Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Sudsy Chick]

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Thank you, HH! You know how sweet she is; she is an adorable little broody Growling and fluffing up like a little ball, so adorable!

You know how I love chicks, but I thought it'd be Juno going broody though; not Frodo!

 

[FirewifeJess]

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That may be a LOT of people. If you plan it please give me as much notice as possible so I can try and make it too.

I have half an acre. As long as people bring their own chairs, we could have a great time! (and of course I'd have dozens of people there to help me rig up a fence.

)

Got the day off and it's raining......GOOD DAY TO CLEAN THE COOPS!!!
Mike

Sounds like a great day! I did that recently and I'm so happy stuff is clean! Now if only we could afford a huge dump run, I could get rid of all the trash in the backyard that makes us look really...erm, trashy.

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[FirewifeJess]

Gonna start our school day very shortly here but I wanted to pop in and catch up. I hate getting behind here, y'all chat whenever I'm not around!

I woke up with a sore throat today after a very bad night of sleep. William was up last night too, I'm assuming for the same reason. He kept crying and asking for drinks of water so it probably was a sore throat. Poor baby, I know how he feels!

One week left until I pick up my chicks!! At least...I really hope they're there Tuesday instead of Wednesday. We have plans every Wednesday night! I'm just DYING to "meet" them though! I get to be their chickie mama for a few hours and overnight too, because I'm not putting them with her until 5-6am the next morning to make sure they're stable and know how to eat and drink since Lucy probably won't take them out of the nest herself until they're all done "hatching" for a couple days.

 

[beausonge]

Spraying also just creates a slimy coat. It doesn't really go away. The kids fall on it, they're falling into a topcoat of chicken poo. I scoop then hose off the slimy smudges.

I'm guessing those who just hose, or ignore the poop, live on larger plots of land. Care of animals on city lots is a lot different than care of animals on farm land. Most large farms have large dedicated areas for chickens to live. Many city lots have very small yards. Small yards, small children and chicken poop are a major disaster waiting to happen. My mom told me Oregon News stations broadcasted a series of news articles about the dangers of children and backyard flocks. During that time, she was absolutely in a panic about my chickens - until she stayed with me for a few days and saw I clean up after them, and how I clean up after them (my birds free-range in the backyard where my children play). Now she's OK, and thinks they are good for the kids to grow up with.

The CDC posted a .pdf documenting the dangers of disease in rural backyard flocks: http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pdf/intown_flocks.pdf

Sunday we went and bought some golf course netting for our future projects. The people there lived next to an abandoned house with about 10 abandoned cats They can't let their chickens out unless they are right there with them. So they built narrow runs all along their fence lines with a few bigger 'yards' so they can get their exercise. The runs are rows whatever height the chicken wire is - maybe 30"? framed with whatever scrap lumber they had. They then topped them off with this golf course netting - both the runs and the yards. These runs were connected to their chicken coop (they doubled up on the chicken wire) and it made it easy to round them up when they wanted them in the coop. You could use fruit tree netting or whatever netting in place of the golf course netting. It would keep your chickens out of the yard where the kids play but give your chickens plenty of room to "wander" in safety.

I thought it was a really neat set up.

Vickie et al
Kelso, WA.

 

[CarolynF]

So my week has sucked. I lost a brahma pullet and my brahma cockerel to botulism. The pullet went fast, the cockerel lingered with me force feeding him. I finally had to do what was right and put him down. One of his other pullets was a bit ill, but she recovered. So I've got three chickens buried in the garden now. They had the really lose feathers that seemed to come out just from touching them. I really miss that big old boy. My husband has forbid me to talk about him for a while. I think it upset him a lot. Mongo was his favorite.

The brahma hen I got in 2011 is laying internally I think. Her eggs had been very large with watery yolks and soft shelled since she started laying again after being broody. She's acting like the other internal layers have. I felt her, but she fights so bad, I can't really tell.

Late Friday I had one of my 22 week old EE pullets injure her leg. She was dragging it and hopping. I couldn't feel anything out of place or broken. I put her inside in a carrier. She was getting very upset and I relented and let her back out with the others Saturday afternoon, so she could be with her two sisters. I massaged her leg and moved it around very carefully before letting her go, and after she went up on the roost. Today she was walking on it with a heavy limp, but was actually using it. Her tail was up and she went right after scratch this morning. That is a huge improvement from the day before. She been snuggling with the ameraucanas because they don't peck others for shoving their heads under them. One of her sisters started laying this last week, so she should be close as well. I think she flew into the run fence. All three of those pullets have done that before, and one got stuck in it.

So I don't think we'll be getting hatchery birds again. Out of 22 females, that's 1 known death from internal laying, 1 that I think is laying internally, 1 that had a heart attack, 1 that survived internal laying but doesn't lay anymore, 1 that has some sort of spinal deformation that's twisting her, 1 that's laid four eggs in two years, and 2 of the meanest birds that tried to eat everyone else alive.

Hinotori -- I'm so sorry to hear about your losses! That just stinks and I can understand why you don't want hatchery chicks! Do you have any idea where the botulism came from? My only experience/knowledge of that is home canned green beans gone bad.

 

[CarolynF]

Gonna get a couple of pics of the progress I got done on the big pallet coop on Saturday. The swelling in my face is finally almost gone. Took 5 Benydril capsules to do it. I am thankful it doesn't make me drowsy like a lot of people. Well it is 6:00, I am allowed to go to bed now(deal I made with DW, so I don't wreck her last few moments of sleep). See y'all this afternoon.

Glad to hear the swelling is under control, I hope it doesn't keep happening! Are you going to wash them down with bleach or anything? Can it affect the chickens when they are in that enclosed area?

I took a look at your pics.... that looks like a great use of the pallet wood. When you mentioned making a coop from pallets I couldn't quite picture what you had in mind. That's a lot of work taking those apart. Good Job! How big is each of those square wood pieces? How do you attach them?

 

[FirewifeJess]

NOW I GET IT. I just stood outside with my chickens and suddenly a HUGE EAGLE was standing on the ground about 8' away from me trying to get one of the chickens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm certain it didn't see me, either from hunger or because I was standing there so long and not moving that it thought I was something else, but what an ordeal! Chickens flew in all directions and were on high alert for about 30 minutes. It took me the whole 30 minutes of traipsing all over the yard to round up all the chickens and put them back in the run. Not even treats made them come out from cover, they were so scared! Guess they will be confined for the rest of the winter at least, until other food is more readily available to that eagle. I could have sworn he got Ethel because I didn't find her until right before I came in the house; she was in the run, in the rabbit hutch, laying an egg! She had no clue what all the commotion was about. Dartha was the one (my Australorp) who almost got eaten and she was found hiding underneath a bush standing stone still. I can't believe I found her!

 

[Farmin Momma]

[COLOR=FF0000]NOW I GET IT. I just stood outside with my chickens and suddenly a HUGE EAGLE was standing on the ground about 8' away from me trying to get one of the chickens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [/COLOR]

I'm certain it didn't see me, either from hunger or because I was standing there so long and not moving that it thought I was something else, but what an ordeal! Chickens flew in all directions and were on high alert for about 30 minutes. It took me the whole 30 minutes of traipsing all over the yard to round up all the chickens and put them back in the run. Not even treats made them come out from cover, they were so scared! Guess they will be confined for the rest of the winter at least, until other food is more readily available to that eagle. I could have sworn he got Ethel because I didn't find her until right before I came in the house; she was in the run, in the rabbit hutch, laying an egg! She had no clue what all the commotion was about. Dartha was the one (my Australorp) who almost got eaten and she was found hiding underneath a bush standing stone still. I can't believe I found her!

Oh wow, I am so glad they are all safe!

It just hit me that there is a coastal farm and ranch just down the street from where I'm at!! Yeah, I am hitin that up on the way out of here. I need DE but am tired of paying an arm and a leg for a little bitty bag.

 

[Hinotori]

[COLOR=FF0000]NOW I GET IT. I just stood outside with my chickens and suddenly a HUGE EAGLE was standing on the ground about 8' away from me trying to get one of the chickens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [/COLOR]

I'm certain it didn't see me, either from hunger or because I was standing there so long and not moving that it thought I was something else, but what an ordeal! Chickens flew in all directions and were on high alert for about 30 minutes. It took me the whole 30 minutes of traipsing all over the yard to round up all the chickens and put them back in the run. Not even treats made them come out from cover, they were so scared! Guess they will be confined for the rest of the winter at least, until other food is more readily available to that eagle. I could have sworn he got Ethel because I didn't find her until right before I came in the house; she was in the run, in the rabbit hutch, laying an egg! She had no clue what all the commotion was about. Dartha was the one (my Australorp) who almost got eaten and she was found hiding underneath a bush standing stone still. I can't believe I found her!

WOW. Good thing you were out there.

I keep sticks laying around for the stupid hawks we have. Only threatened them off. One got a got the hose last summer, though. We don't have a lot of water pressure so even with the nozzle the water only goes 15 or 20 feet. I soaked that bird. Teach it not to swoop in for my chickens.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Gosh I'm still just reeling over the size of that darned eagle!!! It seriously stood as high as my thigh!