Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[pennyJo1960]

I use big rubbermaid garbage cans...even still the rattas try to get in...but they cannot !





Amazing how hungry that beaver was !

I have two of the garbage kind also one has crumble the other has corn with 4 dogs free roaming we have not had creatures of any variety with the addition of number 4 our Fear-ah she roams the grounds at night so we haven't had an issue there.

 

[pennyJo1960]

oh crud !!

that was mild to my initial statement

but we three are such a team we had them switched in like 15 minutes.

 

[Manningjw]

I've been enjoying the last couple days of sunshine here in the Greater Seattle area.

So has my chicken guardian.


While cutting firewood with the chainsaw I had an idea of an alternative nesting material. I am not a huge fan of straw for a few reasons. Most of all though it's one more thing to have to buy and have a big stash of sitting around.

If you have a sharp/decent chainsaw (and of course use natural bar oil that is NOT petroleum based) you can make "noodles" cutting a piece of wood or branch lengthwise. They work out to be about the same diameter as straw but of course made from whatever wood you are cutting. In my case it was pine and maple. I brought some in tonight just for a picture and to see what other people though of using this as a bedding material. I know many people use shavings as well but I kind of like this better, and it only takes seconds to make more.

 

[Cockatrice6420]

I don't have any extras right now. With hubby and the job situation up in the air at the moment, I haven't planned any hatches. Have actually been eating down the extra birds (old layers and boys). 

I only have partridge color silkies. Catdance silkies has several colors of very nice birds.

I haven't had any issues with my silkies here other than they absolutely will not come in from the rain so I have to keep them locked up if it's raining. They have figured out that it mats down their head feathers and then they can see. The little rats also love to dunk their heads in water. 

I can picture it!

 

[CarolynF]

I've been enjoying the last couple days of sunshine here in the Greater Seattle area.

So has my chicken guardian.


While cutting firewood with the chainsaw I had an idea of an alternative nesting material. I am not a huge fan of straw for a few reasons. Most of all though it's one more thing to have to buy and have a big stash of sitting around.

If you have a sharp/decent chainsaw (and of course use natural bar oil that is NOT petroleum based) you can make "noodles" cutting a piece of wood or branch lengthwise. They work out to be about the same diameter as straw but of course made from whatever wood you are cutting. In my case it was pine and maple. I brought some in tonight just for a picture and to see what other people though of using this as a bedding material. I know many people use shavings as well but I kind of like this better, and it only takes seconds to make more.

Hi There! Good to see you. Those noodles are really cool, I'd use them in a flash. Too bad we don't have a chain saw.

 

[blueducklings]

idk ABOUT THAT !!! THAT LOOKS LIKE A VERY SMALL STEP STOOL TO ME !

Don't forget it is BATMAN you are dealing with here

Ima sticking to my storey here

 

[Duck Drover]

Hi, I'm near Bellingham. Brand new to this. I've done tons of research and spent time at a huge chicken farm but still don't have any of my own..yet. we are getting chickens in March. 4 or 5. I really wanted silkies because we knew so many people in Texas where we just moved from, that said they were great with children and not flighty. Do silkies do well here? Are there breeders here? Or should I be looking at something else that would be better in the rain and cold?

We ended up enclosing our Silkie pen with a cedar wood fence that we put windows into so we can still see in and they get sunlight but it is like having a bigger coop, although technically it is just a fence. We also put up a cedar wood fence shade canopy, not technically a roof but it acts somewhat like a roof. We could not make it enclosed because that would make it a building but we do have more protection from the weather and from predatory birds. The Silkies look so much better dry and fluffy but they don't seem to care as much about their appearance as much as we do, lol. They will stand in the rain even when they have cover available so they must not mind the rain too much.

I have two roosters that I either need to find flocks for or I have to part with hens or pullets to make breeding pairs so they are not eaten. I nearly took roosters to the auction Saturday but they are too nice to kill so I want them to have a chance to live if possible.

We got the Silkies to use to hatch eggs but I do so well with our Little Giant incubators that we don't put the Silkies to work hatching eggs. I have let them raise Orpington chicks but the Silkie chicks are so small that we raise them inside until they are nearly full grown.

I am not close to Bellingham but I have driven across the state several times to get some nice Silkies. We strive to improve our birds with each generation by keeping our favorites and selling off the ones we decide not to breed.

We very rarely sell pullets or hens without roosters but we do have a splash pullet that I may let go to someone who will not breed her since she has crooked toes. We have them taped to straighten them out but I put off straightening them because I don't want anyone thinking she is breeder quality when there is a possibility her crooked toes are generic. It is a common problem with Silkies so we need to get her out of our breeding program. I have a blue possible pullet to pair her with but I need to be certain she is not a cockerel. She has a slight cross bill so I don't want her in a breeding program either.

Both these pullets will be egg layers and pets but the splash is in the coop and the blue is still inside so I have to get them together before I can list them together. My goal was to move the two roosters out of the coop before I move the juveniles outside to the coop. I always put them outside in hatch groups so it is less stressful for them.

 

[CoopDeDoo]

Hi, I'm near Bellingham. Brand new to this. I've done tons of research and spent time at a huge chicken farm but still don't have any of my own..yet. we are getting chickens in March. 4 or 5. I really wanted silkies because we knew so many people in Texas where we just moved from, that said they were great with children and not flighty. Do silkies do well here? Are there breeders here? Or should I be looking at something else that would be better in the rain and cold?

I'm on Whidbey and my silkies do fine here. I have two hens -black bearded and blue non-bearded. If you want adults - you could have one or both of mine in March. The blue ( Charlotte) gives us about 3-4 eggs a week and the black (Berry - get it??

) lays well when she's not broody

. We got them to keep my two Favs company through the Fall/Winter but I have 13 chicks in my brooder (favs & LF cochins) that will be ready to go outside in March so the silkies can re-homed at anytime after that.

And

 

[Angiesgarden]

I found some chicks which I think will be better to raise up with my little kids so they are kid friendly. Thank you so much!

 

[pennyJo1960]

I have a weird question big birds we trim the beaks, I do not recall we ever did chickens but is it something that is done now?