Washingtonians

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Hey everyone....just checking in....came home early from work...too queasy to stay there any longer...had some "clients" come in that smelt of cat pee and moldy-cigarette smoke....

It's bright blue sky here...sun is shining...but the wind is blowing. It's supposed to be below zero tonight so I'm going out to bundle up the coop, put down some hay for the ducks/geese and feed the horses....

 

[cheryl98117]

Quote:
I just ordered some artichoke seed, am gonna see if it will work here, and have to die back and regrow in the spring so have to protect them over winter with hay bales alongside the long boxes and heavily mulch the top but think it will work ?
I am going out to work a bit & will return in a few~~

At one of the barns I work at, there is a patch in the garden that is 10x20' of dedicated space to artichokes. They don't do anything for them, just let them die back, and regrow in the spring. It really looks cool in the summer when they are all flowering. They also have a kiwi tree, its grown up the side of a huge garden arbor, they dont do anything for that over the winter iether. And the sad thing is... They don't harvest ANYTHING out of this stunning anual fruit and veggi garden. They just let it do its thing, and add to it.

 

[Cowgirlgrace]

Need to go do some bundling up myself. Got my last coop finished enough to move birds. Moved them yesterday but they kept trying to get back to there old house so they just huddled up in the corner of the pen. Had to force them all into their new coop last night and might have to do it again tonight. Dumb birds. Takes them awhile to figure it out. But everyone is in their prospective breeding pens and by the time they get adjusted and laying again It'll be time for breeding season. And I also got rid of 5 roos today. Yea! Not so much chaos. Everything is copacetic. Except the Marans roos are now next to the Black Orp roos and the Marans have bloodied their combs trying to get the Black Orps. The Orps are so mellow. They just stand there and look at them like they are crazy. Which they are!

 

[TheReidHomestead]

But everyone is in their prospective breeding pens and by the time they get adjusted and laying again It'll be time for breeding season. And I also got rid of 5 roos today

I'm so jealous!!! You are a few steps ahead of me! Going to list my extra roos on Craigslist Saturday. Really need at least one more coop/run set up, but don't think that's going to happen. Any great ideas for cheap/easy outdoor grow out areas? I've got my 8wk olds and 11 wk olds in the basement, and they need to move outside. I don't have a designated grow out pen, so they will just have to go in one of the breeding pens I guess unless I can figure something out. But I need to the breeding pens too!​

 

[ByN8ureHomstead]

The temp reached 71 today, new record. Saturdays high is suppose to be 10.

 

[pongoid]

Just took a walk along Lake Tapps, it was beautifully sunny and Mt. Rainier was raging in all her glory.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Well looks like we have very big plans for gardening this year. Here are some pics of the boxes we got. There are about 25 all different sizes and shapes. A friend was working on a local construction job and they had all these left that they wanted to get rid of.

 

[Cowgirlgrace]

Quote:
I'm so jealous!!! You are a few steps ahead of me! Going to list my extra roos on Craigslist Saturday. Really need at least one more coop/run set up, but don't think that's going to happen. Any great ideas for cheap/easy outdoor grow out areas? I've got my 8wk olds and 11 wk olds in the basement, and they need to move outside. I don't have a designated grow out pen, so they will just have to go in one of the breeding pens I guess unless I can figure something out. But I need to the breeding pens too!

All my pens are chain link panels found on craigslist. I don't have a predator problem with weasels or things climbing over so so far they have worked great and they are quick to put up. One of my growout pens is a vacated horse stall. Thats for the younger ones and there is one heat lamp near a sheltered corner for a little warmth. The other is outside chainlink pen and since three month olds aren't usually insisting on roosting that pen has a dog igloo. They just go in and pile up and are nice and toasty. We had two Igloos of our own that I use in the small 6x6 pens for roos but the one XXL in this growout pen came with one of the chainlink kennels. I'ts actually large enough to crawl into to clean. So might not be super cheap, takes some money but it is super quick. Nothing to build. I have a piece of plywood leaned up in front of the opening for the feeder to keep rain out of it. You can usually get the 6' panels on craigslist for around $20 ea plus a gate panel. Gate panels are $100 new and the side panels are $60. If you don't have a lot of birds the 6x6 kennels 4' high with the rounded corners with a dog house will work. I put netting over the top. I've seen them on craigslist for $50 sometimes. I lined mine with chicken wire for putting younger fully feathered chicks in in the summer when they can go off the heat sooner. That way they won't slip through the chainlink. If you have a certain idea of how you want your pens to look and build from scratch you can always make the chainlink temporary and sell them for what you paid when you are done.

 

[HoneysuckleHills]

I'm a CPA so I'd like to get together sooner rather than later!

I'm open to just about anything but prefer to meet for coffee after dinner (and traffic) say about 7:00 p.m.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually really good but I'm flexible. I also don't mind last minute plans.
There were a couple others in the general northend vicinity that were interested.


Quote:

 

[Cowgirlgrace]

Quote:
Wow, serious growing. Good score!