cared for.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

For anyone that has an aggressive hen in their flock, I would like you to try this method of rehab. I put one of my Production Reds into solitary for a week because she was super aggressive toward the 3 teens(enough so she took a chunk of Amber's comb). I put her in the shed brooder box for 5 days. The only contact she had with anything living was me once a day to collect her egg. She has now changed her attitude. She does not seek out the teens anymore, even when confined in the run. They all forage together now. Yes Little Red is still higher in the pecking order than the teens, but she no longer targets them. This was her last chance before going to the pot, which now she has a stay of execution. Which I am glad because she gives me a large egg almost everyday. So I challenge you all to try this method before culling out, what have ya got to loose by trying. You may get to keep them around after all.