Washingtonians

[TerrorBird]

Quote:

Why don't you let them out in the rain?
Mine will run under my vehicles or run back under the coops if it pours to hard.
They go out in the rain all the time.

We've been having hawk problems recently. One of my girls tussled with a Red-tailed hawk and I'm pretty sure she was only saved because of the rooster's warning and my hasty arrival at the crime scene. We thought she was dead because we only found a pile of feathers and didn't see any signs of her anywhere. She turned up a bit later eating scratch in the large wired-over pen. I love my girls like they're my kids. I don't have children (don't want them either) but I raised most of my girls from tiny chicks and I'm devastated when someone is grabbed because it's my job as their guardian to make sure they're safe. I listen to the birds and any warning calls they give. If I hear complete silence, I'm on high alert. The birds are fairly subdued when it's raining so I can't monitor their sounds very well. I don't mind milling around with an umbrella and guarding the chickens, but I want to be able to guard them effectively. We're also troubled by Cooper's and Sharp-shinned hawks since we have bantams and the chickens like to split into their distinct social groups when they're free to roam the yard. We have a large property and it's hard to keep track of all of the chickens all of the time.

Long story short: I confine them because I care.

 

[itsren]

Jerk Chicken is now I think 5 weeks old? She/he is growing like a weed.



Tandoori is on her left. There is a huge size difference, and they are the same age. Does Jerk look like a rooster? The SLW came in as 90% sexed pullets, but maybe Jerk is that 10%.... She's definitely top chicken in the brooder.

Jennifer

Jerk Chicken... AWESOME name!

 

[itsren]

Quote:
The whole family, including DH, did not want that yellow one named Latte. I said that was the one I candled, and after the stress of that whole incubation process, I deserved a Latte. My oldest refuses to call it Latte - he's sticking with Softie.

 

[itsren]

It stopped raining today so the girls were allowed to roam for three supervised hours. I think I was about as pleased as they were.

My girls enjoyed it, too. But, I'm beginning to think my girls think they are ducks. I open their run door thinking they'll stay in when it is wet, and wander out when it stops raining. Nope... I'll look out the back window and see them walking in the rain.

 

[Nikki99]

Right now it is. I wasn't sure how quick it would grow in on the other one. It hatched a good 12 hours after the one on the left. The white spots on top of their head are slightly different... but not much, and the spots are looking more similar today.

I love the name Cocoa. I'm going to talk to the kids tonight about that one. I don't like the names "Chirpy" "Fuzzy" or "Softie" (I think that's what the names were - they were something similar to that).

I think the name "Blacky" is going to have to stick... I'm going to suggest a spelling change though. My youngest son - who has been begging for a black chicken has claimed the black one as his own. He's not budging on a name change, either. This morning I went to the garage to start laundry and this was taped to the garage door - at MY eye level, not his. LOL! Notice how he's even making sure I sound it out correctly by writing (Black-E). He can't handle it when someone calls something a nickname and he knows I use nicknames frequently. For example, he gets very upset if I refer to Wal Mart as Wally World, etc.



Hehehe, I love the "self portrait", so cute!!
The babies are adorable! My daughter, she's 8, always picks names like that too. If it's brown, she wants to name it Brownie, so on and so forth. I love the name Latte!! I love latte's! We have 7 babies right now that we are trying to name...it's so hard to decide.

 

[Greg Richardson]

Quote: Makes sense.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
The whole family, including DH, did not want that yellow one named Latte. I said that was the one I candled, and after the stress of that whole incubation process, I deserved a Latte. My oldest refuses to call it Latte - he's sticking with Softie.
Call it Chandler (candle maker)

 

[itsren]

We have 7 babies right now that we are trying to name...it's so hard to decide.

Yes, it is! Funny how they grow into their names though. When my youngest boy named Drama Bahm, I was not into it at all. Then, when that chickie hurt her leg, and all the crazy stuff we did to save her, suddenly Drama fit her to a tee.

This time around I wanted drama free chickie names. DH asked me what was up with the food names... was I planning to eat them?

I certainly hope not!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Also, looking for advice/recommendations. I need to buy a large-wheeled hand truck with a good-sized flat foot; I've got a small folding one, but the wheels are too small to navigate the shallow steps of my front walk. It also creaks alarmingly if the load exceeds 50 pounds. I've looked at HD and Harbor Freight and... the quality of the welds disturbs me.

Any wisdom to communicate?

I have one of the Blue ones from HFT. I have used and abused it for many years. It has held up very well and I have really put it to the test with a lot of verry heavy stuff.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: Ihave friends who get special "healthy" seasoning (no MSG etc). They use this when they get deer or elk. It tastes very much like sausage.