Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[JennS]

Coop progress update! Doesn't it look awesome???



The area underneath will be storage with doors. The three nestboxes will be accessed for eggs by lifting the slanted roof. The front will also drop down on hinges to easily scrape out the nesting material for cleaning.

Progress is slow, but this is the most complicated part of the coop.

Could anyone with an outdoor brooder post a pic? I'm thinking of putting something together so I can move my chicks out into their pen before the coop is done. I need to make something that will keep the wind out and be big enough for a lamp, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I'd love ideas from anyone who already has something like this! I'm tired of all the dust in the basement. I don't hear any more sneezing and all the birds look fine, so I think the dust was just getting to them, too. The basement is also smelling like chicken poop, and the darn birds keep jumping on their waterer and knocking it over.

Jennifer

 

[FirewifeJess]

Quote: I will be posting when I buy my Meat birds, and then the classes for Freezer Camp 101, will be held roughly 8 to 10 weeks later. We will hold one on a Saturday and the other on Sunday. This past year I found that it was easier for some to have different weekend days to come to the class. I have found that a number of children seem to be very interested in the process, and are willing to watch.
I'm very interested in this next year! And I can help out with the slaughter. I've never done a bird, but I've watched videos on chickens and I've euthanized some reptiles and rodents as part of my job and rescue work. Usually it's not bloody, but I've processed my own deer kill and an emu that I bought for food, and that certainly was. If someone can show me how to do it humanely I am fine helping out.

Jennifer

Even humanely killing chickens is quite a shock the first time; it's very bloody and the chicken, no matter what way they're slaughtered, still shakes and bok boks (if the cut wasn't in the perfect place) while bleeding out. All I'm saying is it's a shock, so prepare yourself; I'm still a 100% proponent of it, but eesh. All the boys I brought still think it was awesome, but I was a bit shocked.

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
I've seen that done that with JP-5 when I was in the Navy. Someone brought in a bucket from draining the overflow cells on one of our F-14s. They were using it for their matches and cigarette butts until the supervisor got on them. Of course some of the stuff I saw done in the Line Shack was pretty stupid now that I think back on it.

I haven't done anything like this since I was a teen(20+ yrs ago). Now at 40 I know a lot of the things we did back then were crazy stupid. I am surprised I survived.

This reminded me of lighting up the gopher holes, when we were living down in the Camas WA area. I had been listening to the radio, and they had been talking about pouring gasoline down the mole or gopher holes to get rid of them. I couldn't resist the idea. We pour at least 5 gallons down a variety of holes in about an acre or so of backyard. The kids that were teenagers at the time, did a good job of helping me, but DH refused to join us. We got a couple of good bangs, and smoke the came out the other end of the tunnels. But what ever we were chasing, we were not successful in getting rid of. So I will echo CR's thought again. I will say though I had a blast that day. It was all most as fun, as the last bonfire we had at that house just before we left. It involved a camper that we had been using as a chicken coop. We had over a hundred chickens the spring that we had to move. I had to give them all up, because of moving back here.

Do not try any of this at home!!!!

 

[hallerlake]

Quote: Mudbay isn't cheap, but they're all over. There's one in LFP downstairs from Third Place Books, also Greenwood.

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
Hey Ren -- there is an old steam train you can take from -- Elba, I think it is -- close to Morton. Really nifty old ride, great view of Rainier when the weather is nice.

I believe that I might have taken that train ride years ago when my grandmother was visiting us. We decided to go to Mt. Rainier national park after the ride and got lost. We finally found an exit after looking for about two hours and made our way to Enumclaw. We didn't have any food with us because the park trip was spur-of-the-moment. We were never so happy to see a Pizza Hut as we were then.
I believe that there is a steam train that runs from North Vancouver BC up to the town of Squamish BC. We rode the train about 20 years ago with our two kids. It would have been more fun if my DS hadn't had chicken pox break out just as we were getting on the train. I believe though that the train is still running up in BC. It was a nice weekend otherwise. I found the link, it is still running. http://www.wcra.org/

 

[hallerlake]

Coop progress update! Doesn't it look awesome???



The area underneath will be storage with doors. The three nestboxes will be accessed for eggs by lifting the slanted roof. The front will also drop down on hinges to easily scrape out the nesting material for cleaning.

Progress is slow, but this is the most complicated part of the coop.

Could anyone with an outdoor brooder post a pic? I'm thinking of putting something together so I can move my chicks out into their pen before the coop is done. I need to make something that will keep the wind out and be big enough for a lamp, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I'd love ideas from anyone who already has something like this! I'm tired of all the dust in the basement. I don't hear any more sneezing and all the birds look fine, so I think the dust was just getting to them, too. The basement is also smelling like chicken poop, and the darn birds keep jumping on their waterer and knocking it over.

Jennifer

I have this dog house (the dog died) with extra ventilation holes and hardware cloth across the door opening, and a heat lamp hung inside. Ceramic socket, of course, CR. During the day, I put my wire dog crate in front so they have a little run area.

 

[JennS]

Quote: I will be posting when I buy my Meat birds, and then the classes for Freezer Camp 101, will be held roughly 8 to 10 weeks later. We will hold one on a Saturday and the other on Sunday. This past year I found that it was easier for some to have different weekend days to come to the class. I have found that a number of children seem to be very interested in the process, and are willing to watch.
I'm very interested in this next year! And I can help out with the slaughter. I've never done a bird, but I've watched videos on chickens and I've euthanized some reptiles and rodents as part of my job and rescue work. Usually it's not bloody, but I've processed my own deer kill and an emu that I bought for food, and that certainly was. If someone can show me how to do it humanely I am fine helping out.

Jennifer

Even humanely killing chickens is quite a shock the first time; it's very bloody and the chicken, no matter what way they're slaughtered, still shakes and bok boks (if the cut wasn't in the perfect place) while bleeding out. All I'm saying is it's a shock, so prepare yourself; I'm still a 100% proponent of it, but eesh. All the boys I brought still think it was awesome, but I was a bit shocked.

Yeah, I watched an interesting set of videos that were made by a local homesteading group on how to slaughter and process a chicken. The woman sat with the hen on her lap, neck stretched down and held firmly, and cut the jugular with a sharp knife. She then had to hold the bird while it bled out, and there still was some splattering. Do you use cones?

I still remember my uncle using a hatchet and tree stump to slaughter roosters when I was a kid. That was messy. I'm not afraid of getting bloody, although it's been a while.

Jennifer

 

[justbugged]

Quote:

Well, if it was a different weekend - but that one is booked, I think. How many would come if I could change it to a weekend?​

DH and I can make a weekend. DH is much more likely to be around on a weekend, than during the week.

 

[JennS]

Quote:
Oooooh, I hadn't even though of using a dog house! I would be setting this up inside the secure pen, but I think I probably ought to lock them in the brooder at night so they don't freeze if they stay out. Hmm, I need to go root through my cage collection in the cellar. I used to have a 4' long wooden cage I used for a monitor lizard that might work with a little modification. I hope I didn't give it away....

Jennifer

 

[pettec63]

Quote:

Check with your city for stuff like that - our Mayor told us we are to report all violations by calling 911 and requesting the city police department. If we don't request the city - dispatch might send county. Every incident in our city is a 911 call - even suspicious salesman. There's a huge problem with salesmen stopping by houses, then burglarizing them if no one answers the door. We were told to ask to see a permit, and if the salesman doesn't have one, call 911 and ask for city police.

hmm I thought that was for "emergency"s only?? Think of how the 911 system gets bogged down with calls that could be handled differently? just wondering, but thanks for the info

That's why I mentioned to check with your city. Every city handles the 911 system differently. During a recent crime prevention meeting in our neighborhood, our Mayor specifically asked us to call 911 and request the city PD dispatch (not the county) - he particularly referenced calling 911 for salesman that come through the area, and he warned us that most of the "salesman" that come through are casing the houses. People kept asking "but isn't that for emergency only?" and he kept telling us to understand that is what they want us to do. We could tell he was getting frustrated that people weren't "getting it" to call 911 for what may seem to be non-emergency. They are trying to get a handle on the crime in our neighborhood and want officers dispatched immediately. There were quite a few Police officers in the room and they all agreed with the Mayor that that is what they want us to do. If we call the Police Station directly, we'll usually get a voice mail and will get a return call a few days later. Our Mayor wants Police visibility in our neighborhood and they want officers to cruise through the area whenever anything suspicious is going on.

So... check with your city and find out how they want things like that reported.

Ok, I get that, but, we drive the freeways here, so it's not a city thing?? I'm sorry I'm not trying to be complicated I just had never thought about calling a city for that kind of information, I'll call the county sheriff and see what he says, thanks! I mean most of the time I want to call for something it's cause I see some one on the freeway doing something stupid.