Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Leigti]

I was just happening to look up the topic of cleaning or not cleaning eggs yesterday. And also whether to put them in the refrigerator or not. It is interesting reading the different viewpoints.

 

[QuiltinGramma]

Chickielady....You could take some of those old tires and make a couple of tire swings for your flock. Bet they would enjoy that. You could even make one for yourself and swing with them.

 

[pennyJo1960]

My light brahmas laid quite well, more than a cochin would...they are not mega layers by any meaning...and mine laid far bigger eggs than my LF Cochins.......proving once again, that a bigger chicken does not lay a bigger egg...
That said (as they say) I had them for decades...loved the birds totally!
And they laid really well...about 1 egg 3-4 X a week per hen...
A Marans was/is about 5-6 eggs a week per hen
This in West Coast January...and with a day LIGHT to provide light 16 hours a day.
Ameraucanas (all I have ever had) were about 2 eggs a week per hen, this time of year....some will stop lay no matter what you do, so do waite until spring hits before you judge your birds..Brahmas are awesome birds !

September 1st, 2013 :
Most of the "crud " you see was dumped on this property before we got here...and it is thick!










They were not SQ...and after every molt they had more & more penciling show up all over their backs...but they were awesome all the same
This was our house when we moved here:




This area is where my green house is now !




Shazam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Instant cabin !!!
Fully self contained, with cabole TV, cable internet & running cold water!! Yessir ! I love this place !!
OK, well it took me a week to insulate & then a week we built a 8x8 front on it to be my kitchen!!.........and alot of coops, and hutches for the rabbits !!


The BBS Copper Marans babies, the Brahmas were in a different pen...all this with coyotes and cougar and foxes wanting to know what we were doing there..our dogs had their work cut out for them


Time is moving...

small house...we spent alot of time outside !!

And then we built this house.
Another story.
So basically we went to CA and took care of grandma, when she died we loaded up the birds & bunnies and came here, bare land.
No garage, so our stuff is all under tarps...UGH...and then winter hit.

We moved here in in October my chicks where started in a dog x pen in my friends basement waiting for the new place to close I had bought 16 birds but ones leg was caught in the chicken wire around the pen the others stomped him then there 15. I recently acquired 3 new light brahmas real sweeties, then gave away my two rode island reds so an even 14 now.
I started with two small coops but all my birds wanted to cram in one so we bought a second dome, the first was when we moved here it has a great garage actually 2 car and two work shops the first is my "barn" the second is the chicken coop a guy named Tim in Adna builds them of pvc you cover them how you want to the coop
the barn

 

[pennyJo1960]

I can't believe nobody wants it. I have absolutely no problem finding homes for my eggs. Between people at work, for other friends, and my neighbors more people want eggs then I have eggsfor. More and more people are raising chickens but there still seems to be a market for eggs. I don't advertise on craigslist or anything, just people I know.

being in this small town a short time we really do not know allot of people

 

[pennyJo1960]

I was just happening to look up the topic of cleaning or not cleaning eggs yesterday. And also whether to put them in the refrigerator or not. It is interesting reading the different viewpoints.

there is many trains of thought, I am old school in my views learned as a child and wanted to see good in people not wanting to look at the paranoid world of today.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Exactly !
There has been many articles published on the positive aspects of living "in the soil" as we farmers & gardeners do...for one thing our immunal systems build up resistance, so you seldom see "Farm" people sick after they ate at Chipoltle Restaurants !
We live close to the earth...and I bet everyone of you love the lifestyle !
I cleaned my home yesterday, and sat down (we wear no shoes in the house, and the house is spotless!)....so I sat down on the couch & looked down and there on my accent rug, was a length of straw....grass hay actually, must have fell off my sweatshirt after feeding...and to my surprise, the very sight of this length of sweet grass hay,
made me smile !!!

Why ?

Cuz I am lucky enough to have grass hay !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sweet grass hay....smells so good !!!!
We are lucky, all of us here !

Fresh cut hay awwwh the memories of childhood I can remember also. I have never been a townie so to speak always lived out but also lived a life that was way to busy for chickens or gardens. Since I was forced to surrendered I convinced my best friend and his adult son we could do more together than alone and we bought the home we all wanted. I have no immune system or a poor excuse but don't live in a bubble either we have 3/4 of an acre what could be hay is to the left of our house my domain I also have a 6 x 8 greenhouse that will go up in the next month for a great garden that could be hay.

 

[Leigti]

there is many trains of thought, I am old school in my views learned as a child and wanted to see good in people not wanting to look at the paranoid world of today.

I don't wash mine but I do put them in the refrigerator. They usually don't get dirty at all but if they do I just rub them off with a paper towel.
As far as selling eggs goes, just let it be known that you have eggs available. Small towns word spreads.

 

[pennyJo1960]

That is about how what I decided to just give it time, there is a sign outside the fence in the back another on the tree are address and farm sign hangs on both say farm fresh eggs. I wasn't getting to panicked and I have a small fridge in the pump house that I keep the eggs in.

 

[justdishy]

I have made a point of getting up earlier to get the white light on in the coop while we figure out the timer we bought for it. I still keep one red  heat light on with my problems I don't always sleep at night but it was causing chickens to be sporadic I think.  girls have given two with 4 more in nesting boxes can anyone tell me how often light brahmas lay? so far I am 2 of 14 for sure.

I have a small string of tiny Christmas lights strung through coop and run, plugged into a timer. Lights come on at dark, go off at 8 pm. This way I can see out there when I come home, at which point I lock them inside the run. By 7:45 they are roosting and I lower the pop door for safety. Just this additional light has kept them laying and allowed us time to interact - treats, check the food, water, look for injuries and view the coop and run in otherwise darkness.

 

[lynnehd]

My nest boxes have those nest box mats and then aspen.
So far my eggs have been consistently clean (occasional feather or piece of aspen).
I don't wash mine, and I store them on an egg skelter on the counter.

(One egg was soiled once, so I washed it and put it in the fridge).

Of course, I don't sell mine, which makes a difference.