Washingtonians

[ByN8ureHomstead]

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Hi nice to meet ya. Sure just jump right in here. We have lots of Washington wannabees (I mean that in a good way). We have peeps from the other side of the big creek (OREGON), Kansas, Missouri, Beunes Aires (sp) and I am sure others that I can't remember.

BarnChick is from Spirit Lake Idaho. I have not seen her on here in a while.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

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Still waiting for them to get here. T HI doesn't seem too pleased. Seems seh thought she would get some fresh eggs but the girls have laid one egg a day and then proceed to eat it. Don't know whats up with that so may be a little education when they get here.

 

[Kaneke]

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Still waiting for them to get here. T HI doesn't seem too pleased. Seems seh thought she would get some fresh eggs but the girls have laid one egg a day and then proceed to eat it. Don't know whats up with that so may be a little education when they get here.

I'll be happy to give Toni some eggs -- haven't heard from her today, but then we only just got back from Dana's

(got a later start than planned; the FairPoint crew showed up this morning to install our new TV reception and faster internet router)

Dana's going to put ten eggs under her broody --- she has an incubator as a back-up in case the broody doesn't STAY broody

mostly Phoebe's blue eggs, but a few also from Christina, Deirdre, Anitra, and whoever is laying the olive egg (I suspect Becky)

I'm guessing the pink eggs are from Ginger -- she is definitely more mahogany colored, may have some RIR in her lineage

I took four dozen along so Dana could pick out which ones she wanted --- still have three dozen, plus whatever gets laid today (just one so far, probably Christina's --- I think Phoebe is taking the day off since she usually starts yipping around 9 AM and I didn't hear her today)

the rest of them seem to hit the nest box between 1 and 5 ...

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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OK so I have heard of raining cats and dogs but now 4312 has it raining chickens ????

I knew that it looked like : Showers :

but I meant
Show -ers: (sorry can't find a smiley for this)

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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Google preparing chickens for show

http://www.harvestbreezefarm.com/PreparingforShow.html


Good luck, stay dry.

Thank you...this is perfect.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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I'll see if I can find the best website that shows the most detail on it....this one isn't too bad:

http://www.wikihow.com/Bathe-a-Chicken

And another:

http://www.hcfair.net/Livestock/Poultry Clinic/Bathing and Grooming your Chicken.pdf

What breed do you need to wash?

I always use flea dip first (assume they are all full of mites), then a whitening shampoo (IF it's a WHITE chicken)....if not, skip that step and just follow the flea dip with IVORY soap.

Follow that up with a soak in white vinegar. The vinegar helps remove any shampoo left behind--because that will make them look greasy and attract dirt.

I then carefully trim the nails and use an old toothbrush to scrub the legs.

You don't want to clip anything other than any feathers that might stick up around the comb...and only trim those slightly.

You can see here what I'm talking about:

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/rooster2.jpg

It's the little feathers that are standing up at the base of his comb.

I use baby oil (just a tiny bit) on the comb/wattles & legs after I'm done. I then house the chicken in a wire cage until the day of the show. At the show, I will do some last minute touch ups with baby wipes on their legs.

Another thing to remember is to not bathe them too early (they will & can get dirty again, quickly)--OR too late. If they are bathed too close to the show day, you can strip the natural oils out of their feathers and leave them looking dull.

Thanks Heather. We were going to do a first bath tonight and then do another just before the fair again. At this point it is DD's Seramas. I was just going to give him one to get him used to them, but maybe we should minimize them to only when needed. Thank you for the web sites and information. Greatly appreciated. I am so excited.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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Oh!

fun! Are you guys doing the county fair?

Seramas are SUPER easy and fast, they stay pretty clean.. but if you are also doing any of your Fancy Fluffy Chickens:

I just bathe mine in the kitchen sink.. I use dawn dish soap if they are especially mucky then follow with a whitening horse shampoo-- or a brightening one, whichever.. I use a toothbrush on their legs and toes. Blot the excess water off and blow dry.

I usually put something like Vet Rx on their combs/wattles/legs. If they are black or dark feathered you can also lightly spray them with Shine stuff when you coop in--DON'T do whites though, it just makes them dirty--I use my Shiny Happy People.

or something similar. I think people use that Pink spray too. (isn't that what it's called??)

To clip nails, use either fingernail clippers or the ones made for rats/cats that are scissor-like. And you will probably quick one or two..so be ready with something to stop the bleeding (cornstarch or flour or whatever). If their beaks need trimming up..(which on free range chickens is pretty rare) I use a finger nail file.

I also check them for mites and stuff and treat them as needed. You can use Adams flea/tick spray, a quick spray under each wing. If you know how to use frontline on them, you can do that instead. (Frontline is also available in a spray now)

IN MY SHOW KIT: I keep~~wipes, Vet Rx, frontline, ivomec, some other emergency medical stuff(antibiotics, vit's,etc), a fingernail file and nail clippers, a soft brush for fluffing, a flea comb for pin feathers--especially for crested birds-- a blow drier, Shiny stuff, paper towels, liquid vit's (poly-vi-sorb) or Oxine for their drinking waters. umm.. oh, that horse spray no rinse shampoo--Cowboy's Helper? Cowgirl's Helper.. something like that. You can use it on vent area if it gets messy. or I use it to wash my hands too. I also keep a gel hand sanitizer in my bucket too. ummm, I think that's it for me anyway lol! I also keep oxine in a spritzer because as I am cooping out I spritz their feets and also give them a spritz to their face (which they love) and I repeat that again when I get home and put them away. Oxine is pretty readily available online and if you don't have it, I recommend getting it. Just google it, you'll find it at several different places. It is the Simple Green of my chicken yard, I use it all the time.

although shows/fairs provide their own cups and food, I usually try to remember to bring some of my own 'just in case'. I also bring their snack for treats.

Hope that helps!

Have fun, and I want to see pics!!!

Yep, county fair. Adam is going for sure. DD has been working with him. I keep seeing Vet Rx - what is this? It seems like it must be an oil or lotion. Thank you for all the information. I am printing all this off. DD just came in and "reminded" me that we are working oin chickens tonight. So we are going to go and practice some fitting and showing. Is the Oxine like an antibiotic or a "bug" killer? I was wondering if I should give him something for stress.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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For Heaven's sake....don't even think of not posting. where ya' from? We have New York and Kansas on here. Who am I missing? Just join the group. We will call you a "Washintonian wannabe".

erinee in Missouri

See I knew I would forget someone.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

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OK so I have heard of raining cats and dogs but now 4312 has it raining chickens ????

I knew that it looked like : Showers : http://bestsmileys.com/bath/2.gif
but I meant
Show -ers: (sorry can't find a smiley for this)

Well doesn't that kind of translate into a flasher ???

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Dh is going to take me back to the hospital pretty quick...I think my water has broke...no gush but still not anything I've experienced before...with stronger & stronger contractions that are not going away with the medication....