Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Stumpfarmer]

Just wanted to show off the Hamburgs, they are now over a month old and then a pic of my little mixed breed babies born around the same time

Looks as if you have a dark pullet in front (good: it's one of the late Maggie's get, then, and she was a great egg-layer until she died of teh stoopid) and a single-comb (not breed standard) cockerel behind, alas.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Two days in a row I've awakened late and needing more sleep: late-summer rains are what my mom called "good sleeping weather." The chickens have been unthrilled with the heat, and as soon as it cooled off a bit laying picked up.

Rain is good for us; it damps the sparks and refreshes the dusty ground. It'll dry off again, as sure as little girls in their first-day-of-school favorite fall outfit will come home sweaty and irritable and without their sweaters and/or cute knee socks.

 

[LittleLaneFarm]

I agree Stumpfarmer! In my mixed chicks I believe the brown one is a cockerel as well...two out of four isnt bad and will give me four hens total for my flock until I try hatching again. My # two hen is a great broody gal, so I think I'll get some different egg breeds and throw them under her next year

 

[Duck Drover]

Today is my birthday and the gift I picked out for myself is six splash Orpington chicks! I got some more BBS eggs to hatch but since I am mostly getting blues and blacks, with just one splash that turned out to be a cockerel, I decided I might as well get some chicks with the coloring I want.

The woman who sold me my two Frizzle hens with a splash Silkie rooster (and kept one hen to hatch eggs for her so now they don't even seem to know each other anymore) has a splash Orpington rooster so we are going to trade when she decides to make the trip here. I did not want to buy anything else from her but she said she was looking for a splash Orpington rooster so I told her I have one. She then proposed a trade and I agreed so I will have an unrelated splash rooster to run through whatever splash pullets I get from this batch of chicks and from the blues and blacks I will keep when I can sex them. For some reason my Orpingtons are harder to sex than other breeds I have hatched but by keeping them longer I am falling in love with the breed. I have some lavender Orpingtons but they have larger tails than my BBS so they look different. Is the confirmation different on lavenders because it is a project color or is it just me who thinks they look like they look different? I hope they are lavender Orpingtons and not something else because I trusted the seller I got hatched chicks and hatching eggs from. I plan to keep pullets but I don't know how the colors will mix with a splash rooster so I might need a blue or black rooster over lavender, based on what I read about the genetics.

Now I am going to have to find a way to sell cockerels or butcher them myself but at least I will have a nice flock to produce hatching eggs for many years. I am going to have to separate my ornamental chickens from my production chickens so that means finding a coop (my current one is a converted playhouse I got for $25 and then paid another $25 to have it delivered) or building a custom coop. Since my husband is a carpenter waiting for a union job offer, we can easily build a coop but money is the issue. I will start weighing my options and deciding how to keep separate flocks. The coop we have was designed for my Easter Eggers so I think I will end up moving the Silkies to a new coop. I have a fenced area I can use as a pen but then I won't be able to let them free range with the other chickens in the yard so I may have to fence off a section of the yard for them too. I actually have a large doghouse that would accommodate a Silkie pile overnight but I would have to add on nest boxes like we built onto the playhouse coop. Anyone have recommendations about a coop design for Silkie and Frizzle chickens? I have someone who has offered me $35 for Sizzle pullets but my Frizzles are not laying anymore, nor are they even both staying with a Silkie rooster. The one I just brought home has hooked up with my blue rooster who gets chased off by my red and my splash roosters so I may have to pen the three together and form a new trio. I never thought I would ever have ornamental chickens but they are popular for backyards and I can't afford a home on acreage so I am making due with my own backyard in order to be a homeowner instead of renting property.

 

[AletaG]

Happy Birthday!
Are you a freecycle member where you are? Also, check with print shops (The Printery here in Pt Townsend ALWAYS has pallets made of nice hardwoods, and about a third have decent plywood on one side. 1/8" hardware cloth on Amazon is the cheapest I've seen anywhere out where we are.
good Luck!

Today is my birthday and the gift I picked out for myself is six splash Orpington chicks! I got some more BBS eggs to hatch but since I am mostly getting blues and blacks, with just one splash that turned out to be a cockerel, I decided I might as well get some chicks with the coloring I want.

Now I am going to have to find a way to sell cockerels or butcher them myself but at least I will have a nice flock to produce hatching eggs for many years. I am going to have to separate my ornamental chickens from my production chickens so that means finding a coop (my current one is a converted playhouse I got for $25 and then paid another $25 to have it delivered) or building a custom coop. Since my husband is a carpenter waiting for a union job offer, we can easily build a coop but money is the issue. I will start weighing my options and deciding how to keep separate flocks. I actually have a large doghouse that would accommodate a Silkie pile overnight but I would have to add on nest boxes like we built onto the playhouse coop. Anyone have recommendations about a coop design for Silkie and Frizzle chickens? I never thought I would ever have ornamental chickens but they are popular for backyards and I can't afford a home on acreage so I am making due with my own backyard in order to be a homeowner instead of renting property.

As to that last point, I COMPLETELY understand. In order to sell as NPIP, you have to have 30 adult birds to test for AI every 90 days 9or is it 30?) Anyway, too darn many and too darn often, sooo. I'm wondering if there's anyone remotely in Port Hadlock area that might have space to share or rent? I'm nosing out the possibilities... It would need to be close enough to 'commute' every day to care for the animals. PM if you know someone with a 'retirement lot' out this way...

 

[Totalcolour]

'Well, we just got back from the animal shelter, where we put in an application for a mixed breed dog - Back Lab/'Mastiff. We introduced him to our Airedale girl and they really hit it off well. The only thing I don't like is that he is entire, and will have to be neutered. Not a big issue, but he's about 4 years old so already has some "male" traits. He was such a gentleman though, willing to play with our girl, but obedient for me (sat when asked).

I really hope we get him, he'd be a good influence on our girl and someone for her to have as a companion when we go away (very infrequently). She gets very anxious about being separated.

This boy is a bit shorter than ours, but "BUILT" so is probably a bit heavier - good thing, since she's a big bouncy baby. He's not really pretty since he has the big mastiff head, but a charmer. Keep your fingers crossed for us - I really like him already!

 

[mikeyb]

'Well, we just got back from the animal shelter, where we put in an application for a mixed breed dog - Back Lab/'Mastiff. We introduced him to our Airedale girl and they really hit it off well. The only thing I don't like is that he is entire, and will have to be neutered. Not a big issue, but he's about 4 years old so already has some "male" traits. He was such a gentleman though, willing to play with our girl, but obedient for me (sat when asked).

I really hope we get him, he'd be a good influence on our girl and someone for her to have as a companion when we go away (very infrequently). She gets very anxious about being separated.

This boy is a bit shorter than ours, but "BUILT" so is probably a bit heavier - good thing, since she's a big bouncy baby. He's not really pretty since he has the big mastiff head, but a charmer. Keep your fingers crossed for us - I really like him already!

Good luck with the doggie of choice.

 

[mikeyb]

Rain, I need some rain dang it.

 

[Sweetlilbaby]

hey anyone know of someone that wants very tiny bantom hens? these two (when not stressed) will lay eggs or go broody if you let them. I took them from my moms because their rooster was a 10+ lb jersey giant mix, and these two were so tiny I was scared he'd break them. I however am over the limit on chickens/ducks here in North tacoma (near point defiance elementary.
I just want a re-homing of either a bag of feed (chicken food, duck food, alstock, scratch, Birdseed) or $12 for the pair (that is only $6 each). I want them to go together as they stick together here at my house. I catch one the other sticks close by and is easy to grab because of it. I put one in on the roost the other jumps up there on her own.
I have no idea their breed, just that they were supposed to have been cochins (spelling?) but when i hatched them i got chickens from 2 lb full grown to 10 lb chickens full grown.

I also have muscovy ducklings, not under a light. They aren't under a duck either they are beginning to feather $10 each.

Message me let me know if you are interested or know anyone in the tacoma area that is interested. I am needing $$ to get more chicken feed.

 

[Sweetlilbaby]

'Well, we just got back from the animal shelter, where we put in an application for a mixed breed dog - Back Lab/'Mastiff. We introduced him to our Airedale girl and they really hit it off well. The only thing I don't like is that he is entire, and will have to be neutered. Not a big issue, but he's about 4 years old so already has some "male" traits. He was such a gentleman though, willing to play with our girl, but obedient for me (sat when asked).

I really hope we get him, he'd be a good influence on our girl and someone for her to have as a companion when we go away (very infrequently). She gets very anxious about being separated.

This boy is a bit shorter than ours, but "BUILT" so is probably a bit heavier - good thing, since she's a big bouncy baby. He's not really pretty since he has the big mastiff head, but a charmer. Keep your fingers crossed for us - I really like him already!

It is actually healthier for the dogs not to be spayed or neutered until later in their life (over a year old). They are less likely to get bone cancer, or joint problems if you wait. I didn't know that and as a teenager had a dog neutered as a pup, he was PTS at 3 years old due to bone cancer. The vet then informed me that NO vet should ever neuter a large breed dog before a year old. That it is the number 1 cause of bone cancer in large breed dogs.

Sounds like he was likely someones pet they couldn't afford anymore with him being very obedient. I hope you get him.