Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Sweetlilbaby]

This is a very good MAMA !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beautiful muscovies. I haven't found where mine are nesting in my yard. But i've come to the conclusion they are nesting somewhere when free and i'm just not finding it anywhere. Hopefully the dogs will leave it alone and they will hatch out.

 

[DiamondDust]

Hi all. I'm new here! I live in the western slopes of the cascade mountains in King county. We just got our first chicks and were planning to have them be free range chickens. I have not had a chance to read through the thread yet, but I am looking for advice on the best coop situation for the chickens. I want them to be able to happily run around and be chickens, but at the same time I don't want them to be taken by predators. I'm looking forward to hearing what you all have to say about flock safety. We have mainly raccoons, opossums, coyotes and bobcats. There are also bear, dogs, and red-tailed hawks, but they generally aren't around the house like the other animals are. We lost two cats in 2009, but have not lost any since then, fortunately.

I'll be making plans for a coop next week so I'm getting as much info as I can now. We have a horse stall in the barn that we were going to convert to sleeping quarters for the hens, but I think they might get bored in there if they had to spend too much time inside. Is it possible to teach the chickens to use two different coops? (one for good weather and one inside for bad weather?)

Welcome! You sound like you have the same kind of predators that I have so I'm going to tell you what I've dealt with. For Coyotes it will take 2x4 welded wire to keep them from going through a coop...they will bite through regular chicken wire. They will also dig under (I've had them do that here) so you have to put wire either buried or laid on top of the ground on the outside of the coop. I used to free range my Silver Spangled Hamburgs and they dealt with both coons and coyotes very well because they were so alert and flighty. They also lay very well. They roosted up in my trees out of range of the coons (or out of notice) and they always knew when coyotes were in the bushes nearby. I've lost one duck to a Bobcat (pretty sure that's what got her) and I don't know if there is a blessed thing you can do to stop them...but they range around a lot so not likely you'd lose many to them...they also attack at night so if the birds are cooped up and night you'd be in the clear. Coons are a plague. They are strong and will go through chicken wire and they will reach their little arms through 2x4 wire if the chickens are close enough to grab at night and they will kill and eat them right through the fence. Coons HATE electric fence though! I put a strand down low and another up near the top of the fencing and the coons have stayed away from the coop ever since.

That's been my experiences...hope that helps!

DD

 

[ChickenMack]

Hey Washingtoians! I am looking for a couple of Royal Palm hens for my most handsome tom. Does anyone have any or know someone who might who I can contact? They will be greatly loved and cared for and hopefully they would choose to mate with my tom for young ones. Please PM me or respond here, I would really apppreciate it.

 

[Lutefisk]

I'm excited my babies are due to hatch tomorrow

anything yet???

 

[Sweetlilbaby]

anything yet???

No but the other day they got unplugged so they might be a day behind because of that. After it was found unplugged i candled them and 3 out of 3 that i checked were moving around still so i assume it didn't effect them.
Just waiting on them to hatch. since i haven't slept the past few nights and i am tired they'll probably hatch as soon as i go to lay down. the incubator is on my nightstand by the bed.

 

[Rainier]

OMG came home to 10 baby chicks!!!!

*ETA*
we did not hatch them

 

[lulubonbon]

Hi all

I am about 45 min north of Seattle and I was wondering who has hatching eggs?

I had some eggs shipped from Oregon but when I candled them it looks like maybe only 4 out of 16 will hatch. I am hoping to find some more local and bypass shipping.


You can always send me a private message if you like.

 

[Chickielady]

Beautiful muscovies. I haven't found where mine are nesting in my yard. But i've come to the conclusion they are nesting somewhere when free and i'm just not finding it anywhere. Hopefully the dogs will leave it alone and they will hatch out.

So they are laying in the yard but coop up at night ?
Can you follow them ?

 

[Chickielady]

No one has any idea of anyone who has Black (Silver) Marans ?
How about white ?
Or Birchen ?

 

[FamFitz]

OMG came home to 10 baby chicks!!!!

*ETA*
we did not hatch them

10 new chicks - like you had a broody hen and didn't know it? Or someone (other than you) bought chicks and brought them to your house?