Washingtonians

[itsren]

Sounds like they want a dark hidey spot to lay... maybe put up a half curtain to make the nest boxes you want them to lay in more "private" and desirable. I find they like to be "confined" or enclosed in a nest box..... maybe a board to cover the box with a little in/out hole for them to go in/out? so they feel more enclosed? I used a tarp once to make a half curtain and my birds really liked that.... also put fake eggs in the boxes where you want them to lay.

Jess - that could be it. Do I remember correct? Your nest box in your coop is one long open space. Is that right? A chicken sitting in there would feel like they were out in the open. OK... putting my thinking cap on. I picked up free wood today - I'll see if I have some that we could use to fashion individual pop-holes or something.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Quote:
Thanks chica! I have been thinking about removing the dividers between the nest boxes in the coop. Maybe you can come over sometime soon and we can brainstorm. I am going to remove the hutch soon though, to see what they prefer after that. I have a kind of plastic milk crate I might screw onto the wall in the coop to see if any of them like it in there any better.

 

[itsren]

The part where I get dismissed from the conversation because I'm not a parent.

That makes sense. Sorry! I was focused on the rest of it. I thought she had pretty good thoughts going.

I hope you took no offense about my CPS and living in a tent comment. It was just a comment. I was very surprised to learn that last week. There's a particular child people are concerned about, but CPS won't step in. The child has no home at all. People have offered to take the child in so the child can sleep indoors on a bed until the parent can get on her feet. But, the parent won't allow it. So very sad!

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

Just to let everyone know, there's a great button under peoples' names where you can "Block user" It's a good tool in these types of places. I think CR has used it a time or so.

Wow. All I wanted was not to have you arrogantly dictate to me how I was created by your religious deity. That's it. I guess tolerance only goes one way here. Guessing is all I can do since you won't come out and say you have a problem, but rather have to use hints and winky emoticons.

 

[itsren]

Thanks chica! I have been thinking about removing the dividers between the nest boxes in the coop. Maybe you can come over sometime soon and we can brainstorm. I am going to remove the hutch soon though, to see what they prefer after that. I have a kind of plastic milk crate I might screw onto the wall in the coop to see if any of them like it in there any better.

Sure! Send me a PM and let me know when. Next week would be best.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

That makes sense. Sorry! I was focused on the rest of it. I thought she had pretty good thoughts going.

I hope you took no offense about my CPS and living in a tent comment. It was just a comment. I was very surprised to learn that last week. There's a particular child people are concerned about, but CPS won't step in. The child has no home at all. People have offered to take the child in so the child can sleep indoors on a bed until the parent can get on her feet. But, the parent won't allow it. So very sad!

The only things so far that have offended me have been 1) having someone else's religion applied to me, 2) the implication that poor people "always have options" to get themselves out of bad living situations, and 3) the statement that I am unfit for discussion because I'm not a parent. And I don't think you said any of those things, so we're good.

I can understand not wanting to have one's child taken away under any circumstances. That kind of uprooting is extremely traumatic for a child even if the foster parents are perfect.

 

[Farmin Momma]

So I have a question for you long time chickeners. Would it be stressful on my flock to take away their favorite nest box? I like the rabbit hutch but it takes up a lot of room in their run. By the weekend I will have 13 chickens in a 128s/f run and 35s/f coop and winter is coming so they'll be spending more time under cover of the run than in the yard probably. The hutch takes up a lot of room. I'm also planning on getting rid of the rubbermaid bins I have in there which store all our meds and chicken supplies and only keeping the 2 feed containers; I want to maximize the space in there! I really want my chickens to lay in the coop nest boxes like normal chickens! Then if I happen to get a broody hen sometime I can use the hutch for her and the eggs/chicks. I guess I just don't want to stress out my birds, but I want them to lay somewhere else. WDYT?

I am pretty sure that if you take out those extra laying areas they will just go in and lay in the nest boxes in your coop. As far as possibly stressing them out, when ever I rearange things in my coop it does kind of stress them a bit and some of the girls may stop laying for a day or two. But other than that it is no biggy.

Quote: Ok, look you are turning my words around. I did not say all poor people should go live in tents, if you need to go back and look. I said that if there were no other choices for me to keep my kids out of the dangerous school that you described that I would personaly go live in a tent if I had to, to keep my kids safe! Yes I will always do what I have to to keep my children SAFE no if, ands, or buts about it. I had my time to do what I wanted with my life and I gave that up at 16 to become a parent and do not regret any of it. Now my life is for my 5 children and my husband, even if it came down to haveing to send my children to live with a family member untill I was able to move out of the bad area it would kill me and break my heart but I would do it to make sure that my kids were save period!

As for the last part, you not "dignifying the rest with a response"... What part?

Quote: That is ok because I missed it to what ever it was.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Can I sub ground sausage in a recipe calling for ground beef? Essentially it's the same thing right? I have some recipes and I am trying to use up everything we have before shopping again.

 

[Farmin Momma]

Quote: I was in no way saying you are unfit for our discussion, I was simply saying that it is hard for somone who does not have kids to understand the actual situations, feelings and thoughts that parents go through. That is all, the reason why I tried ending our conversation politely is because we got off our main topic, you seemed (to me) to be getting upset and at times twisting what I was saying around, and we have different ideas which is just fine. Like I said before I do not wish to make you think the way I do, but though we could have a pleasant conversation about what we both think yet it dose not seem that is how it was going. The only reason I am continueing is because I do not want any bad air here.

 

[itsren]

The only things so far that have offended me have been 1) having someone else's religion applied to me, 2) the implication that poor people "always have options" to get themselves out of bad living situations, and 3) the statement that I am unfit for discussion because I'm not a parent. And I don't think you said any of those things, so we're good.

I can understand not wanting to have one's child taken away under any circumstances. That kind of uprooting is extremely traumatic for a child even if the foster parents are perfect.

I grew up very poor. I totally understand what it is like having nothing and wondering if we were going to eat each day. I grew up in a house that was falling down around me, with a huge hole in the floor. Staring at the dirt below used to scare me.

In the case of the child I mentioned - no one is trying to take the child away. The child had been offered a place to sleep at night to have a warm bed. The parent is scared and won't accept help. They have been sleeping outside the apartment complex where a warm bed was offered. It's not a foster situation at all. The people who offered the bed, and were turned down by the parent, did end up calling CPS to see if they could help convince the parent to let the child sleep in a warm bed, and CPS told them it wasn't a CPS issue at all. There has to be drugs or abuse involved before CPS will step in.