Washingtonians

[T Hi]

Hey guys!!!

I had the BESTEST lunch date today!!!!! CL & her DH brought me the yummyest seafood feast!!

I am still full!!! It was so wonderful to see some happy faces!!

I miss everyone so bad!!!!

Hope you all are enjoying the beautiful weather! Miss you & love ya!!!

 

[RonB]

VelvettFog
Yes I have a few aerial preditors. I ve seen an eagle (pretty high up) and several hawks. saw three hawks circling over the run one day. One day I was standing out there watching my flock and a hawk came out of nowhere and hit the top of my fence and got stuck by his foot. he was hanging up side down for a min. or two. he finally dropped inside the run. He looked around like "what the hell happened " then he flew into the woods. I think thats where he was heading when he hit the fence. I got a good look at him. he was smaller then my hens

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
I have a nesting pair of Red Tails who's nest I can see from my back yard. At times they circle over different parts of my property, but they've always done that - long before I got chickens. There are several other folks who also keep fully free-ranging (I dont even think they secure the birds at night) so I think that if the hawks were a real threat, nobody would let their birds out. I am not suggesting that I could let small birds (chicks/juveniles) walk around all day, but I don't think there is a threat to my adult birds.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Guess I will jump in on the "location train". For me, hmmmm:
Pamona, CA 1966 (you do the math)
Twisp, WA
Everett, WA (only 6 months)
Twisp, WA
Okanogan, WA
Winthrop, WA
Omak, WA

Yep, that is about it. Kinda pathetic isn't it? By looking at this, I have lived almost all of my life in a 100 mile area (or less)

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote:
I was in second grade when mom also went to work. She did not trust us in the house when she was gone, so when she left in the morning, my brother (2 years older) and I waited on our covered porch until it was time to walk the 1.5 mi to school. My sister 3 y younger was dropped off at preschool by mom until she got to Kindergarten and joined us on the porch. Everyone around us walked as well. Only crossguards were on Blossom Hill rd where we had to cross 6 lanes of traffic.


In the summers all the kids would dissappear into the hills and build forts in the big oak trees and slide down the dry grass on cardboard. No cell phones, no supervision. We'd just head back in time for dinner. Sometimes we'd even find men who were likely running from the law in the caves nearby. We'd all sneak them food. No one was ever hurt by them. My brother and his friends found stacks of nudie magazines in someone's dugout fort in an empty field when they were too young to care, but they knew the teenage boys would pay money for the pictures, so they cut them out and I walked around selling the centerfolds to all the teen boys I could find. We took the $ and stocked our tree houses with cinnamon red-hots, Jolly Ranchers and bubble gum. I think I'd have a seizure if I found my kids doing the stuff we did back then.

Oh, my that is just too funny. But wait until your kids get older and DO tell you the things that they have been doing - if you are like me.....you don't want to know.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote:
You were here...You could have stopped by. I would have let you use the bathroom this time. I promise.

 

[RonB]

VelvettFog
I watch my 15 week olds close. but don't worry about my big girls too much.

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
That's what I'm saying.

An observation. I have (had) 22 pullets, no roo. I picked up a roo and a pullet who are both about a month older than my flock. 16 wks vs. 20. Since the addition of the new pair (she never leaves his side btw) the entier flock is willing to venture further away from the coop. I know that as the birds age this is a normal process, but this new distance is exponentially greater. I attribute that to the presence of the rooster, who adds a sense of security to the flock. It is always he, the new pullet and a few others who venture the furthest. It is comical however, because the pullets seem to know when they are busted for going just a bit too far, but the roo has a 'tude some times. Not that he's a bad boy, just -- haughty

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote:
Hey! I was just going to say I went to high school in Central Point OR Crater grad. right next to MEDFORD Mister.

CR you lived in Sunnyside?? ok don't tax your brain too much but when in Sunnyside??

It was a very short time in about 64 or 65. I just remember living out near some dust bowl that grew asparagus

and there was a turkey farm there somewhere too.

 

[chickens4gramma]

Quote:
So -- chicken wire, hardware cloth, hog wire -- ack! That's a lot of metal. (looks around for CR)

Chicken wire -- is braided, the openings are hex shaped, it is easily pulled apart by animals that have paws or hands. It will not withstand much weight. It is normally used to confine your chickens, or deny them access. Buried, it can be a deterrent to animals that might dig under a fence or wall. This is the least expensive of the wires. I only use it to contain/deny.

Hardware cloth - is welded and has square openings. Most folks use 1/2" openings as 1" will allow for a raccoon to reach in and eat your bird one handful at a time. Too many folks on the Predators forum have reported this happening for it to be 100% conjecture. It is the most expensive of the 'wires'. I use this for windows/doors and other openings that will be exposed at night. If I am constructing a predator secure run, I will use this wire on the first 24" (ground up) to guard against the above mentioned reach-through diet. The rest of the run I'd use either chicken wire or hog wire.

Hog wire - welded, pretty thick wire (CR can tell us the gauge) usually 2"x4" openings. This stuff is pretty sturdy. I use it and short PVC lengths to quickly put up a temporary run. It is often buried as a digging deterrent, and works better than chicken wire at this task.

I buy my wire online at csnstores.com, shipping is often free and the prices are very good. (I also buy 100' rolls)

All that said --- when I build coops I don't use OSB as the flooring. I use plywood. I feel that OSB is more susceptible to moisture absorption than plywood, and it's moisture that you want to avoid. I suggest 3/4" plywood as your flooring. If that's more than you want to spend, then stay with plywood, as thick as you can. I use OSB as the rest of the sheeting on the coops I build. Plywood or OSB, be sure to give it a good coat or two of paint. I like latex because it is easy to clean up and is non-toxic when dry. Consider vinyl flooring, call the stores and ask if they have scraps. It is water proof, and easy to clean. Most have a mild texture so they are not too slippery for young chicks.

Lots of folks (me included) give their wire different names. I know people who have no clue what I mean when I say "hog wire" and their idea of chicken wire is what I call hardware cloth, and my chicken wire is their stucco wire.


Dave

PS - I don't put wire under my floors -- but I also keep my coops at least 2' off the ground. You should too

Great info Dave, thanks so much! I wish I could have a raised coop, but I have to make do with the shed we have already, and it's too heavy to raise up 2 feet, and I want to be able to walk in it too. I will go look at csnstores.com. Thank you for your time and wisdom!

Someone asked if we have a mice or rat problem. We have a lot of field mice in our field and by the barn. Hubby found a nest of babies the other day in some long grass by the compost pile. That is close to where the shed is (that will soon be the coop). So I am sure they will be attracted by the chicken feed.

For those of you with hot wires, do you have small kids? My grandsons are all three and under, and I don't want them to get zapped! A hotwire around the top of the pen might be okay, but I'd like to try without it first and only use it as a last resort. I want the coop to be kid-friendly since the kids are one of the main reasons I am doing it!