Washingtonians

[Hinotori]

I have a couple questions. I'm thinking about feeding my chickens hay during the winter months. What kind do you feed chickens? Is there any one local who sells it? I'm looking for someone in south Snohomish county or King county.

I gave mine alfalfa when we had the snow and ice and they couldn't get to the grass. I wouldn't give them grass hay for fear of impacted crops. With alfalfa they just eat the leaves and the stems get left. Me putting the alfalfa on the snow and straw I put down made them come out of their shelter and get some fresh air and sun. I had a bale of alfalfa hay in their shelter most of the winter. They prefered to go eat grass and weeds over it. Then one decided to rip some out and build nests behind the bale.

 

[Shyla-C]

Quote: To keep them busy and give them something to scratch in and eat besides mud

. This will be my first winter with chickens and, I'm not going to lie, I'm a LOT worried about them. Or worried that I am under prepared for winter care.

 

[chickenjane82]

I have a couple questions. I'm thinking about feeding my chickens hay during the winter months. What kind do you feed chickens? Is there any one local who sells it? I'm looking for someone in south Snohomish county or King county.

Last year I lost my white face black spanish to sour crop after giving them a bale of grass hay. I bought the NICE clean green stuff. I figured they could scratch around in it and eat it for greenage... turned out to be a bad idea..
Her crop was packed full of long strands of hay

The second I realized why she was sick I raked up the entire bale from under a very short 25ft long 4ft high hoop house style shelter/covering.. That was hard work. My husband was gone and I didnt want to leave it a second longer.
Im so glad it was only one. Im waaay to paranoid to feed hay now.

 

[chickenjane82]

I gave mine alfalfa when we had the snow and ice and they couldn't get to the grass. I wouldn't give them grass hay for fear of impacted crops. With alfalfa they just eat the leaves and the stems get left. Me putting the alfalfa on the snow and straw I put down made them come out of their shelter and get some fresh air and sun. I had a bale of alfalfa hay in their shelter most of the winter. They prefered to go eat grass and weeds over it. Then one decided to rip some out and build nests behind the bale.

I was considering this because of the leaves instead of the long strands of grass..... Did you break the bale, or just leave it whole?

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: To keep them busy and give them something to scratch in and eat besides mud

. This will be my first winter with chickens and, I'm not going to lie, I'm a LOT worried about them. Or worried that I am under prepared for winter care.
Hey it's just like eating an elephant just take it one bite at a time!!! Don't over stress about the little stuff. Do they have a roof over them, Protection from wind. Food and water. YES OF COURSE. So all is good. Take a deep breath set back and let them be chickens!!!

 

[TerrorBird]

Quote: Your poor mom. LOL Years ago I remember the first time I saw one of our pigs eat a frog. I was so grossed out as it crunched it up. I know how your mom felt. hehe.
Just the other day, my black sexlink George saw a tiny mouse bouncing through the pen. She raced after it, but it escaped through the chicken wire. I told mom that poor George was sad that she lost her prize, and she just shuddered and made wretching noises over the thought. It was great.

 

[Hinotori]

I'm terrified of spiders. I went to open the bedroom window this afternoon to let in some air and saw a black widow laying on the sill. Wasn't moving at all. I thought it was dead. I went and got the windex and some paper towels to wipe up the tiny spiders (ok tiny ones dont scare me) The windex hit that black widow and it ran! I screamed like a little girl and started yelling for my DH to get the broom. He was laughing at me because I do overreact to spiders sometimes (there are stories). Then I told him that it was a black widow and he quit laughing so much and went ahead and got it with the broom himself. It fell and I could see movement so I crushed it. It's residing in the septic tank now. I don't trust them in garbage cans.


We went out and got the fitting to put a pvc roof over the run today. Tomorrow I get to alternate between cutting the ones that need cut to fit and stacking the wood under shelter. DH is going to cut some more into rounds so we can move it under as well when he gets home. It's some pretty old wood, just needs cut up and under before the rain they are predicting. If we can get just the long ones done, I have a tarp I can toss over the rest.

We also need to get the panels up and move the silkies over to their new run. Then we have to move the freestanding kennel out away from the chickens. Got to have a place for any birds that follow us home this coming weekend.

I still have a broody silkie who's been sitting on air for the last two weeks so chicks aren't out either. That pen is the place to be if your a chick. I find them under all the older birds at night. If you are cold, pick someone if it's to crowded under your mom. There are usually two or three under the cockerel even.

 

[Shyla-C]

Quote: To keep them busy and give them something to scratch in and eat besides mud

. This will be my first winter with chickens and, I'm not going to lie, I'm a LOT worried about them. Or worried that I am under prepared for winter care.
Hey it's just like eating an elephant just take it one bite at a time!!! Don't over stress about the little stuff. Do they have a roof over them, Protection from wind. Food and water. YES OF COURSE. So all is good. Take a deep breath set back and let them be chickens!!!
I know I need to relax a little...OK a lot! LOL. I will try to take your advice, thank you! Also I will see you at Salem this weekend. I am thinking I need to get some of your mess free chicks for my mom! So excited to be going to my first chicken show, and seeing what it is all about. Better go to bed so I can function tomorrow.

 

[pettec63]

Quote: So they still haven't had you seen by an Orthopaedic doctor yet?

It sounds like they hoping that you will die of old age before they have to treat you for anything.

As for the lady that wanted the puppy. She knew just enough to say the right words, but there had been clues. She is on a fixed disability income, and has multiple health problems. I felt bad for her, so I was making things work. Still I knew that she really couldn't afford a pet, and sure enough as soon as one of her brothers got sick she needed money to go help him out. She hadn't even completely paid for the pup yet. She wanted to pay me off so that she could sell the puppy, but I opted to refund what she had already given me. I didn't want one of my puppies bouncing around from home to home. It was a blessing that this all happened on a payday for DH and I. I am still out the cost of nearly 450 miles on my car, and the microchips. I don't know though that I regret having tried to help her. She did watch at least one of the puppies during the week that my kitchen was remolded. So I'm going to put this down to the cost of doggy daycare. lol It helped to have fewer dogs underfoot that week.

I'm delighted your back amongst the group here again.

Thanks! it's good to see you too!

I just had too much stuff going on this summer with all my goats and chickens and ducks that I couldn't spend much time on anything else! Well at least she gave it back and didn't sell it out from under you!! Yea, in this economy it's tough enough to feed ourselves and make sure we are healthy let alone an animal, and I have taken a huge hit this year on my ducks! I have advertised on CL 4 or 5 times and not one call or email! Next year I'm gong to be collecting eggs and incubating, this is BS!! and my husband and I got into it acouple time about the amount of money I've spent on adult breeding stock and the fact that I haven't made a fricken cent on them! I love my ducks but, they have 13 -16 ducklings a hatch at approx three hatches per hen per season, your talking a lot of ducks! So, until I can get a market for them, I am going to be hatching artificially.

That's a lot a dang miles girl!! Well, wishing you good luck on finding great homes for the rest!!

Oh BTW the Va takes a long time to get into, and I had to call my gp several times to find out if he put in another consult request, that was in late aug, haven't heard from him or his nurse at all! I had to call up to Seattle three times, then I finally asked the guy in Ortho, what can I do? My doctor won't return my calls and I need this ortho consult, the guy gave me the pain dr's number who did my joint injection, she was the one that had put the original in, I had to call there twice, but, with in a week, they called me and said they had sent an email to the pain doc, then ortho called me the next day!! so I called the pain docs receptionists and said THANK YOU!! you accomplished in one week, what my GP couldn't do in three months!!
Oh, I changed docs, and I'm now going to the Yakima VA, it's much closer to home and I will have a DR not a PA, it might make a difference, my first apt is with her tomorrow!!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: To keep them busy and give them something to scratch in and eat besides mud

. This will be my first winter with chickens and, I'm not going to lie, I'm a LOT worried about them. Or worried that I am under prepared for winter care.
Hey it's just like eating an elephant just take it one bite at a time!!! Don't over stress about the little stuff. Do they have a roof over them, Protection from wind. Food and water. YES OF COURSE. So all is good. Take a deep breath set back and let them be chickens!!!
I know I need to relax a little...OK a lot! LOL. I will try to take your advice, thank you! Also I will see you at Salem this weekend. I am thinking I need to get some of your mess free chicks for my mom! So excited to be going to my first chicken show, and seeing what it is all about. Better go to bed so I can function tomorrow.
I think ya need a garden hog and a bell too. As of right now I will have 4 bells to choose from and 3 garden hogs SO FAR !!!