Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Leigti]

It is tough to find people to take older birds if they lay eggs

It is only tough to find homes for them if you don't want them to end up being soup.

 

[Leigti]

My older Marans lay about every other day.  The pullets lay 4 - 5 eggs per week.  The eggs are gorgeous, but the extra color on the eggs takes longer to "make" so they don't lay as often as a leghorn would.

Just a word of caution, most of the hatchery Marans that are sold by stores do not lay dark eggs.  If you want a rich chocolate color you might want to look at a local breeder.  There are lots of chick available on the West side, but I'm not sure about your area.  

These would be hatchery birds. My friends have got them at the same place I plan to and they actually lay pretty darn dark eggs. I haven't checked in my local area for local breeders.

 

[Chickielady]

 

[Leigti]

Hello

 

[pennyJo1960]

My BR are my daily layers the EE and SL tend to take turns that I always have between
8 and 16 eggs a day with 20 birds between 1 & 2 years old did that to keep eggs when a few molt.
The youngest are from my October hatch so there is technically three OE and they have just started laying also.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Making old fashioned ham and bean soup today bacon cooked in seasonings
all the good stuff cooking the ham bone down now bean have soaked from about 4 yesterday
to this afternoon all rinsed ready to cook in all the good flavors

 

[mixedbreeds]

Making old fashioned ham and bean soup today bacon cooked in seasonings
all the good stuff cooking the ham bone down now bean have soaked from about 4 yesterday
to this afternoon all rinsed ready to cook in all the good flavors

I'm having rooster for dinner the Wellsumer astralope cross finally ticked me off for the last time he's nice and fat 4 months old nice sized bird his brother is the Wellsumer barred rock cross he is just gigantic and he's next.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Quote: sounds good I emailed the breeder of Blue but not a word that
she would want him back so his stew and I do believe that is what we will do
also he is less than a year by four months

 

[Bee and me]

I am always using things in ways they were not intended to be used, lol. Babies with mamas can stand cold temperatures by warming up as needed so that is what inspired me. Keeping chicks too hot is more fatal than keeping them too cool and ducklings go off heat much quicker than chicks so I wanted something that would allow them to warm up as needed without getting too warm. By two weeks the ducklings move away from the low heat and chicks move away by 4 weeks so that is when I take the warmers out. I also use white bulbs when possible so they are not as bright. The lightbulb holder comes out of the plastic base for cleaning so they are easy to keep clean when I clean the plastic tubs. The flea traps are $15 but then replacement bulbs are 3 to 4 for $1 at the Dollar Tree or Dollar Store so the cost is very reasonable.

question: what sort of light do you recommend in thier outdoor coop? I do want to move them out by week 5-6.
I have mine indoors. This might be why the 2 week old have moved away from the heat.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I use a a 125 heat lamp in the winter this is bought at a pet store meant
for reptiles my coop is 17 square ft diameter pretty large and it is hung up so not
allot comes off it in the summer it is plain old red bulb.. my vision is very light sensitive
in the winter I do also run a 60 watt bulb from 5a to 8 p I do another lamp in there
that I turn on to clean turn off when done...