Washingtonians

[ReiMiraa]

this is the setup. ther is straw in the cardboard box and in the doghouse....
pardon the slight messiness... i cant clean the coop right now till temperatures rise... their poo is hard and frozen....

 

[weaveagarden]

I read somewhere that about 3-4 hens per box was a good rule of thumb. But I don't remember, it may have said at least one box for 3-4 hens.

I now have 3 temporary nesting boxes. 4hens lay out in the back 40 - 3 in one spot, 1 in her own private little place (she is my broody girl). 2 of them in 1 box, and 4 in the farthest corner right beside a nest box. 2 of them are not particular and I find their eggs anywhere there is a sprig of hay. Thankfully, lately that has been in the coop. two nesting boxes are never used.

I do have to say that I don't have great boxes right now. Just basically apple boxes for 2 of them, and a large heavy ottoman type stool upside down for the other. Mostly they use them as roost, so that may be why they aren't using them for boxes.... They are always full of poop in the morning. Maybe if I get my act together and get them proper boxes they would use the..... We will see. I think Francie will still go out and hide in her favorite spot until I put her back in the ranging area each day. Well, until I get netting over the entire chicken yard anyway.

RonB - This explains so very much. A middle child, Huh! It is a very selective club full of needy funny and spontaneous attention seekers. But boy we are sure a lot of fun when you get us all wound up.

Now, I can hardly wait to meet your wife. She must really be something wonderful!

 

[weaveagarden]

Quote:
Hey, those look like my apple boxes. I am using them the other way. Looks like I need to get a few pieces of lumber screwed on to them and turn them on their side. That will be better for wind break.

I can see why they use the dog house. It is probably very warm in there right now. And if they use in in succession, It would still be warmed up by the previous hens.

 

[ReiMiraa]

Quote:
Hey, those look like my apple boxes. I am using them the other way. Looks like I need to get a few pieces of lumber screwed on to them and turn them on their side. That will be better for wind break.

I can see why they use the dog house. It is probably very warm in there right now. And if they use in in succession, It would still be warmed up by the previous hens.

lol... you noticed they were apple boxes... good for you!

they are our apple boxes from the orchard... we dont use those anymore (maybe 50 years ago?) so i tinkered with them... but currently they are out of fashion right now with my layers... maybe in the summer they will want to use them again.....

believe it or not one time i found 3 hens in one of those boxes... 1 large cochin and 2 large EE.....

guess you didnt notice what the roosts in the corners are.... they are props from the trees... i live on a family orchard and we have a seasonal fruitstand on blewett pass....

 

[weaveagarden]

Oh thanks Kim .... Now I really do feel loved!

I have got to get a net over my brooder. Those little free chicks from Mike are the heartiest I have ever seen. What is it.... Maybe 2 weeks. I have a 42" wall around my brooder and those little ones can already get out. If they continue to be this able to fly, I will need to clip some wings. I haven't done that yet for any of mine. But the Barnies seem really shy and can hide well. The Marans are quick. Between the two they give me a run for my money...... Well, for no money.

ReiMiraa - I didn't know what those roosts were, but I did notice that they are the most popular roosts, by the splatters below them.... And don't apologize for the poop on things. That is what home is like for a chicken..... And sometimes for chicken people.

 

[ultasol]

Thank you for all the responses about the DE and kelp!

I am not sure if I will be able to make it to the swap. I might be working with the sportsmen again in Feb which means working weekends. If this is the case,..

Also, depends on the pass. The mountains get a wee bit hairy in the winter...! Meanwhile, I will see about getting stuff in from Azure.

Thanks thanks!

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
How far east are you? I'm heading to south to Oregon January 1st.

 

[weaveagarden]

Quote:
Hi there. I did 5th and 6th grade at Capt. Gray in Pasco, in the late 60's. We lived out of town near Sacagawea park.

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
Hey I think BBQ coyote with apple and raccoon glaze sounds delicious. I will put you down for it. I think I would try it.

If I can DH to come with me (sometimes he will sometimes he won't) I would love to get together with you and Kim and her DH.

On the vinegar I was thinking maybe I could just get the bread to last like a week that it would be worth trying it. I think that I will try it with just a teaspoon in the dough next time and see what happens. I will have to let you know how it goes.

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
Just a bit of a update. The lady that called first didn't pick the dog house type building up the other day. So today I got a call and the guy told me where to pick it up at. Hey it's now mine.

And it was free.

It will take a little bit to modify it for chickens , but it sure won't be a whole lot of work. Hey again!

Thank you so much Nyrial for posting it here.