Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[CarolynF]

What's new at my house...

My Ameraucana hen is sitting on 7 Swedish Flower Hen eggs! Due to hatch on Sunday. Fingers crossed.

We've also built a new, secure, pen around the mini-coop that we can now use for a broody, chicks, or quarantine. I'm really glad we've gotten to do this finally. I'd forgotten how much work it takes to do it all and do it right. Having an apple tree alongside really complicated things, too. All that's left now is putting on the roof. Whew!

If you look closely you can see Honey sitting in the nest box. The only way I could get her to move in was to put her regular nest box from the main coop into the mini-coop. Spoiled Hen!

This is what it looked like a few days ago.....

 

[pennyJo1960]

Quote: ok but I didn't know about any badge what did I get it for ? oh you said I received a BYC friend badge!!!!!
cool thank you

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Well, I am doing my dry run on the incubator.

So far it looks good and the reading on the thermostats match. I calibrated two and chucked one for extreme inaccuracy. Anyone have any tips for hatching around here? My last hatch was in Colorado and things were a bit different over there.

Chickielady- I hope your neighbors do something dumb enough to get them arrested. A vacant house would be better that what you are dealing with now.
Carolyn- I will look them up.

I ended up buying some eggs from a small farm in Oklahoma; BBS Ameraucana. I would love to get some different lines pulled together though. And pick some brains.

 

[pennyJo1960]

hahahahahahaha !

That was very cool a big THANK YOU

 

[memrymaker]

Great question. I've been using sand for five years and love it. I've learned a few lessons, let me see if I can relay a few that will be helpful.
If the ground has a good slope, that's good but only if the area in question is at the top of the slope. Sand holds onto a lot of water, even coarse sand, so keep it dry. Don't expect the water to flow through it. If you need water to flow THROUGH the area take a 2 pronged approach: 1) Divert the water so it doesn't flow into the area. 2) Create drainage with round rocks like that used for drainage fields. But remember, keeping the water out is far more effective and dealing with it once it gets in.

Seriously.... sand is only a good thing when it's kept dry (or slightly damp). Ask me how I know! But in a wet spot nothing is great, you really have to keep the rain and water out in most any situation.

Another thing I learned is that our weather comes in from the South. So if at all possible make the pen/run as wide as possible in the North-to-South direction, so when the wind and rain comes more of the ground can stay dry. We didn't so I ended up using heavy clear marine plastic to make sides for the pens to keep the rain from blowing in. I'd also suggest an overhang that sticks out as far as possible for the same reason.

Thanks for the reply! The area will definitely get wet, as it is not protected well by being up against a house, barn, shed, etc.. After doing some research into the deep litter method, I am leaning toward doing it that way. It will work well for us I think - as it provides the chickens twigs to walk on and have a dry footing as well as uses yard "debris" (grass clippings, leaves, twigs, pine needles - of which we have a TON). Composting sounds like a great thing to have available for my planned garden as well. I guess we'll try it and make adjustments as necessary. I really appreciate the insight you all offer. I think sand would have been great in theory, but maybe wouldn't work as well as I'd hoped. We came from AZ and that climate is great for sand! LOL

 

[Duck Drover]

Our neighborhood has many poor people with money to burn and they seem to like loud explosive noises enough to waste their money. I actually called the police on the 3rd because the noise was ongoing and people really need to follow the law about fireworks only being legal on the 4th and not anytime they want to make noise. Half our neighborhood could have been shot to death but no one would know to report it with all the noise.

I have PTSD so I feel for soldiers who have been shot at and develop PTSD that way. The idiots who shoot off noise making explosives should be more sensitive to those who have served in the military but Independence Day has become all about making as much noise as possible with no regard to how it effects others. I would have no sympathy for them if they burned their own house down but it would probably be an innocent person that would suffer from their stupidity. I wish fireworks were illegal except for the big light shows set to music. There is nothing entertaining about the noisemakers.

I think the extra police patrols have kept things quieter today. I imagine there are people who now have to pay fines for setting off fireworks illegally before the 4th and now they know better than to light them after the 4th. We will still hear them when sports teams win, however, because it is not ongoing enough to report it.

 

[pennyJo1960]

is anyone having error's on byc you click submit to send a message
the popup says 1 new post. if you click that the page does not refresh

 

[Scram85]

is anyone having error's on byc you click submit to send a message
the popup says 1 new post. if you click that the page does not refresh

Yes. This is a very sluggish website regardless of the speed of your internet or computer. In Grant Co. we have some of the fastest internet in the state due to our PUD and hydroelectric power resources but it is still clunky and slow.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Quote: You might want to run a speed test at some point I have no
problems normally with the site that is why I asking if others had
the same errors recently.

 

[LeannS]

Quote: You might want to run a speed test at some point I have no
problems normally with the site that is why I asking if others had
the same errors recently.