Washingtonians

[itsren]

Are you not allowed to have them? I have to say that I find my hens and pullets sometimes make more noise than my rooster. I can hear when someone lays an egg from inside my house, and my coop is a little ways away. If you are expecting them to be nice and quiet, you may be fighting a losing battle. Chickens make noises, sometimes loud ones. Do you think your neighbors are going to get mad? Or have they already complained? I don't know if there are breeds that are known to be quieter than others. Except maybe silkie girls. They are very quiet.
I am not sure holding her upside down is going to get her to be quiet for good. I don't know how to help, except to let you know that they can be loud and there isn't much you can do about it.

Oh, one of my EE's lays anywhere from a mint green to almost torquoise or sage green. They do change colors somewhat at times. Just not from brown to blue.

I am allowed to have them but I'm trying to keep peace with the neighbors. Things are getting better, but we had some rocky moments with neighbors when we first got them.

Rhodie finally quieted down after Caunnie laid that 2nd egg of the day and Drama laid her first.

I held Rhodie upside down after she bit me again and drew blood. She's so impatient - will bite if I'm carrying a treat bag, trying to put her back in the run, opening the garbage can where I store food. She always wants to be first and is quick to jump at bite at my hand. I'm trying to break her of the biting habit. It hurts when she bites, but today was the first time she drew blood.

 

[itsren]

I am wondering if 2-4 hours a day out of their pen will suffice?

I'm sure it will. My girls get let out and put back in quite a few times each day. They never like it when they realize I've tricked them back in the run by throwing meal worms in the run, but they're not smart enough to keep from running toward the meal worms. Granted, they are happiest when they are digging through my garden beds, but they seem to be OK in the run, too.

 

[itsren]

Itsren, when I posted about the hoop houses, I was going to ask you, is that something you can do? I really don't know much about permaculture although I have been reading about it, I would love to make our place sustainable, as much as I could! But, I suppose a hoop house defeats the purpose of making your land useful. I have never had a "green thumb" although I have grown some veggies. I am going to work on the hoop house thing before the snow flies and try and raise some stuff this winter.

I have 3 hoop houses. You can see them here: http://www.imaginationgarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/tent-city.html DH doesn't like the looks of them, so he doesn't want any more. He thinks they look like covered wagons. The idea behind permaculture is to blend edibles and ornamentals naturally within a landscape and to create an ecological system where plants support each other within it's own system. The biggest benefit for my family would be a blend of wanting to grow food (what I want) and growing ornamentals (what DH wants) within the same space without it looking like a food garden (what DH wants). That's what I was working hard for.

I think I'm going to have to give up on the concept for permaculture in it's truest form and just utilize more raised beds - which will mean, build them and ask for forgiveness later. Kinda like how I got chickens in the first place. And, how I got eggs in the bator... there seems to be a pattern developing here, and I'm sure DH would not approve.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

There are lots of older breeds that were bred to forage, not just in the mediterranian. My Spitz were bred to forage in the Alps. Any of the landrace chickens like the Icelandic chickens or Swedish flower hens would be good foragers. In fact, I'm inclined to believe most of the really old breeds were left to forage for themselves. Chickens kept in yards is a modern innovation.

Good point! I was sort of using "Mediterranean" as a substitute for anything that lays a white egg. I have this vague notion in my head that anything that lays a white egg was originally developed from a Mediterranean breed.

One thing I know for sure is that the white and green pastured eggs I've had had more flavor than the brown pastured eggs I've had. But to each her own!

 

[itsren]

No, you can't buy eight from me, but I will give them to you!

Aw... you're too sweet. Thank you. Maybe we'll come up with a good idea for a trade of some sort.

 

[itsren]

Well, today, we have to get all the kids together and vaccinate again and deworm, and move them out to the big pasture, I spent Monday nite getting all the buckeye hens together, banding them and trimming wings, they were moved to my older coop. Everyone has been running amok all summer, it's time to put each to their own breed and start weeding out the ones we won't use.

Anyone need some meat ducks!! I'll give ya a good price!! LOL! the 2nd cousin price!

Sounds like you had a busy day!

 

[itsren]

I am reminded of visiting Wiiliamsburg, VA where I watched a guy digging this lovely black dirt. I commented that I had to take lots of rocks out of my soil. He asked if I took ALL of them out. I said only the ones bigger than a golf ball. He said he'd never seen a rock bigger than a golf ball. Life is not fair.

Oh my... that guy's missing out! Not!

 

[itsren]

Just tell him it's a robotics project and will count towards his 4-H program. Good stuff!

 

[itsren]

And if anyone knows about Paleo and that we're eating that way...this isn't Paleo. There's no beans in Paleo. I don't care.


1-2 cloves garlic unless you're Renee

LOL! Waaaaaah! I loved garlic, too. Must've ate too much of it and my body said no more.

I've gotta ask... what's wrong with beans? Isn't Paleo a vegetarian-based diet? The last I knew, beans don't breath, walk, fly, eat, poo, or do anything an animal would do.

 

[itsren]

Got my incubator from Ogress today. Now to decide if I am going to test it out and hatch something. I do have some EE/Fav eggs I could try to hatch. I don't know what I would get but it might be interesting. I wonder what hubby will say?

Put the eggs in the refrigerator for a few minutes, then tell him that they are refrigerated eggs and the likelihood of them hatching is pretty slim. Seems to be a believable excuse around here.