Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[BantyChickenLuv]

Does this guy look like a MGB to you? I was told he might be a HRIR but I don't think he is, the legs are too long.

His buddies are Bantam Cochins.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I feel the need to know what to do when the time comes to cull a hen. I signed up for a class through the seattle farm co-op, they will be processing 6 birds with 10 'students' watching/participating. Will I regret this???? The thought of watching this really makes me sad/gives me the creeps, etc. but I don't feel like I'm being a responsible chicken owner by not knowing what to do when the time comes. I don't want to eat any of my birds, honestly, I'm just sort of concerned about having an injured/ill bird and I don't want to see them suffer..I guess I could always bribe a local chicken person to come over and do the deed

Anyway, am I going to regret watching 6 chickens be killed and processed? I have pet cats and I don't feel like I need to know how to kill them, ya know? But they can be taken to an emergency vet and they aren't at risk of being attacked by a raccoon (they're indoor cats). Can chickens be taken to an emergency vet to be euthanized? It would probably cost a fortune. There should be an at home euthanasia kit for pet chicken owners. Chloroform, then an injection of some kind. Something easy and not bloody.

Here is a link that might help you out
http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/index.php

The debate is on. Does Blackie go to auction today? Last night, after Blackie spent an entire day free-ranging by himself because I couldn't catch him I was 100% positive he was going this morning. I spent the day terrified he was going to become food for some hawk while I was gone. Thankfully, he was good at hiding and hung out under a Rhododendron watching Latte in the tractor. This morning, after hugging him and holding him, I'm not so sure I want to let him go.

Sigh. Last night the kids were pretty upset about him going, too when we talked to them about it last night. DH says if I want to keep him until we have to let him go, he'll get the fishing net out of the attic today to help me catch the little buggger (didn't know we had one). He's 14 weeks tomorrow. He still peeps most of the time and has a deeper voice some of the time (usually when I finally catch him). How long can I keep him before he crows and gets me in trouble? Or should I just get the inevitable over with and take him?


Reminder to self: 759

I agree with Farmin Momma's statement. You have prolly less that 2 weeks. Sorry

So: yeah, finally got the yard hose frozen yesterday and then, TADA: an unused standpipe in the waterline to my house started leaking when the ground thawed. It was under a pallet and a bunch of insulation as well as 10" of dirt, but the (editorial comment withheld) rabbits thought that was just the best comfy bunker ever. I get to go dig that up as soon as my hair is dry; I decided that I wasn't going to itch for two days this time, if we have to glue in new pipe.

Wanted to say something about Travis's new coyotes: probably the problem is that wherever their primary denning/hunting area previously was has been developed; people up on the ridge between Hillsboro and Newberg have complained to me about how there was an incursion of coyotes after the pie cherry orchards in Hillsboro got turned into condos, for instance. Another thing might be that a new fenced stormwater control area might have provided a new denning area. And then you have your stupid human tricks: the HUGE, fecund female who got hit on the road here in June of 2011 was one of four pups in a stormwater overflow pond who the idiot suburbanites had been feeding Iams the summer they were weaned. She had two litters of six pups before she was killed.

The first bad coyote problem we ever had was when a bunch of stream culvert was laid out by a Texas development company which was sure the State of Washington was kidding about salmon protection; when they couldn't get their permits and appealed and appealed they just left the pipes laying in the blackberries for three summers, and then it took a court order and a bunch of more wasted money to get them to haul it out: stupid waste of money all around, it wasn't even an intermittant stream, it was a permanent one with two runs (springs and chums). In any case, almost a mile of hardened den sites and hidden coyote trails.

I'm really surprised that BCL's coop-invader was a Redtail, although this is a heck of a year for migratory birds.

Suppose I'd better go get eight or ten other things going, eh?

The coyotes are prolly from the developed area about a mile away(new sub-division), but if I get a clear shot they will be bagged. And with BCL's RTHawk, it might be a resident. I have a mating pair of RTH about a 1/4 mile away, I can see the nest from the road. The Coopers and Sharp-shinned have moved south. It is warm enough here for the RT's to stay year round.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Does this guy look like a MGB to you? I was told he might be a HRIR but I don't think he is, the legs are too long.

His buddies are Bantam Cochins.

I don't think it can be a HRIR, legs are not yellow, as should be for Standard

 

[BantyChickenLuv]

Yes, that is what I was thinking. However I don't know what color he could be for MGB, his feathers are coming in as a partridge color. I'll have to check the standard.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

It is so cold here during the day I put a brooder lamp out for my 12yo dog to stay toasty. He has arthritis and cold is hard on him. And he hates being inside. It has not been above freezing here in 10 days. Brrrrrr

 

[Greg Richardson]

Some great blue berry video's. Also some growing advice down at the bottom.
Wish they weren't on the other side. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
I'd love to visit a place with growers like that from so many generations and just soak up the knowledge.

http://www.dimeofarms.com/

 

[TerrorBird]

I feel the need to know what to do when the time comes to cull a hen. I signed up for a class through the seattle farm co-op, they will be processing 6 birds with 10 'students' watching/participating. Will I regret this???? The thought of watching this really makes me sad/gives me the creeps, etc. but I don't feel like I'm being a responsible chicken owner by not knowing what to do when the time comes. I don't want to eat any of my birds, honestly, I'm just sort of concerned about having an injured/ill bird and I don't want to see them suffer..I guess I could always bribe a local chicken person to come over and do the deed

Anyway, am I going to regret watching 6 chickens be killed and processed? I have pet cats and I don't feel like I need to know how to kill them, ya know? But they can be taken to an emergency vet and they aren't at risk of being attacked by a raccoon (they're indoor cats). Can chickens be taken to an emergency vet to be euthanized? It would probably cost a fortune. There should be an at home euthanasia kit for pet chicken owners. Chloroform, then an injection of some kind. Something easy and not bloody.

When we need to have a bird taken care of, we just take it to the local avian vet. I know that it's fairly costly, but since they're my pets primarily I have them put down like I'd have the dogs or cats put down if need be. That's just me, of course. I'm a giant softie and can't bear to even think about processing chickens.

 

[BantyChickenLuv]

How does everyone recommend training baby cockerels to be human friendly? I have a Modern Game baby and a Cochin baby. Right now, I'm not to worried about the Cochin, as it doesn't run and doesn't mind being picked up. However, the Modern (Klondike) runs, fights, and makes a lot of noise when I do manage to pick him up. I made the mistake of not taming my last cockerel and he is as mean as can be. Any tips are appreciated.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

The coyotes are prolly from the developed area about a mile away(new sub-division), but if I get a clear shot they will be bagged. And with BCL's RTHawk, it might be a resident. I have a mating pair of RTH about a 1/4 mile away, I can see the nest from the road. The Coopers and Sharp-shinned have moved south. It is warm enough here for the RT's to stay year round.

Oh, I have resident Redtails on the other corner of my 40 and had a nest in the greenbelt below an apartment I lived in in Seattle as long ago as the seventies: they're everywhere. The reason I suspect the coop-raider was a migratory is that resident birds tend to avoid coming too close to structures (and field gates: anywhere they might be interrupted by a human). Hungry migratories (which is redundant: if they weren't hungry they'd stay where they were) are prone to do things resident breeding pairs avoid, including ripping into wired openings. Residents defend their regular hunting grounds and perches, so the migratories get driven into marginal positions.

My Cooper's are around, I saw one yesterday, but I've got a stupid starling roost and enough wind-proof night cover that they don't have much trouble here. I don't usually see Sharpshins between October and March, but that's when I do see the Merlin, and when Falcons come by everything but Eagles and Goshawks are prone to go somewhere less troublesome. Part of the reason Redtails are getting to be more troublesome is the increase in Peregrine populations in metropolitan areas- they don't compete for food, so much, or nestsites at all, but Peregrines think it's funny to divebomb slower birds, and Redtails are conflict-averse.

 

[Mumsy]

These four pullets are those I bought from Jean at the WFF winter Brisk show a couple months ago. The two buff girls are laying perfectly nice eggs every day. My Production RIR roo on the end has been covering them.
Today I set a dozen of their eggs in the bator. Hatch expected Feb. 9th. I think the blacks are close to lay but haven't started yet. I also think Jean told me they were Ameracauna/Orpington crosses. These four girls are good flock birds. All five are free ranged in the garden and orchard daily. They are on fermented feed, deep litter, wood ash for mite and lice control and get unpasturized apple cider vinegar in their water daily. Very healthy birds and so far very nice eggs. I'm hoping for good looking chicks too!