Washingtonians

[Ogress]

Quote:
I let my chickens out to free range the other day, first time in a long time, though it did not last long. Half of them realized it was raining and ran back to the covered run within 30 seconds of being let out, the other girls ran back about a minute later when a huge gust blew them halfway across the yard! My dumb little EE's are smarter than I gave them credit for. Instead of running back into the run, they ran next to it to an area sheltered from the wind on 3 sides. But since the winds were erratic and blowing from all direction, it was not much longer before they went back in the run as well.

 

[Illia]

I must be one of the few who have their girls/boys permanently "free ranging" (pasture raised, I guess I could say) And the door to their coop is wide open, too.

Today was pretty nice. Gave me a chance to go out and get a bunch of photos of the girls. Hey, wanna see something hilarious?

Here's really ugly molting Wyandotte next to a half-decent hatchery Wyandotte, fully feathered.

And, the molting ugly one again. . .

 

[Rainwolf]

my birds get out every day, I lock them up at night but days are outside

 

[Ogress]

Unfortunately, mine can only be out when we are home and in the yard ... too many critters. I do however, have them in a couple of tractors that I move around the yard when the ground is covered in snow.

I did hire someone to build me a large walk-in coop and a fenced and hot-wired yard 25'x35' (inside our already fenced back 2 acres) so I won't feel so guilty keeping them in a small run. I have it sectioned so I can grow potted plants in a small part of the run. I plan on moving the pots into other parts of the run so the chickens can eat them, and I can replenish them as they get destroyed. This project is costing a lot more than I had anticipated, so I went out and got a job to pay for it. At slightly over minimum wage, that may take a while! The job is in town,so at least I won't have to spend 2+ hours per day in my car! That right there is worth a lot.

I have a beautiful 1/2 acre in pasture grass surrounded by forest near the front of my property, but the CC&R's won't allow a fence there. Elk frequently hang out in the field as do the neighborhood dogs, Grrr. I don't let my dogs out there, they need to stay out back when they are outside. I am going to get a charger for my portable fence so they can fo out there and eat the shoots and the grass hoppers.

 

[Cowgirlgrace]

Quote:
DO NOT SAY THE S WORD ANYMORE !!

We are plantng our gardens here !!!

It must be nice to be able to plant in January.

There not much to plant in January unless you are planting in the greenhouse. Most the things are for transplanting out later. If Tomatoes and peppers get planted now they don't usually go in the garden until Late April/May and will need to be potted up several times into larger containers prior. I usually start my Tomatoes in mid to late February and peppers in March. At a month they go into 4" pots and by 8 weeks they are in gallons. Both I try to get in the garden by 8 week old transplants.

Illia, where are you going to put your hundreds of Tomato and peppers before you can plant them out? The weather should be nice enough this week for working on your greenhouse.

 

[ByN8ureHomstead]

Quote:
It must be nice to be able to plant in January.

There not much to plant in January unless you are planting in the greenhouse. Most the things are for transplanting out later. If Tomatoes and peppers get planted now they don't usually go in the garden until Late April/May and will need to be potted up several times into larger containers prior. I usually start my Tomatoes in mid to late February and peppers in March. At a month they go into 4" pots and by 8 weeks they are in gallons. Both I try to get in the garden by 8 week old transplants.

Illia, where are you going to put your hundreds of Tomato and peppers before you can plant them out? The weather should be nice enough this week for working on your greenhouse.

I have done that before. Two years ago I started 380 tomatoes and 320 peppers in the house. I had them in the bay window with lights. I never got all the tomato plants in the ground, but I did get all of the pepper. I still have dried peppers in the freezer.

 

[Illia]

We have some larger pots to put them in, the same size my current adult peppers are in. They'll be lined up along the window, and our porch will soon be covered with some plastic to act as a mini-greenhouse, so we'll be lining some up there too.

That will be down the road though. It will be weeks before we see much of a plant, and even longer before we'll need to move them out of their little seed starting plugs.

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
DO NOT SAY THE S WORD ANYMORE !!

We are plantng our gardens here !!!

It must be nice to be able to plant in January.

We have to get an early start, especially here on the cool western side of the state.
There is more heat on the eastern side, but I think they have a longer winter too...six of one and a half dozen of the other.
Gotta have accomidations for planting this early, heat tape, seed beds, green houses, etc.
I am going to busy alot more than normal, so anyone needs me, PM!!

 

[Chickielady]

Message for BOLD DOG::: If she logs on or anyone see her post please tell her to PM me...I will be in her area before this weekend and I am planning another incubator set the first of the week.
I wasn't gonna, but I am getting great feather shanks on my Silver Cuckoos, so a few more is a good thing...more to pick the perfect from.
Later gang!!

 

[cheryl98117]

Quote:
My girld free range all day every day, unless it is REALLY cold, then I lock them all up in the coop and run. But most times the barred rock and the delaware mutt, roost in the tree above the coop, and the NH and the Silky sleep in the coop. They just look so miserable locked up all the time, that its torture to leave them locked in.

Only problem now is that they have figured out that they like coming up to my sliding glass door. They are turning into even bigger beggers than my 3 dogs are!