Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Chickielady]

I did want to tell chickielady she needed to be careful something about a case of rabies from a bat here in Lewis county
saw outside flying around our trees tonight first time

I saw it, thanks.
I think I found the hole where the bats are getting in the house...but I have not gotten the extension ladder out on the side of this roof to look for a hole in.

I believe the 3 we had in here were juveniles.

Which is kinda bad news...cuz that means these bats are part of a nursery:
Mothers and babies in various stages of growth.

So if we seal up the outter hole, like at night when most of the mother's would be out forgaing...many babies shut inside could die.

If these 3 were males, they'd have been bigger & have teeth..................
And males live alone.
So after they flew out, we could board up the hole easily & should not leave any inside to die.

 

[Chickielady]

Well we know what breed a Rock is so there really isn't confusion there.

Want to get into angry people and insistence that the hatchery/feed store is correct? Look at the EE (americana or whatever each one calls them) - Ameraucana and Araucana issue. When my mom was a kid back in the 50s and 60s, Grandma had got hatchery Araucana. They laid nice blue/green eggs. Color was pretty consistent between birds. Mom says they looked nothing like the hatchery birds I have now. The modern hatchery EEs I have are wonderful girls for eggs. Much better than my ameraucana. Even at 5 years old, I'm still getting about 3 eggs a week from each of them (that isn't broody).

true story there !

And since Plymouth Rock is such a long word, most people call then Rocks...as in "White Rocks" or Buff Rocks"...it is easier than such a long name.

 

[Chickielady]

Oh My! These aren't what I expected when you mentioned Silver. I thought they'd be a solid color, but I really like this... would you call it "lacing"?
Thank you for posting these pictures. Is this variety created by breading just AMs together, or does it require bringing in traits from other breeds? The genetics of something like this are fascinating.

.......................................

These images from the Feather site so you can see them after they are adults.
The hens do get kind of a salmon breast, like the silver Wellies do, it is just gorgeous !
I also have a blue and a splash both 2 years olds, and 5 Black Ameraucanas.
So from this group I should get more silver, and BBS...so I am excited to have what I hope will be good Ams again.
I plan on trading Scram a cockerel for one of hers, so we can inter mix blood rather than breed B to S.

 

[Chickielady]

That one drives me SO Nuts! And I've had people jump down my throat for calling out people that are selling the most obvious EEs as pure Ameraucanas. My latest Peeve is people using the word "Maran" without an "S". And it it's really crazy how so many people seem to insist that spelling it wrong is just fine. I'll bet they'd get totally ****** if someone kept dropping the last letter of their name, or better yet dropping the last digit on their hourly wage.

Still not as annoying as not referring to a young male as a cockerel, and an old one as a cock.
Imagine then why it is so easy to say pullet & hen ?
Why is that ?

 

[Chickielady]

Right! The Maran/s thing! It's French, people.
I also don't understand why people think that Easter Eggers are Ameraucana or Araucana mixes. Um, no. For that to be true, hatcheries would have to have had true Ameraucana or Araucana at some point, and they never have. Or the whole 'Ameraucana were derived from Araucana,' thing. Again, no. For some reason, people can not grasp the concept that prior to the 1970s, there were no Ameraucana, Araucana, Easter Egger distinctions. They were all just called Araucana, and they all fell into the category of 'Easter Egger' by today's definitions.

Most newbies think if you have one Marans, it is obviously like so DUH, a Maran.
But if you have 2 or more (DUH) it is Marans.....................

can I get an eyeroll here ???

 

[Chickielady]

I know I've been more miss than hit recently but we're in the process of moving my father into assisted living, plus we are also moving from the Olympia area to the Hillsboro, OR area. So, life has been pretty hectic around here.

I do have a question in need of some answers. My EE, Mabel, has a spot/pimple/cyst on her foot. My daughter said soaking it in Epsom Salt might help her. After doing that do I bandage it? Lance it and squeeze the pus out? Soak it and leave it alone? It even looks a little bit bigger than when that picture was taken. Thanks so much for your help. I greatly appreciate it (and I'm sure Mabel does, too...after the treatment is finished.)

P.S. That spot feels hard, not soft, when pressed upon or squeezed.

I would not poke, lance or squeeze it.
If you do, she is going to get so much bacteria in it.
Unless she is caged, on wire and bandaged until it heals.
One the side there does not look like a bumble to me, maybe just a wart or granuloma.

 

[Chickielady]

I had an otter run into my sliding dooryesterday. Has anyone ever had issues with them and their chickens? I've seen them eat grebes and crabs, and am hoping I don't have to worry about them getting into my coop on top of the bear and coons, lol.

wow ! Into your sliding door ?

wow...usually they are so shy !
I have never seen one around birds...but I think I have heard of someone who had an otter go after a chicken.

 

[Chickielady]

Educating those who don't know and want to isn't an issue. We all were on that end of the knowledge at one time. It's the violently abusive people that insist that only a hatchery can have purebred birds that sticks in my craw. I've come across two of those and i still have the urge to shake some sense into them.

It is also extremely irritating, and actually FRAUD, for hatcheries to continue to sell birds that are not Ameraucana.
Imagine if you bought a VW and a ford showed up.

But years go by and no one enforces these hatcheries who are obviously a blatantly commiting fraud to millions of people every year.

Then of course we have to try & correct that mistake by explaining the big hatcheries are wrong, and we are right, and most people d not believe us, like who are we compared to a big old hatchery anyways ??

And it's CROP, not craw, LOL

I know, I'm just being mean now

 

[Chickielady]

It was over Rhode Island Reds that I got into an argument with one person. Could not get them to understand about hatcheries just having production reds.

The other was a person at the county fair who was going on and on about how high of quality and breeding the "blue wheaten americana" their kid had entered were. The birds were the wild partridge color that is so typical of hatchery EEs. When i called her out on color, she started insisting that they were actually silver "americana" then.


Someone is trying to improve things at the county fair here bird wise i think. Some 4H club really getting the kids into quality birds. I saw a couple actual ameraucana last year. And even the random people were commenting on some of the different breeds of pretty birds entered. Even they could tell the difference. The amount of feathering on a well bred silkie verses a hatchery one makes them look like different breeds.

I have, for years gone to fairs and competed...with my birds, rabbits, turkeys and art work.

Of course I always come home with first place & special awards and BB & BS............................but seriously I gave it alot of thought & talk with a fellow competitor and we realized what we were doing was not making it much fun for the kids.
These kids need to learn how fun it is to show, and what to look for & how to show.
They get so excited when they get a ribbon, and most just grab a chicken out of their yards to bring.....but it is a start, it is a seed of interest we can plant for them.
When they get older, they of course learn more.
And then they can join a Poultry Club & further compete.
I love to go help at the poultry barn at the fair.
Like you said, it does help everyone learn correctly.

My Blue Wheaten Am cockerel:









hahahahaha !


Mr. Peeps.a midget white young Tom





What I do not care for in the Fairs, is that the birds & animals have to remain on premasis for so long..usually at least 4 days (3 nights) and I am always afraid they will be stolen, overheat, run out of food/water or just be so super stressed out as to make them sick.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Quote: