Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[hallerlake]

Quote: Ditto on both counts.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Hey, I'm a Washitonian trying to learn all I can about raising chickens before I take the plunge and get some from the local feed store.

This is my plan. I'd love to see what you all think.

I've settled on Plymoth Rocks.
I'm looking on starting with 2-3 and then every year getting two more chicks in the spring. Once a PR conclues its second year I plan on butchering the hens for meat (sorry to all you folks who don't agree) . This way I will be keeping the flock to 4-5 (I live in the city of Bellingham).
I want to have them be semi-free range. Letting them out of their coop and run to explore (and de-bug) the gard with supervision.

I do have a few questions.......

Our family friend's mother used to give us eggs from her chickens. Often times the eggs would have a green tinge to them and taste STRONGLY of grass. Is that normal? How do I keep that from happening to our chickens?

We plan on getting a dog soon, we also have a cat. Do chickens, dogs and cats get along fine? Or am I going to always have to watch them?

Thanks!

Sounds like a good plan. You can have dogs with your chickens unsupervised, but it takes a LOT of time and training. Too much for me to hunt and peck type out. The nice people on this thread let me hang out and chat even though I live across the big creek. I am currently working with my Ausie and the new chicks my broody hatched a week ago. He doesn't bother the big ones at all. In fact my rooster and him are buddies, sleeping in the yard together. This is the first time I have had chicks running around though. So it is a work in progress. I can't answer the egg question, never heard of that happening. Mine free range from dawn to dusk.

 

[Totalcolour]

This is my plan. I'd love to see what you all think.

I've settled on Plymoth Rocks.
. . .Once a PR conclues its second year I plan on butchering the hens for meat (sorry to all you folks who don't agree) . This way I will be keeping the flock to 4-5 (I live in the city of Bellingham).

Thanks!

Well, you do realize I hope, that at that age, they won't be very tender. Well, okay, pretty tough. All right for stock, but not something "I'd" want to eat! We raise around 50 CornishX in the spring for the freezer (only takes 5-6 weeks) - and only use the old birds for stock, or for dog meat (she's on a raw meat diet and doesn't care how tough they are. Heck, she eats duck heads and feet!).

 

[CarolynF]

Hey, I'm a Washitonian trying to learn all I can about raising chickens before I take the plunge and get some from the local feed store.

This is my plan. I'd love to see what you all think.

I've settled on Plymoth Rocks.
I'm looking on starting with 2-3 and then every year getting two more chicks in the spring. Once a PR conclues its second year I plan on butchering the hens for meat (sorry to all you folks who don't agree) . This way I will be keeping the flock to 4-5 (I live in the city of Bellingham).
I want to have them be semi-free range. Letting them out of their coop and run to explore (and de-bug) the gard with supervision.

I do have a few questions.......

Our family friend's mother used to give us eggs from her chickens. Often times the eggs would have a green tinge to them and taste STRONGLY of grass. Is that normal? How do I keep that from happening to our chickens?

We plan on getting a dog soon, we also have a cat. Do chickens, dogs and cats get along fine? Or am I going to always have to watch them?

Thanks!

Welcome!

Advice is something we have lots of around here! It sounds like you probably want chickens for eggs primarily, rather than just decoration or pets. For that reason my advice is to get your chicks or pullets from people you know have quality birds. Generally speaking you'll get better quality birds and thus better layers. Since you've been doing research on the breed, add some research about feed store chicks vs those from quality breeders. Ask around on this and other threads to find quality breeders in your area. In the spring there is a show at the fairgrounds in Monroe. The breeders will be bringing birds to sell as well as show.

I started with 2 but soon realized there weren't enough eggs. Especially if one goes broody or molts. I soon added one more and learned that adding one at a time is a bit tougher than adding 2 at a time. So if I had it to do over I'd just start with all 3. I'd also try to have them different ages so they don't all molt at the same time and reach, in your case, butchering age all at the same time. Oh... now that I have 3, I want 4 because I still don't get enough eggs, and it's just the 2 of in the house. Those silly birds just keep taking time off for one thing or another! I had no idea. But I have to remodel the coop first.

Pay attention to sicknesses that are common in young birds like Mereks disease and coci (spelling?) Also plan ahead for protecting your flock from predators... a VERY real concern in the Northwest whether in town or rural.

If those eggs had a strong taste perhaps they ate large quantities of a strong herb like sage or rosemary or mint? Just guessing. Were the eggs stored close to strong scented vegetables and absorbed it from there? Since the shells are porous it might be possible, especially is the eggs were washed and the protective bloom was thus removed. Again, just guessing.

Good Luck and feel free to chime in here as much as you'd like. Lots of beginners as well as seasoned chicken folks. Although with the holidays some are more scarce than usual.

 

[Totalcolour]

Well, it's quiet tonight! Of course, now that I'm back everyone is gone. Oh well. Hope everyone is doing well and ready for the holidays ahead. I'm a bit late due to the recovery process, but I'm still looking forward to the season.

I have been trying a lot of different recipes lately, due to the huge amount of duck meat I now have. Some new favourites have come about. I ground some duck meat, and one delight is "DUCKBURGERS"! I added some ground mushrooms, onions, garlic and a bit of pork fat (since the duck is very lean) and they are totally scrumdiddlyumtious!

Duck Schnitzel - himself pounded the breast very thin and we coated it and fried it like Schnitzel, another big hit.

Duck Chili - yup, an old favourite that has a new twist. Since Muscovy is dark meat, it really lends itself to chili. We ate it as chili, but we also topped some omelets with it for breakfast this morning. I stuffed the omelets with pepper jack and it was really good.

Ground duck inside some mini peppers - these were WOW with some Moroccan sauce.


I can't remember the last time I bought beef or ground beef. Duck is working.
But tonight it's Chicken! (you can only eat so much Duck, no matter how good it is).

Oh, and I really am hoping Santa brings me a leghorn or two this year - I'd love a couple white egg layers to round out the colour range!

 

[RainyDayChicken]

Hey, I'm a Washitonian trying to learn all I can about raising chickens before I take the plunge and get some from the local feed store.

This is my plan. I'd love to see what you all think.

I've settled on Plymoth Rocks.
I'm looking on starting with 2-3 and then every year getting two more chicks in the spring. Once a PR conclues its second year I plan on butchering the hens for meat (sorry to all you folks who don't agree) . This way I will be keeping the flock to 4-5 (I live in the city of Bellingham).
I want to have them be semi-free range. Letting them out of their coop and run to explore (and de-bug) the gard with supervision.

I do have a few questions.......

Our family friend's mother used to give us eggs from her chickens. Often times the eggs would have a green tinge to them and taste STRONGLY of grass. Is that normal? How do I keep that from happening to our chickens?

We plan on getting a dog soon, we also have a cat. Do chickens, dogs and cats get along fine? Or am I going to always have to watch them?

Thanks!

 

[itsren]

Renee - UPDATE Please!!! How many babies do you have now??

You too Chicken Rustler!!

FOUR BCM chicks.

ONE BCM pip.

ONE OE chick.

TWO OE pips.

We had to make an emergency extraction of the first three BCM chicks in the bathroom. The fourth BCM chick had been pipped for hours, but the three tiny tormentors wouldn't get away from where it had pipped. It pipped in a very odd spot - at the end of the large end of the egg. We raised the bathroom humidity to 85%, took the bator to the bathroom, quickly got the three tiny BCMs out. The trapped BCM just now made it out!

A 5th BCM also pipped after the emergency extraction. Hopefully there will be plenty of room in the bator for the two remaining BCMs to hatch without having to extract BCM #4.

The two OEs are still steadily working. One OE gets a large part of the shell pushed out, and the hatched OE in the bator keeps nudging up against it and pushing the shell back in. I think it hears the peeps and snuggles up to it. Not sure if we're going to have to do a second emergency extraction of the first chick or not. We're watching the situation closely. We'd rather not - unless it becomes too big of a problem.

Three BCMs happy to have lots of room in the aquarium...



Is it too early to tell if I have any girls here?

 

[LaughingFeather]

Well, it's quiet tonight! Of course, now that I'm back everyone is gone. Oh well. Hope everyone is doing well and ready for the holidays ahead. I'm a bit late due to the recovery process, but I'm still looking forward to the season.

I have been trying a lot of different recipes lately, due to the huge amount of duck meat I now have. Some new favourites have come about. I ground some duck meat, and one delight is "DUCKBURGERS"! I added some ground mushrooms, onions, garlic and a bit of pork fat (since the duck is very lean) and they are totally scrumdiddlyumtious!

Duck Schnitzel - himself pounded the breast very thin and we coated it and fried it like Schnitzel, another big hit.

Duck Chili - yup, an old favourite that has a new twist. Since Muscovy is dark meat, it really lends itself to chili. We ate it as chili, but we also topped some omelets with it for breakfast this morning. I stuffed the omelets with pepper jack and it was really good.

Ground duck inside some mini peppers - these were WOW with some Moroccan sauce.


I can't remember the last time I bought beef or ground beef. Duck is working.
But tonight it's Chicken! (you can only eat so much Duck, no matter how good it is).

Oh, and I really am hoping Santa brings me a leghorn or two this year - I'd love a couple white egg layers to round out the colour range!

Are you using duck in place of beef for your cholesterol? Hi, I'm fairly new here. If so I would be very interested in any way to lower mine because I am allergic the the medications.

 

[LaughingFeather]

FOUR BCM chicks.

ONE BCM pip.

ONE OE chick.

TWO OE pips.

We had to make an emergency extraction of the first three BCM chicks in the bathroom. The fourth BCM chick had been pipped for hours, but the three tiny tormentors wouldn't get away from where it had pipped. It pipped in a very odd spot - at the end of the large end of the egg. We raised the bathroom humidity to 85%, took the bator to the bathroom, quickly got the three tiny BCMs out. The trapped BCM just now made it out!

A 5th BCM also pipped after the emergency extraction. Hopefully there will be plenty of room in the bator for the two remaining BCMs to hatch without having to extract BCM #4.

The two OEs are still steadily working. One OE gets a large part of the shell pushed out, and the hatched OE in the bator keeps nudging up against it and pushing the shell back in. I think it hears the peeps and snuggles up to it. Not sure if we're going to have to do a second emergency extraction of the first chick or not. We're watching the situation closely. We'd rather not - unless it becomes too big of a problem.

Three BCMs happy to have lots of room in the aquarium...



Is it too early to tell if I have any girls here?

I am so jealous!!!!!!

 

[TerrorBird]

Is it too early to tell if I have any girls here?

SO SWEET!