YO GEORGIANS! :)

[katiedarling]

I have a friend looking to build his first coop. He has some cross ties that he had left over from framing a flower bed, and was wondering if he could use them as basing for his coop/run. Then he wouldn't have to burry 4x4s and such. Save time and money. My concern is IF they have creosote in/on them. Would that be an issue for chickens pecking at the wood, or even rubbing against them? I told him I would ask my "chicken people" and see. I believe he wants to lay them on top of the ground as his ground base and frame up from there

As far as I understand, they do. I was told by a local farmer not to use them for garden beds where edibles were to be planted. Unfortunately, the previous owner of this property we're on, used them as fence posts. Or, he planned to. There are cross ties sticking up out of the ground on the border of the front pasture. He never got the fencing material attached before they got foreclosed. He also used them as the corner posts for a 24'x24' dog pen, which is what we converted to the chicken yard, because it was already fenced and sat abandoned since 2010. From what I've observed, they don't bother with it. I see them pecking more at the weeds and other stuff. I personally, would not have used them in this manner at all because of the creosote and the risk of pecking, but we just went with what we already had. I think this is a really great question.

edited to add: I decided to search and found this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/194986/railroad-ties-safe
I may have to rethink the decision to place the coop where we did. We're sort of stuck with it now.

and this one, too:https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/101307/railroad-ties

 

[Flowerbh]

Is anyone else tired of all this wet weather? I am worried that my chickens will develop foot problems with all the wet! My coop is in the worst condition it has ever been in! The ducks go in and out, in and out! They don't care if it's raining! But every time they do, they bring all that wet with them, shake it all over the coop and just everything stays wet! And, we all know how wonderful wet poop smells! Ugh! Hasn't stopped raining here in about 2 weeks.....every day! I have so much yard work to do but can't get to it! Will be glad when we get a dry spell!

 

[katiedarling]

Is anyone else tired of all this wet weather? I am worried that my chickens will develop foot problems with all the wet! My coop is in the worst condition it has ever been in! The ducks go in and out, in and out! They don't care if it's raining! But every time they do, they bring all that wet with them, shake it all over the coop and just everything stays wet! And, we all know how wonderful wet poop smells! Ugh! Hasn't stopped raining here in about 2 weeks.....every day! I have so much yard work to do but can't get to it! Will be glad when we get a dry spell!

YES! I am a huge worry wart anyway, so this is not helping. Our run bedding is damp(?) despite being covered because all the rain drained underneath it and so the bedding wicked it all up. Not to mention, I need to get the waterer setting on something stable. It is hanging, and it's one of those crappy plastic one that leaks. There's already a permanent spot underneath it that is soaked. That's an easy fix I know, but I am definitely worried about the rest. And the yard surrounding the run is a giant bare mud slick. And, speaking of cold and damp, when do I know it's time to start coating combs and wattles with the vaseline to protect against frostbite? I'm hypersensitive to cold because of the hypothyroid, so I'm already freezing(I have longjohns under my jeans, 3 shirts, a hoodie and a jacket on, inside as I type this) and I feel horrible for them right now. I assume they're alright for now, because they technically have down parkas on(?).

Actually, I can't tell if the bedding is damp or just cold because my fingers stay permanently frozen if it gets below 65 degrees.

 

[Attila the Hen]

I'm with both of you. Sick to death of the wet weather. I feel for the birds but I am sure they are just fine. It's probably a lot more comfortable than the heat.
I have a deck I let the turkey on--of course I'll have to pressure wash it. I also have an alcove in my kitchen and they get under there when they don't like the weather. I have plastic sheets I put down around that area when it gets really cold. They could also go in the garage if they wanted but they don't.
The coop is only used for sleeping but it is always pretty dry. I can't figure out why they don't spend more time in there. It is an open three sided lean to with a tin roof. When it gets bitterly cold I put tarps around the coop.
It's supposed to be sunny on Weds I believe.

 

[DiamondSwan]

I made a facebook page for my eggs. Put some pics of the girls, and some pics of dozens of eggs. I sell for $3/doz and rarely have more than a dozen at my house. I have a few customers who buy me out regularly. And baby donk has a name. Her parents are Mary Margaret Guadalupe and Jose Cuervo (these are the names they came with) So baby is Margarita, or Rita for short Since momma donkey doesn't mind if I borrow her, I took Rita to TSC in Cartersville to look for halters. You know the smallest horse ones, labelled 'foal' are for 100-200 lbs. Not even close! This is a sheep halter. Doesn't exactly fit right, but the idea is just for her to be used to be handling her head. So I put it on and take it off in about 10 minutes. And my sheep will wear it afterwards.

Awe, love the little donkey baby!!! Did you take her to Target? (I would do the same thing ).

 

[Attila the Hen]

How can you bear to be around such cuteness? I would guess Rita would fit on the couch right?

 

[PapaChaz]

hey all! haven't posted in a while. Jill and I had a great vacation last week, even with the rain! had the kids come by every day to check the house, take care of the chickens and gather the eggs. They got 9 eggs every day while we were gone.

The ameraucana that hatched the 4 eggs for me? she's gone broody again. I've been taking the eggs away from her and chasing her out of the nest box. Even with me standing right there, she'll jump right back up again! hard headed women, I tell ya! So anyway, I don't know how to make her NOT want to be broody, and since I check the coop several times a day anyway, I gave her some golf balls to sit on, and I can keep her on that nest and any eggs out from under her. So I wonder if sitting on them will break her when they don't eventually hatch for her., any idea?

 

[DiamondSwan]

hey all! haven't posted in a while. Jill and I had a great vacation last week, even with the rain! had the kids come by every day to check the house, take care of the chickens and gather the eggs. They got 9 eggs every day while we were gone.

The ameraucana that hatched the 4 eggs for me? she's gone broody again. I've been taking the eggs away from her and chasing her out of the nest box. Even with me standing right there, she'll jump right back up again! hard headed women, I tell ya!  So anyway, I don't know how to make her NOT want to be broody, and since I check the coop several times a day anyway, I gave her some golf balls to sit on, and I can keep her on that nest and any eggs out from under her. So I wonder if sitting on them will break her when they don't eventually hatch for her., any idea?

I've heard that they won't sit on their eggs until they lay a full clutch, so just make sure to collect the eggs everyday. Someone told me on here that ducks and chickens don't even know that there is babies in their eggs, and that's not why they sit on them. Sitting on eggs is their instinct, and goofballs are used as a way to encourage hens to go broody. If you collect the eggs every day you shouldn't have to worry about it. I'll tell ya this though, you should be lucky to have a broody hen, cause a lot of people have a hard time getting their hens to sit on eggs!

 

[eqserman]

She will get back to you, you did use her gmail address?

She has finally gotten back to me AND yes she has a couple of napkins she can spare. She like all the rest of us has been busy due to this rain and muck. So just need to see how we can connect.
Another question, my Serena is trying to go broody. She is starting to sit on a large dummy egg that I have in the nest box. Apparently during part of the day she will be in the run but late afternoon she goes and tries to sit on this large dummy egg. I am not sure how to stop her, or if I should try to stop her. I have been going out two and three times a night and taking her from the nest box and putting her on the roost. Is this situation any cause for alarm, should I let her just sit on this dummy egg, or just keep taking her out of the nesting box. Anyone with more experience with this would appreciate advice. Thanks

 

[PapaChaz]

I've heard that they won't sit on their eggs until they lay a full clutch, so just make sure to collect the eggs everyday. Someone told me on here that ducks and chickens don't even know that there is babies in their eggs, and that's not why they sit on them. Sitting on eggs is their instinct, and goofballs are used as a way to encourage hens to go broody. If you collect the eggs every day you shouldn't have to worry about it. I'll tell ya this though, you should be lucky to have a broody hen, cause a lot of people have a hard time getting their hens to sit on eggs!

nah, that's just hear say. she sits in the empty nest and waits on the others to come lay for her, she'll sit on 1 or 2 if that's all there is in the nest. She did the same thing when she went broody back in Sept. I'd get all the eggs every day, she'd sit in the empty nest, even spend the night in it waiting for some of the others to come lay for her. a couple of them would get in on top of her and lay, and she'd work them underneath herself. They may not realize there are babies in the eggs and just going by 'strictly instinct' but they sure don't know how to count either. The 'full clutch'' theory, at least here is seemingly just another old wives tale. Nothing against old wives mind you......

I have an incubator, I don't WANT her broody, I want the blue eggs. there was another that tried to go broody at the same time back in sept too, I just kept chasing her out until she gave up. I bought these purebred ameraucanas for the eggs. I dealed for an incubator so I wouldn't need a broody. hopefully after a few weeks and they don't hatch she'll go back to laying again