Washingtonians

[Hinotori]

Quote: With puncture wounds, I use antibiotic since they are nasty. I put Duramycin in the water. All four of the injured were in the same pen to make sure I could catch them to clean the wounds and keep an eye on them. I use the Vetericyn on the dogs when they get wounds to, to clean them.

I didn't use the antibiotic on the girls who got their backs cut up by the cockerels. Just cleaned them a couple times a day and separated. One of those was pretty bad and I had to put a couple stitches in it. Those girls wear aprons now, but the rough boy is gone anyway.

 

[itsren]

Well, shoot! We don't know what kind of owls they are.

He thought they were barred owls. He pulled up the call they make and that's not the sound I hear. But, from the ground, the barred owl is what they look like to me. They look pretty small in the trees.

We went through a few calls and finally found the "territorial hooting" of a Great Horned Owl. That, and the juvenile call. Those sounds are exactly what I frequently hear! http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/sounds

So, I don't know. I guess I'm going to have to convince DH to go on an evening walk with me to see if we can spot the owls when they start "whooo-ing" and see if they have ear tufts or not. I can't recall ear tufts - I mostly recall thinking it was so cool that you can make out the eyes from way down below the trees. They hang out just across the street in the trees that overlook the valley.

 

[Hinotori]

Can I give the chooks whole sunflower seeds or just the middle seed part?

Mine don't care a lot for the large striped sunflower seeds whole, but they eat whole black oil sunflower seeds. Mom says Grandma would grow striped sunflowers and give them the heads to pick the seeds out for themselves.

If they have grit then they are fine eating them whole.

 

[itsren]

My daughter was in the picture mood, if I let her she would have picked up all our birds for a picture of each lol. This is the first time having Brahmas, they are so funny with the floppy feathered feet.

Ummmm.... you don't by chance breed Light Brahma's do you?

Great pictures!

 

[Kenshan1]

So I am pretty sure this dark chicken is a roo too. I want to find the dark one a home. Anyone want a leggy roo mix of some kind? Pretty nutty bird, doesn't like humans. When it gets nervous it will get noisy, honk like talking & will bite if held so better hold the head. It does like to free range but may not put itself away. It is very bonded with its buddy which I want to keep, not sure how that will work out for him. Yesterday I was herding them to the coop when they split, gold feathered one went into the coop & this black one about paniced trying to get into the coop every which way but the door, even sizing up the roof. Once in the coop it wanted to get into the upper inclosed coop/roost area but not the stairs way. Flapping & jumping into the wire & not wanting to be around the hens. Just a nutty bird. If no takers it will become stew for my hubby next week. I have given up on seeing if someone lost them, pretty sure someone dumped them at our fence. It does have pretty feathers but to me that's all it has going for it.



My concern is these 2 are really bonded. I like the one with gold feathers & so far just the dark one has a noisy honk noise when it gets nervous. The other does have the honk noise but doesn't use it much. These 2 keep to themselves mostly. Although today when I got home they were all under the plants by the porch but when I came out on the porch the black one took off to the middle of the yard chatting up a storm which sounds like honking, the gold marked one slowly fallowed. I think he wants to be part of the flock but the black one doesn't so the gold one just fallows his buddy. Would there be any problems with getting rid of the all black one?
I do think the gold feathered one had a hurt leg so he's laying down alot more then the all black one, his hurt leg is the more forward leg. I wasn't sure if he was limping yesterday but today its alittle more limp. Oh taking this picture I do see the problem with our fence, we better get on top of this gap cause the neighbor dog would love a snack if someone went through

 

[RainyDayChicken]

I just meet RainWolf to pick up her Black/Lav Orpington rooster.

She and mom are so nice they took the ferry from to Seattle to bremerton just bring him to me. He is AWESOME!

Thank you again
Richard

 

[itsren]

Ren - can you detect a slight skunk smell when you see these owls? If so, then they are most likely GHO. GHO's prefer skunk Also GHO's will have the 'scary movie hoot' like someone else mentioned. Males have a deeper voice than the females, and they will often times talk back and forth. Owl's like to sit in trees and then swoop down on their prey. Unlike hawks who will soar above an area and then dive onto their food. So, if you see owls in your trees, there is a very good chance they are 'stalking' your birds. I have also heard of Owls landing in the run and then walking up the ramp into the coop and dragging a bird out. GHOs are big enough to carry off a 6 lb bird.

OK... now that I'm re-reading this, I'm not so sure that I like what I'm reading. The owls are losing their "cuteness" factor, rather quickly.

Although DH assured me they are after the wildlife that lives on the cliff, and not in my back yard. Granted.... I just walk across the street, through my neighbor's yard, and I'm looking down the cliff - and each yard is only 10,000 sq. feet, so that seems rather close to me.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

How exciting! I haven't even put finishing touches on the huge coop and run I already have and I want to add to it! LOL Darn chicken math! I have figured out that with 11 hens all laying we'll only have an extra 1-2 dozen eggs after our family eats what we need. I guess that's good. But I'd rather have way too many eggs than not enough and if they go into a moult we won't have enough

Is that 1-2 dozen extra per week? Month? Just curious.

I have a pallet you can have. I'm near Northgate.

I may well take you up on that offer! We're just north of Roosevelt High School, so hi there, neighbor!

 

[itsren]

What are the signs a GHO has gotten to a chicken?

My next door neighbor lost his only chicken a few years ago (he had an illegal one at that time and, thankfully, no one turned him in). After his chicken disappeared, they found a feather trail that went over three back yards. Whatever took it jumped quite a few 6' fences.

 

[FirewifeJess]

1-2 dozen extra per week which isn't a lot, I wanted to sell them