Washingtonians

[justbugged]

Quote: On the topic of snakes. I just found out that we have wild boas living in Washington. Wild huh?

http://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/herp/html/4chbo.html

Russ




And here I thought that the only snakes in Western Washington were garter snakes. I am am hoping that these snakes don't like water, because it looks like someone has seen some in either Buckley or Bonney Lake areas. I am hope that I am on the right side of the White River, and the water will keep them over on that side of the river. I do have enough cats around that I not like I spend any time worrying about snakes any way. lol

 

[Helga777]

I'm in Kitsap County. I've got 5 hens and three growing fast chicks all of them Australorps! I'm relatively new at this. I never grew up around chickens. I adopted my 5 hens back around Thanksgiving and have been learning as I go. A little over a month ago I purchased 3 more chicks. This backyard chicken site has been a great help to me along with my local feed store. Sometimes I think I ask too many questions there and I think I'm driving them nuts! lol!

 

[CailetTempest]

Well today is done... 7 golden sex links went out into the big pen with all the other adult chickens. They jumped right into the swing of things and are doing well. 6 rouen ducks went into the duck/turkey pen. The turkey's just ignore them and 3 of the adult ducks do. The one duck is trying to put them into place but other than that she is leaving the mudd puppies to enjoy the pool... the baby's have 80% of their grown up feathers and are pretty big... Saw the strangest thing today... a tom turkey sitting on one of the nests. We have 2 nests of turkey eggs. I had never heard of something like this. My one and only rooster is ready to become chicken soup.... I went into the pen to give the chickens food and Jimmy (the rooster) took flight and aimed for my face in full attack mode. He knocked my glasses off which blinded me a few minutes. I got them back on and grabbed a big stick that the hens like to roost on and when he tried to attack again I took aim. Only managed to stun him for a few minutes so i could get out of the pen. Yup definately time for this roo to go...As soon as hubby feels better... He has bronchitis so is stuck in bed...

 

[SadieSue]

Quote:
Thank you - everyone loved it - especially me! It's very different from a broody mama - I can't even see the chicks until they're a few days old!

Quote:
Oh so adorable =) I hope you have lots more peeps tomorrow!

Its looking promising - two of the Marans eggs have big pips already! I think all the cheeping the lone ameraucana is doing is calling them out to play! Update! No sooner had I posted this but my golden retriever came running in here just as I heard a LOT of peeping coming from the computer room. We've got the first wheaten Marans chick out - a pretty yellow baby!

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote:
Sorry Heather, as this point not selling. I am using. I will probably use it for my "hatching" bator until I build one. I am sorry yours came broke and I agree...their customer service is not the best. I would be more than happy to let you borrow it....but unfortunately at this moment it is full of serama eggs. I figured by now I would have more broody hens...not sure what they are waiting for. Sheesh.

 

[Teva]

Just the other day I saw my cat jump off of our retaining wall with a "huge" garder snake writhing in his mouth. Go Smoky! Our pittie sure did teach him a thing or two! I miss the pittie, we had dead garder snakes all over the yard when she was around.

As for slugs, don't chickens eat those? Or is it just snails? I found a dead salamander with his back end torn off - I think that was due to the peafowl though....

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Aww, thanks! Maybe next year? If you ever make it over to this side of the state, I'd love to have you over. Always nice to meet more Washingtonians

Well, I do all I can for our side of the mtns....the "dry side". There actually is another Omak person, one from Tonasket and quite a few from the Yakima area now. I am still working on more Omakians though.
LOL.

 

[RonB]

Ron, that is much too soon to use on the garden. You need to compost it first, let is sit a couple of months first, or it will burn the veggies as it is considered a HOT manure.

Here is a good article on how to use it best:
http://www.ehow.com/way_5767802_long-manure-composted-before-use_.html

Tamara
This is a VERY GOOD article! I know it is considered as HOT manure ! It isn't for me it's for my sister in Yakima. I thought maybe you could use a cup or two around plants. Back when I had a garden I bought a truck load of chicken manure one winter and laid it on top of my garden. Man did it stink for about two weeks. the neighbors weren't to Happy with me LOL !

 

[SweetSilver]

The ONLY benefit I ever found to living in Western Washington has been rendered null and void. I was in the yard pulling out these mystery invasive plant things and I found a snake. Of course I was kind of lying on the ground and the ****** snake was right next to my face! I swear it was NEARLY A FOOT LONG!!!!! I'm never going outside ever again! My husband won't let me go back out there with my pistol to render said snake null and void. Killjoy. At the same time, he refuses to go out and get the yard tools I left behind and it looks like it's about to rain. I wish I could quickly teach the dogs to retreive the tools for me but they'd likely bring me the snake instead.

And, yes, I know that it's harmless (to everything but my psyche) and that it's a tiny snake but growing up in The South (of the US, not Washington) instilled in me absolute terror of snakes.

*shudder*

Free range your chickens and you can get some vicious satisfaction at watching them annihilate your garter snakes. But remember: garter snakes are the #1 predator of slugs. I LOVE garter snakes, though they can startle the hell out of me. Yeah, I went camping in central Florida a couple of times. Alligators, poisonous spiders and snakes, scorpions. Yup. Love the northwest. You need to catch a snake devouring a slug once, and as gross as it is, it give you that calm, satisfied reassurance that *something* likes to prey on those things.

 

[SweetSilver]

Man, it's tough to keep up with this fast-moving thread!

I grew up in Oklahoma, and my fear of snakes has never really gone away. I know there are no poisonous snakes in Western Washington - it's practically my mantra - but I can't get over the [FONT=arial, sans-serif]heebee jeebees[/FONT] when I see an evil, slithering monster in the garden. I wish I could train my chickens to eat snakes. My hens do pretty well with the giant slugs, so it's a possibility!

Your chickens eat giant slugs? Man, they need to give my girls a lesson or two. They are spoiled rotten and don't eat anything. They eat the snakes, though I wish they wouldn't. Ooooh, and the time they caught a preying mantis. What joy! I'm going to have to try the ducks. I've heard muscovies will even hunt rats.