Washingtonians

[UrbanEnthusiast]

Bah, getting frustrated with my two Exchequer pullets. The woman I bought (more like rescued) them from in Tacoma said they were hatched 4/16 but who knows? One of them has always been somewhat larger (though the size difference has significantly decreased) and has a far, far more developed comb. I'm a newbie so I don't know if she is actually older or if they really can develop at such different rates. I'm just soooooooooooo anxious to get eggs from the very first two chickens I can actually call my own! Haven't found so much as a shell-less yolk yet and I was under the impression that Exchequers tend to lay by this age (if they really are the age I thought they were!). Then again, the woman I bought them from said she got them from a hatchery - don't know which one - and I wouldn't be surprised if they are just a White Leghorn crossed with an Ancona, LOL. God knows what breeds they have in their line. Not that I care! I just want eggs and I'm going to pout until I get them!

I already put this pic up here a few days ago, but it's the most recent one I've got. I think I took it about a week ago. What do y'all think? Are they the same age? Will I get some eggs soon out of the one with the big comb?

 

[Imp]

I'm thinking Yes Soon. They are about 20 weeks, could be a little longer, but they do look close.
They are beautiful hens.
If they free range have you looked for hidden nests or yard eggs?

Russ- I once waited 33 and 35 weeks, started laying in December.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

I'm thinking Yes Soon. They are about 20 weeks, could be a little longer, but they do look close.
They are beautiful hens.
If they free range have you looked for hidden nests or yard eggs?

Russ- I once waited 33 and 35 weeks, started laying in December.

Thank you for the kind words! Not only are they beautiful, but IMO they are significantly smarter than their three older flock mates. They do free range 24/7 and we have searched all over the yard for eggs, though I predict they will lay in the same spot our older hens started with before they outgrew it. I even put a golf ball in said spot to give them the hint. I really hope they don't wait until 35 weeks!!! I think (hope!) that would be rather unheard-of for any type of Leghorn.

 

[itsren]

I guess that would be hard to identify a squished blob, haha! Not many would be able to collect a live one! Good luck and I hope for good news!

We were lucky we caught it. We had just gotten home and had only turned one light on. My youngest went running through the house, saw a dark spot showing on the white dining room floor, and, thankfully, jumped over it, screamed and said he thought it was a spider. Sure enough it was. Since it was relatively dark in the house, I wonder if that may have made it easier to catch. We put a plastic cup over the top, slid some paper beneath the cup, brought it outside and dropped it into a plastic ziplock bag. Then, it went directly into the freezer. So we have a specimen that has been saved exactly the way they want them saved. I'll probably take it in tomorrow after I drop the kids off at school. I don't want the kids with me. We've been telling them that they are probably the giant house spider (which could be true - the hobo and giant house spider are cousins) and they don't need to hear any discussions about hobo spiders. I would be very happy if it is a giant house spider... that would mean we have giant house spiders to keep the hobos in check. From what I've read, giant house spiders eat hobos. I'll always worry though - the sight of my neighbor's hobo bite will stay stuck in my memory forever.

 

[itsren]

For all you folks that are trying to get rid of the spiders, I hope you leave mine alone.

I love my spiders.

I used to have that attitude until my neighbor got bit by a hobo. I quickly developed a terrorizing fear of anything that looked like one. If I know it's a garden spider, or a spider that has striped legs, I leave it be. Jessica probably saw the two spiders hanging above my Japanese maple when she came over. They're "good" spiders, and they are welcome to stay.

Of course this could be an urban legend... a friend told me about a house where they bombed the house, all the good spiders died. She said the hobo will not die in a bombed house. The hobo population took over, and the house ended up having to be abandoned and the hobo spider population supposedly continues to grow in the abandoned house.

I do know, when a friend and I talked to a few exterminators on the phone, one of the exterminators said if there are hobos, we do not want to bomb the house.

Makes me wonder if there is some truth to the story above.

 

[itsren]

now about grit for my girls.
I live in Rochester, affectionately called Rock-Chester by us residents. The girls don't seem to have any problem finding the grit they need. I'd hate to give them something that they can get for themselves and thereby also get exercise.

I have another question also. How do you supply water to the pen area. At present I use a hose but would like to have a stand pipe, but digging is not on my agenda nor is it a passtime that I enjoy.

I live on a "gravel" pit, too. Problem is - the gravel company down the road has to smash the very large rocks they dig out of the hillside to actually make gravel. So, I do provide grit.

I use a hose. But I have a very small yard, so dragging a hose over to the run is not difficult at all.

 

[itsren]

What kiddo's that don't like goin to a farm store!!!! What is wrong wiff dis pitcher...

If only we could convince Coastal to carry animals like Reber Ranch. Then my kids would LOVE it!

 

[itsren]

Hey y'all

I'm at the doctor right now; new guy in Renton at the Pain and Injury Clinic; hope someone can figure out what the heck is wrong with me! It's been getting worse for 2 years now

Hope they figure it out. Feel better!

 

[Zgoatlady]

So just a quick question, I have a 97% English Splash Orp chick just hatch my 1 Cream Legbar egg didnt hatch but I need to get this little one a home so its not by its self.
Does anyone want it? Let me know Send me a PM

 

[Nikki99]

I'm not going to worry about it, since the birds are eating them. I think they are enjoying their diet today. I'll just have to buy a new bag much sooner than I had expected (hoped).

If it had been teenagers, it would be one thing. But, we're talking about little kids who have never been around chickens before. My 8-year-old daughter should have known better than to get the bag of worms out for them to play with - so she's more at fault. The other kids would have never known where to look for meal worms. Believe me, she and I had a discussion about it this morning and knows that if it ever happens again, she will be doing chores to replace the bag. I have a feeling they got to being silly and just threw the worms into the air for the fun of it.

I have an 8yr old daughter too and this sounds exactly like something she would do! Oh man, she keeps us on our toes for sure! Sounds like yours does as well.

No wonder out of the 5 laying hens I was only getting 2-3 eggs a day in the nest boxes. I was thinking someone must be holding out, hubby & I were starting to get annoyed I was feeding them & they weren't giving back. I even had to buy some store bought eggs. This is either Red or Lacey doing this or they both are sharing this hole in the grass, cause they both lay a light colored egg. They made a tunnel in the grass & sticker bushes. 10 eggs total in there.





Shannon

HaHa! I am dealing with the same exact thing right now!! I have 2, maybe 3 laying right now, I'm not sure though because sometimes we will have an egg in the box but most of the time we find them in a spot at the base of a tree in some blackberry bushes (boy, that's fun digging eggs out of those) and ferns. I've tried several things to get them to lay in the boxes but they prefer their own nest.

Rumor has it that DW and I will be back at Wilco later this week !!! If ya wanna meet up PM me yer phone # and I will give ya a call when I know we will be headed down there.

Sounds good, I will PM ya.

Thank you! We brought her home around noon today. She is very unsteady on her feet, but only needs one person keeping an hand on her harness to keep her upright. We stopped at a pet store to buy the harness and I got some of her favorite treats, which she ate immediately in the van. (She had not touched food at all for almost 2 days.) She has been on her bed most of the time, snoozing away. (Oh, and I had it wrong. She just turned 14 yesterday!) I'm a softie, so I've been giving her treats all day and bringing her water in a bowl. She hasn't touched her regular food, but she took her pills like usual. So long as she's eating and getting her meds, I'm happy. I'll be calling her regular vet in the morning to take her in for blood work.

I'm very thankful we can afford critical care for our pets, and that there is an animal ER like 2 miles from our house. It's very costly, but if we didn't take them in, we would have lost her around 4-5 years ago, when she had her first emergency. That was hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. I do have to say, when your dog starts bleeding from its rear end, you get to see the doctor real fast! A couple years later, she had seizures. We've also taken in another greyhound for a stroke and probably something else, and a third one had a leg amputated for bone cancer there. Plus, our diabetic 17 year old cat sees an Internist there.

Why am I getting into another kind of animal that has health problems??? And I kind of doubt that I'd be able to eat a chicken that was a pet, even if it had to be put down. I could easily eat a meat chicken raised for that purpose and named "Tenders" or something like that, but not a pet.

Jennifer

Glad to hear she's doing better. Getting old is hard on all of us, isn't it!?! Are your greyhounds retired racers?

Bah, getting frustrated with my two Exchequer pullets. The woman I bought (more like rescued) them from in Tacoma said they were hatched 4/16 but who knows? One of them has always been somewhat larger (though the size difference has significantly decreased) and has a far, far more developed comb. I'm a newbie so I don't know if she is actually older or if they really can develop at such different rates. I'm just soooooooooooo anxious to get eggs from the very first two chickens I can actually call my own! Haven't found so much as a shell-less yolk yet and I was under the impression that Exchequers tend to lay by this age (if they really are the age I thought they were!). Then again, the woman I bought them from said she got them from a hatchery - don't know which one - and I wouldn't be surprised if they are just a White Leghorn crossed with an Ancona, LOL. God knows what breeds they have in their line. Not that I care! I just want eggs and I'm going to pout until I get them!

I already put this pic up here a few days ago, but it's the most recent one I've got. I think I took it about a week ago. What do y'all think? Are they the same age? Will I get some eggs soon out of the one with the big comb?

Well I can't answer you questions but I can tell you I think your birds are gorgeous!!! I'm jealous! I didn't do a very good job picking out my birds, (it was my first time) we don't have much a variety when it comes to the physical look of them. They are all brown/black/red. Next batch of chicks in the spring I will definitely be picky about, I want variety!!! Lol.