Washingtonians

[FirewifeJess]

Quote: That's what we use too...or Maranatha Almond Butter. Glad they're not on the list.

Quote: I hadn't thought of that, thanks for telling me. I won't be using poison now. I think I'll get some traps and place them in the run after locking the chickens in the coop for the night. I can check them every morning around 7am and let the chickens out. Hoping that'll kill the big ones and the babies will die if there are any. AND I'm still going to do some rodent proofing for the ones not adventurous to climb the 2' hardware cloth and sneak in through the welded wire fence. I think they're just walking out from under the coop and snatching spilled feed and/or leftover scratch the girls didn't find that day, and sometimes snatching eggs from the coop. ew!!

 

[Chickielady]

Just wanted to share my growing babies!!

What a kick in the pants those are !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Stumpfarmer]

UE- Glad for a good report this morning on your hen.

I am almost certain now that whatever rodent is living under the coop is also stealing eggs when the hens aren't around. We've already gotten 6 eggs today before 11am, and I've gone to check 3 times. I'm keeping the gals locked in the coop and run for a few days to see if that's the problem. We did a major family easter egg yard search yesterday and didn't find anything, which leads me to believe my theory even more. I am going to try and discourage the rodent under the coop from going to the chicken run for food by adding hardware cloth under the coop, hopefully this week sometime, and closing up the lid of the nest boxes on the sides that are open due to me raising/tilting the lid. Hopefully that will solve this problem. I may even shove some poison under the coop and add cement blocks all the way around it so the chickens can't get to the poison but the rodent can.

Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. And we're dealing with the same issue right now, re: rodents stealing eggs. Only problem is ours lay all over the yard so there's really nothing we can do. Hopefully when we get the final coop/palace built, the nest boxes will be more appealing than the yard. Then all we have to worry about is keeping squirrels out of the coop during the day.



Good luck.

I read an article about using herbs in coops and nesting boxes. Mint and Lemon Balm were listed as rodent deterents. It couldn't hurt to try. Both should be cheap since they have take over the world tendencies. I wonder if mint gum would work.

I have extra mint if anyone wants to come dig up some plants

I would say that I had lemonbalm to share, but chickens also love it as a green and eat the green seeds eagerly, and even though I don't free range, my cousin does and the younger of his EEs are constantly in my yard, eating lemon balm and all my precious, precious fall raspberries.

 

[Chickielady]

This is a very interesting idea. I have the oats. In fact if anyone wants some whole oats to try this you would be welcome to come get some. I bought a 50lb bag of whole oats awhile ago. I had planned on getting it to sprout, but that didn't work out as well as I wanted it too.

We have had some fairly good clues that something has been living in or behind the greenhouse for most of the summer. I still don't know exactly what it is. DH got a glimpse of it earlier today. He is fairly sure that it's not a opossum. I thought it was a opossum after several of the plants in the greenhouse were eaten clear down to the soil. I also haven't seen any rat or mouse dropping anywhere in the greenhouse, and none of the chicken feed has been messed with. So I am now rather confused as to what it is. I do know that the nasty little dogs have been trying to catch it for most of the summer, so far obviously none of them has managed to get it.

You need a spy cam like Einstein has...hook it up to a cheap DVD player/recorder & Salvation Army TV, and record the DVD all night....the Infrared camera misses little, unless you get one with less pixels....and not a strong IR light in it to illuminate distance.
It is very interesting what goes on at night !!!
DH plays the recorded DVD fast forward in the morning and you would not believe what comes & goes....!!

 

[Chickielady]

OK, now put your thinking caps on and help me out here.
I got a great roo from CL, a JERSEY GIANT in soft grey. He's really mild mannered. BUT...I need a name for this youngen. So here's my thinking.
He's a young gun so Westerns come to mind, so after thinking long and hard about it I came up with the following name.

Lash th-roo. (now for some of you, you probably don't recall and some know not of what I speak.

WAYYYYYYYYYYYY back in the day, as a kid I use to go to the movies on a Sat for the matinee. Usually started about 11 am or 1 pm depending on the movie house. Could see the movie, get a fountian coke and a box of popcorn for just 25 cents. (I did say way back).
Any whoo, you would also see short subjects, a serial and the movie and sometimes it was a double feature!
Lash LaRue was the hero of western movies. His thing was a 12' bull whip he use against the bad guys, hense the name Lash. Whew, I really had to dig deep to get that info outta my memory.
So, give me some names for this youngen, please.

He is a Exhibition Quality Blue Jersey Giant...so you can use a name with blue in it ?

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

If anyone's looking for Sebbies, I have a few for sale...along with a pair of Giant Africans. And an extra gander that is pet-quality and I'd trade him for a Thanksgiving turkey... Oh and a gorgeous lavender/blue Muscovy drake...

 

[Chickielady]

Ok well then I AM OLD!!

LOL!! Dang it! It happens!!

If you are lucky !!!!

 

[Stumpfarmer]

From the "so why do I keep making work for myself?" file, I was out picking apples for the cattle, and one of them backed into me. I whacked her with the apple-picker, bent the basket and broke the handle. I'm replacing the slivery, weathered handle with my trusty pvc pipe, but it's just delaying the day I have to buy a new one, as when I bent the basket back I snapped two ribs from the top frame.

At least I will no longer be distracted by the sleeve that holds the two bits of handle together, nor have to think every moment I handle it not to catch myself on the wingnuts that hold it together.

 

[CarolynF]

I am getting a little eggscited about the PNPA show in Salem. I found out last night that Salem has just made it legal to keep chickens in the city which may really help for those selling birds at the show. Also I was told I am being put in an island booth and that everybody going into the show will have to walk right past my space.

We ARE GONNA ROCK Salem with this show!!!!

I hope sales are sky high for you CR. I wish we were going since we had such a great time last year.

 

[jenreinke]

Well I have been gone awhile. Death in the family and had to go to Colorado. Close to 500 pages behind, so well, I just jumped ahead.
Unfortunately while we were gone, we lost our favorite chicken. The neighbors who were taking care of the animals couldnt find her one night and she was found dead the next day, next to the fence, her neck broken but uneaten. Not sure what killed her. We have raccoons, coyotes and the builder said he thought he saw a wild cat (bobcat?) but I would think any of those would have eaten her, so I am not sure what happened.
So we are down to 2 ladies, and we get only 1 egg a day . I guess we will be buying eggs this winter still. I hope to get more chicks in the spring. We are enlarging our coop/run and want to have 15 or so, with a run big enough that I don't need to let them free range if we are out of town for a week.

I don't know where you live but there is a great feed store in the University District in Seattle that sells some beautiful pullets on Friday and Saturday each week. It might be worth getting one older chicken to make up your flock. So sorry to hear about your double loss!