Washingtonians

[SadieSue]

Today I let my 3 girls free-range while I was out working in the yard. Had a great day - finished a garden bed, continued work on the coop/run set-up. Then, this evening, my neighbor's black lab got free and almost wiped out all 3 of my girls. It happened so fast, and right in front of me. The dog came into the yard from behind the shed and literally seemed to appear out of nowhere. It got one of the darker colored girls in her mouth - not sure who. The others looked like they were getting trampled. I screamed and went running, and the bird in the mouth flew out.

I completely understand the lab is a bird dog and was doing what she is bred to do. I know the neighbor is good about following the leash law - his dog got out, and he was trying to call it back. The dog came through a broken part of our fence that blew down in a windstorm. I know the neighbor had to know something happened with his dog and my birds. He was right on the other side of the fence - there's no way he didn't hear the commotion. My entire family was inside the house and heard the commotion and came running out. The part that really upset me was he never came over and asked if the birds were OK. He just got his dog, took it inside and said nothing. No "I'm sorry," no "Are they OK?" Not a single word came out of his mouth. Nothing. My other neighbor said I need to be the bigger person and just get over it. That's probably true. But, I'm still really irked.

Having recently dealt with dog/fence/chicken issues myself I just want to offer my virtual emotional support and reiterate - "good fences make good neighbors". Since our 6 ft. wooden fence was finished last week I have had very little to do with our neighbors and their crazy dogs. I even left our old wire fence up on the other side of the wooden fence just to create a little more neutral space between them and us. I still hear them every once in a while, but there's been no fence fighting and my girls have been let out of their run after a 3 month imprisonment!
It's a drag that we are the ones that have to go through the extra expense and labor to keep the situation controlled, but from my POV, it is worth the peace of mind.
I hope your neighbor responds positively to your requests. And to heck with being the bigger person and GETTING OVER IT?! IT IS IRKSOME! I tried to be nice, make suggestions as to how our neighbors could help the situation and it fell on deaf ears. I finally just had to block them out of our sight with a tall border.

Honey I'm home ! ! ! We had a pretty good trip. Got rained on pretty bad the first couple days but Saturday turned out beautiful. We were joined by jbear. This was our first trip together. Jen and our DD hit it off well and became wing girlz to the rails. We made it home in one piece. Although I had 2 break downs and it looks like I may be in need of a new transaxle and engine. Jbear's video on FB may explain part of what happened.

Whoo hoo! Glad you guys have fun CR!

Kirkland peeps! Time to show support for backyard chickens! Since incorporating several areas in June of last year, they are trying to come up with one set of rules.

http://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/Planning/Code_Updates/Miscellaneous_Code_Amendments_2012.htm

Well at least it looks like they want to expand the areas that can keep chickens - that's a positive start. But yeah, if it was my area, I'd keep on top of that too.

 

[SadieSue]

So nice to be able to get up on a sunny day and go let my girls out of the run again. I was afraid that after their 3 month confinement they would forget how much they "loved" me and not come running to me anymore when I went outside midday to give them treats. But no, those sweet girls even made the 10 steps trek up to my back deck and kitchen door to let me know they were out there and available to take food gifts if I had any.

They and my Golden, Gryffin, are back to sharing bread crumbs together out of my hand.

Their poor feathers seem out of condition though. I can see they were picking at each other out of boredom. I had put a trough of sand and DE in the run but it just wasn't as attractive to them as garden bed dirt. I expect it will be a couple of months before they look themselves again.



Our landscaper is still working in the yard finishing up the paver stone paths and patio this week. He said he didn't mind if the chickens were let loose in the yard and I told him, "Okay, as long as you don't mind them 'helping' you and inspecting your work". So far they seem to be a good team!

 

[FirewifeJess]

So nice to be able to get up on a sunny day and go let my girls out of the run again. I was afraid that after their 3 month confinement they would forget how much they "loved" me and not come running to me anymore when I went outside midday to give them treats. But no, those sweet girls even made the 10 steps trek up to my back deck and kitchen door to let me know they were out there and available to take food gifts if I had any.

They and my Golden, Gryffin, are back to sharing bread crumbs together out of my hand.

Their poor feathers seem out of condition though. I can see they were picking at each other out of boredom. I had put a trough of sand and DE in the run but it just wasn't as attractive to them as garden bed dirt. I expect it will be a couple of months before they look themselves again.



Our landscaper is still working in the yard finishing up the paver stone paths and patio this week. He said he didn't mind if the chickens were let loose in the yard and I told him, "Okay, as long as you don't mind them 'helping' you and inspecting your work". So far they seem to be a good team!

That's awesome! We plan pavers around the chicken area and back patio as well...it's going to look so nice and finished by the end of summer. At least, that's the PLAN. Just gotta actually spend the moolah on that instead of something else!

 

[StarryEyzz]

Hello WA peeps.
Stopping by to say hi. BUSY weekend around here. Spent every daylight hour, working on our coop! Still have things to do (chicken door, enclosed run, painting exterior) but last night was first night the girls slept out in their new house. I went peeking this morning, to check on them and all were huddled on the floor. LOL Guess we need to work on getting up to the roost. I'm sure with time.

Here is a couple interior pictures. What do you think?


Ventilation: (hard to see but covered in hardware cloth)


BEAUTIFUL day today. ENJOY!!!!

 

[SadieSue]

Hello WA peeps.
Stopping by to say hi. BUSY weekend around here. Spent every daylight hour, working on our coop! Still have things to do (chicken door, enclosed run, painting exterior) but last night was first night the girls slept out in their new house. I went peeking this morning, to check on them and all were huddled on the floor. LOL Guess we need to work on getting up to the roost. I'm sure with time.

Here is a couple interior pictures. What do you think?


Ventilation: (hard to see but covered in hardware cloth)


BEAUTIFUL day today. ENJOY!!!!

It's very nice - and SO clean! Enjoy that while you can!

But really nice work - good job.

 

[StarryEyzz]

It's very nice - and SO clean! Enjoy that while you can!

But really nice work - good job.

When I peeked in on them this morning, I was like "ah man, already pooping on the ladder". LOL I'm sure it will get messy quick.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Parts of my cow-hunt felt a lot like swimming upstream.

Wearing hip waders to stay dry in the tall wet grass ?

Nah, just rolling my jeans up above the knee and still getting soaked. I can follow the grazed-down path in the field but part of what I was stomping through last night was snowberry, which is the soggiest plant in the world.


I used to have waterproof bibs, but the weight and stiffness just made me more tired at the end of the day, so now I just rotate shoes and jeans so I'm mostly dry most of the time. Why is June rain so much wetter though? And why is it that I can't find another pair of Justin Ropers size (mens) 8WW anywhere just when the waterproofing in the pair I bought three years ago has given up the ghost?

Have you tried the Western Store in the strip mall x from Safeway near the I 5 exit?

Which exit? I don't remember a Western store at 111, but then I avoid that mess out of plain vanilla social responsibility unless I'm actually going to HD or Costco or the bank. Even getting to Shipwreck is easier by an alternative route these days.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Brilliant, hit submit on an empty window, sorry.


We're in Lacey, but the pick-up is at Home Meats in Kamilche (south of Shelton). It'll be a chunk o'change (my last quarter was about $350 all together).

Hmm, that's not too bad! How much meat do you estimate that was? Maybe 100lbs? Sounds like a good deal to me!

depending on the amount per lb I would be interested in this as well....

From my earlier post:


Also: my sister just put four yearling steers on pasture to sell as grass fed beef in late September or early October. Price is estimated as $3 a pound + cut and wrap + kill fee and may be a little less. Maybe. Smallest legal order she can take is a quarter but you can split with others on your own.


This is run of the animal: you get some of everything. It is dry-aged and handled with respect at all stages of the cycle.

Sent you a couple of pm s stumpfarmer. Hope I helped

Yep. lots!

 

[Stumpfarmer]

More or less- I got all the soup bones and stuff, so it adds up. About a half (maybe? maybe a third?) of any order is ground beef, but it's gourmet gound beef, dry hung and all from one animal. It's tasty stuff, I feel guilty making chili from it. You get to choose how thick steaks are and the weight of roasts, and other variables, but you will get stew meat, spare ribs, flank steak, also. Mom always called that "recipe meat:" I made beef chili verde tonight (pork makes me ache all over these days) out of stew meat.

 Wow that sounds awesome. I make my own jerky from shoulder that I get from Home Meats. Love that place. Glad I don't live too far from it. They have really cheap smoked femurs and knee caps for dogs, too.

They also sell fresh bacon without nitrates. yay!

Yeah, they do great cure, although bacon and ham are off my menu, possibly forever, at least until I fugure out why they make me sick to my tum and also achy in my joints.

My BIL's family's been doing business with Home Meats since they opened, or at least since before said BIL was born. We've had no complaints (except for the first-time buyer's shock that cows are not all Tbones nor pigs all chops and bacon) since we started doing all our custom beef with them, even though there's an inconvenience factor for distance.

 

[SadieSue]

My Mother's Day hatch babies are 4 weeks old as of yesterday. I am loving my little birds! My 4 English Orps are also adorable and friendly. We have one boy who would rather just perch on your shoulder all day. I can see that being awkward in a few months.

Just thought I'd share a couple favorite photos of my littles -

The Seramas -
My #1 Boy - very confident and has taken over the role of King in the brooder


#2 pullet - would NOT sit still for her photo shoot yesterday!



#3 Lesser Cockerel - is quickly learning his place, but complains more than all of them. I always have to take his photo last because he ALWAYS poops on my towel!


#4 - The Princess - Quite the pretty little lady. Very sweet and posed nicely for me. I'm looking forward to seeing how she feathers out.