Washingtonians

[Cowgirlgrace]

Hi all, just wanted to drop in and say thanks for all the positive encouraging messages sent my way. This is a great family.

Also wanted to give an update, my High Tunnel has FINALLY arrived! and hopefully it will be up and functional for winter. I will take pictures of the progress and be posting a few when I have time to be on BYC regularly. The season is still crazy busy especially now that I have the added work of getting this tunnel up. You should see this thing laying on the ground. It's huge! But I miss everyone so see you in a few months. By the time I'm back the tunnel should be up.

 

[Shyla-C]

Does anyone want 2 Blue Silkie cockerels? They are very sweet and will follow you around and take treats from your hand. I need them gone by Monday. Thanks.

Cockerel #1 Was Ethel May, now Ethan

How do I get off this ramp again?!


Cockerel #2 Was Lucy, Now Louie

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote: Oh, no I do blame CL and CR....and many more....all enablers. But I love all my birds. fortunately for me so does DH. but he does roll his eyes every so often at me.

 

[lovinchickypoos]

I think that was when it first came out. I just read two articles that said 20-50 for the first shots, and 20 for the yearly booster. My mom gets it for her dog because they are always in S. California, on an oil field. When they start drilling, the animals come out.

Now that I think about it I was thinking about the whole bottle!!!

Does anyone want 2 splash Silkie cockerels? They are very sweet and will follow you around and take treats from your hand. I need them gone by Monday. Thanks.

Cockerel #1 Was Ethel May, now Ethan

How do I get off this ramp again?!


Cockerel #2 Was Lucy, Now Louie

I SO WISH I LIVED CLOSER TO YOU!!!!

 

[Shyla-C]

Now that I think about it I was thinking about the whole bottle!!!



I SO WISH I LIVED CLOSER TO YOU!!!!

To bad Kennewick wasn't just a little closer to Cle Elum. I'll be there this weekend.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

I wanted hamburgs, until I found out that they like to roost in the trees.
I recently found out that it takes less feed to produce a white egg than brown egg. It makes me want to get leghorns.

Yeah, from everything I've read, white-egg layers tend to be bred solely for egg-laying, so they are more lightweight and require less feed. Most of the white-eggers I've read about are also described as exceptionally good foragers, which I have found to be true with my two Leghorns vs. our three brown-eggers (I love all three of them but they are my BF's, not breeds I would have chosen), who are also good foragers, just not quite as diligent as the Leghorns. One of our Wyandottes is huge and eats a TON of feed and while she lays an extra-large egg every single day and hasn't started molting yet, her yolks aren't as large, dark, or tasty as our other two hens who forage more and rely less on feed. Can't wait to see what my two Leghorns' eggs taste like! It does seem as though more bugs equals tastier eggs. One of them looks ready to lay any day now, I think.

I also just started a mealworm colony for them. The truth is I'm an egg fanatic and I originally got into chickens solely for the delicious, healthier eggs, then I realized how much FUN they are!!!

As far as roosting in trees, well, I'm sure I'm about to get berated into oblivion for admitting this here, but that is exactly what our flock does every single night! They started doing it on their own accord almost a year ago, and we tried everything we possibly could to stop it, but in the end, they had their way. Keep in mind we live in an extremely urban area and the only nighttime predator we have is raccoons. My guess is that they can't get as far out on the branch as our chickens roost (I don't even think a small house cat could get that far out), or maybe just can't see them up there. Either way, so far so good, and with the horror stories I've heard about 'coons breaking into coops, I'm not convinced our flock is any less safe way up in their big old pine tree than in any coop, and it's convenient as can be for us, that's for sure. So that is actually one reason why I want Hamburgs! I tried adding a RIR pullet to our flock and she did not like the tree and didn't even last a week before a 'coon got her, poor little dear. After that I did some research and got the two Leghorn pullets, who immediately took to the tree like a duck to water and have been just fine now here for 2.5 months. Unfortunately for you I'm pretty sure any white-egger is going to have a tendency to roost in trees. At least, that is what I understand from reading this site and several other online sources.

 

[itsren]

Did you post pics of Yellostone? I mean, please! BISON, GEYSERS, MUD POOLS!

I can do that! We got pictures of bison, bear, coyote, wolf, geysers, mud pools - a bunch of stuff. Great stories to tell, too... like the moment DH decided to drive because he was a wee bit distracted by a bison that was walking a bit too close for his comfort - all while I was standing on the running board of the vehicle. I dropped my camera and held on for dear life! He slammed on his brake when he heard the crash of the camera on top of the vehicle.

 

[itsren]

Unfortunately for you I'm pretty sure any white-egger is going to have a tendency to roost in trees. At least, that is what I understand from reading this site and several other online sources.

That's what I've read too. I should have asked my mom while she was here (she left 2 hours ago), she was raised on a farm. She said they usually had between 40 and 60 white leghorns growing up. That's the only breed they had.

 

[JNB]

Yeah, from everything I've read, white-egg layers tend to be bred solely for egg-laying, so they are more lightweight and require less feed. Most of the white-eggers I've read about are also described as exceptionally good foragers, which I have found to be true with my two Leghorns vs. our three brown-eggers (I love all three of them but they are my BF's, not breeds I would have chosen), who are also good foragers, just not quite as diligent as the Leghorns. One of our Wyandottes is huge and eats a TON of feed and while she lays an extra-large egg every single day and hasn't started molting yet, her yolks aren't as large, dark, or tasty as our other two hens who forage more and rely less on feed. Can't wait to see what my two Leghorns' eggs taste like! It does seem as though more bugs equals tastier eggs. One of them looks ready to lay any day now, I think.

I also just started a mealworm colony for them. The truth is I'm an egg fanatic and I originally got into chickens solely for the delicious, healthier eggs, then I realized how much FUN they are!!!

As far as roosting in trees, well, I'm sure I'm about to get berated into oblivion for admitting this here, but that is exactly what our flock does every single night! They started doing it on their own accord almost a year ago, and we tried everything we possibly could to stop it, but in the end, they had their way. Keep in mind we live in an extremely urban area and the only nighttime predator we have is raccoons. My guess is that they can't get as far out on the branch as our chickens roost (I don't even think a small house cat could get that far out), or maybe just can't see them up there. Either way, so far so good, and with the horror stories I've heard about 'coons breaking into coops, I'm not convinced our flock is any less safe way up in their big old pine tree than in any coop, and it's convenient as can be for us, that's for sure. So that is actually one reason why I want Hamburgs! I tried adding a RIR pullet to our flock and she did not like the tree and didn't even last a week before a 'coon got her, poor little dear. After that I did some research and got the two Leghorn pullets, who immediately took to the tree like a duck to water and have been just fine now here for 2.5 months. Unfortunately for you I'm pretty sure any white-egger is going to have a tendency to roost in trees. At least, that is what I understand from reading this site and several other online sources.

Hi... I would love to hear more about your mealworm colony... Id like to try it but it intimidates me a bit Also for what its worth.. when I was a kid, our chickens roosted in 2 big cedar trees in our yards.. They did very well. They had a lovely coop but preferred the trees and to lay eggs in the brush. We started by free ranging them and then locking them into the coop at night but eventually they just stopped coming to the coop to roost. I was only about 6 or 7 then so it was fun for me to "Hunt" for eggs each day. When I would find a nest I had the job of marking the eggs with a big X and then take new ones out each day. We even let the hens hatch out the babies out in the brush under the trees where they roosted Back then where we lived was pretty secluded our property was surrounded by forest land on 3 sides. We did have a few very large guard dogs that kept predators away so we had very few losses. Minus the few babies that mistakenly wandered to close to the pig pen and didn't make it past

It was a great life for them Now I personally wouldnt do the same thing now because where we are is surrounded by houses and those houses have a lot of dogs that like to visit our house and my current dogs are much more friendly to all creatures than the ones of my childhood. But hey if it works for you then do it..... like I said its a pretty cool way to let them roost

 

[itsren]

Do you have light in the coop at night? On a very rare occasion I find an egg, early in the morning. And there have been many posts about hens laying from the roost
The biggest problem I have seen posted with the hens sleeping in the nests is that they will poop in them and then lay in them, causing dirty eggs.
Perhaps she is getting ready to lay; And yes without light she most likely will be spending he night in the nest. Moving her is your choice.

Russ

I ended up not having to move her. The crazy chicken somehow managed to get up on the roost in the dark. I went out and checked about an hour and a half after posting my question and all 3 were on the roost. I don't have a light in the coop. I wonder if light from my family room window shining through the pop door was enough light for her to get from the egg box to the roost.

There was no poop in the nest, and the only egg this morning was Rhodie's brown egg. I'm hoping my EE is getting ready to lay - I can't wait to see what color egg she lays. I'm guessing green - since she came from the same place Jessica's EE came from.