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BaronVonVaderham posted:It's the miracle of life! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G0stojwYjI
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Nov 20, 2023 00:49
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| # ? May 8, 2024 12:05 |
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TBF, you can tell by that roast that the chickens of then could do with some improvement. Look at that sharp bone ridge! "They need at least three to four square feet per bird." Sigh. Arsenic Lupin fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 01:00
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Arsenic Lupin posted:
Haha, this is so stupid. Bird feet aren’t square and they only have two of them
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Nov 20, 2023 14:57
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Ft Clux has the hardware cloth over every square inch of it and dug down and splayed out from the base with dirt put back on it. Chicken wire isn't meant to keep chickens safe, its mean't to prevent chickens from getting to places. (I saw on one of your photos it looks like chicken wire)
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Nov 20, 2023 15:09
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Definitely. Raccoons and hawks will pull a bird through chicken wire piece by piece. And they can poke their little faces out to get bit by foxes, etc.
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Nov 20, 2023 17:36
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IMPORTANT QUAIL UPDATE! Pop quiz: Which one of these had severely splayed legs? Answer: You can't tell anymore, which says it all. After an intense weekend of quail PT, both the one wry-neck chick and our splooter have been saved. Because of one of the methods used to correct the legs, that chick has earned the first name of this generation: GIMP SUIT! (named birds are safe from ending up as quail soup one day...this little one fought so hard, they earned it) Also, this image is what happens about 10 seconds after I turn on the playlist of Dienes' recorded lectures she's been playing for them since they were still inside their shells. EDIT: Also, due to how the genetics of the colors work, we know for a fact the dotted white (who had wry neck) is the great-grandchild of Tammy. BaronVonVaderham fucked around with this message at 17:47 on Nov 20, 2023 |
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Nov 20, 2023 17:40
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Are there any decent premade chicken coops for 6 to buy that aren't thousands of dollars? We spent a year building a big fancy coop and run, and now we're suddenly moving in a few weeks and probably can't bring it with us.
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Nov 22, 2023 02:25
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I feel like any cheap one doesn’t have room for 6, even though they (very dishonestly) say they do
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Nov 22, 2023 05:27
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freeedr posted:I feel like any cheap one doesn’t have room for 6, even though they (very dishonestly) say they do Well, what's the cheapest one that does? Failing that maybe I just need to dump some chickens.
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Nov 22, 2023 05:53
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If you're willing to go $900, the Formex Snap Lok large coop is a real winner. Very sturdy and secure. We kept six chooks in ours, and it's plenty roomy for them. Four nest boxes, three rails for roosting, adjustable vents, slide out trays for cleaning - it is miles ahead of the wooden wonder we used to have. That one needed painting to start, and multiple repairs. If you want it raised, you'll need to make a platform, but that's just a few 2 x 4s and some 4 x 4s. We added a solar auto door closer, and the only issue with that is the occasional party fowl who stays out too late. The best buy I can see right now is at MyPetChicken.com. This is, of course, just for the coop and not the run.
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Nov 22, 2023 06:40
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Quail baby update:   The first one is Gimp Suit, now entirely indistinguishable from their siblings. The second might grow up to look like Cinnamon Garbage, while the third is probably a standard Pharaoh like Peanut Hamper. We've done this 3 times before, and yet I'm still unprepared for how ridiculously fast they grow. How did they fit inside of eggs just 4 days ago....  
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Nov 22, 2023 18:46
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PerniciousKnid posted:Are there any decent premade chicken coops for 6 to buy that aren't thousands of dollars? We spent a year building a big fancy coop and run, and now we're suddenly moving in a few weeks and probably can't bring it with us. In the UK I have one from Solway Recycling, maybe there's something similar in the US. Any wooden coop you buy is gonna rot to bits within a couple of years if you have any sort of wet weather, because they're all made like poo poo.
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Nov 22, 2023 21:35
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Nettle Soup posted:Any wooden coop you buy is gonna rot to bits within a couple of years if you have any sort of wet weather, because they're all made like poo poo. Can confirm, mistakes were made.
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Nov 22, 2023 22:41
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Dienes posted:Can confirm, mistakes were made. Yup. Had to replace almost every hinge, multiple bolts, a few boards. All in just a couple of years.
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Nov 23, 2023 00:30
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MrUnderbridge posted:Yup. Had to replace almost every hinge, multiple bolts, a few boards. All in just a couple of years. If I still have chickens in a couple years I'll probably just build a new coop, I just don't have time to build one during the move.
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Nov 23, 2023 03:57
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Some updated quail portraits (click photo for album):
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Nov 26, 2023 04:07
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Does anyone else sometimes just stare out a window at their chickens and think: "These are some weird, dirty rear end, goofy birds that are just constantly making GBS threads all over my stuff and loving up my mulch. I really do enjoy watching them though. I wonder if they pooped out another egg for me. I should give them more worms." Because this is what I do for at least an hour most days now.
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Dec 2, 2023 06:55
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BaronVonVaderham posted:Some updated quail portraits (click photo for album): I can tell you what 1-4 will probably be at a glance; Trouble. They look ready for Quail Adventures.
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Dec 2, 2023 08:27
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TheDK posted:Because this is what I do for at least an hour most days now. Me too! Although I try and limit my henful meditation to no more than 20 hours a day.
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Dec 2, 2023 11:07
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TheDK posted:Does anyone else sometimes just stare out a window at their chickens and think: Same. Its like a big, feathered fish tank. Except its easier to train them to do tricks than with a goldfish.
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Dec 2, 2023 17:28
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PerniciousKnid posted:Are there any decent premade chicken coops for 6 to buy that aren't thousands of dollars? We spent a year building a big fancy coop and run, and now we're suddenly moving in a few weeks and probably can't bring it with us. I’ve heard good things about Nestera coops. You can get 5% off with this link. http://nestera.us/ecl Depending on the size of your hens the largest coops can fit 5-6.
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Dec 2, 2023 21:07
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Apparently December is a great time to go broody. We have this one who is committed and a couple who are flirting with broodiness. I haven’t decided whether to give her eggs. We’ve only had frost 3 nights so far and we are now in Zone 9a, so we don’t get very cold. Chicks for Xmas would be fun but I don’t NEED more chickens… we do have plenty of room though. It’s hard to decide. In other news, Lucy is still mothering her 3 chicks, they are just over 6 weeks old now. (The little girl is behind Lucy.) 
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Dec 2, 2023 21:32
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TheDK posted:Does anyone else sometimes just stare out a window at their chickens and think: Your chickens don't stare at you obviously wanting something, driving you crazy because you don't know what it is? It wasn't mealworms, or being let outside to free range.
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Dec 2, 2023 22:05
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They want their eggs back. 
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Dec 3, 2023 02:37
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Nettle Soup posted:They want their eggs back. That barred rock hasn't laid an egg for several months. I don't know how old she is, since we got her from someone moving across the US, and he also got her already egg-laying from a previous owner. Definitely past peak egg-laying but otherwise  I probably need to post pictures some time don't I (none handy now).
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Dec 3, 2023 03:13
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Had a ringtail on the porch last night Girls are fine, hopefully they just eat the rats and leave the chickens alone in their now fort Knox coop.
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Dec 3, 2023 16:49
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 I was trying to take a picture of the new NPIP legbands, lol.
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Dec 8, 2023 01:32
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Joburg posted:
That's amazing.  Gimpsuit continues to thrive. Every time I pick them up I remember how sure I was that they weren't going to make it. They're still a little smaller than their siblings, but they hatched last and missed out on some critical growing while they were refusing to give up and fighting to get their legs to work. Please be a hen...... I feel like this batch has grown much faster than the previous ones. They already have most of their head feathers and should be able to go outside to join their parents within days.
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Dec 8, 2023 17:09
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Joburg posted:
That ought to be your new profile pic.
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Dec 8, 2023 17:11
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Joburg posted:
Perpetually angry chicken faces melt my heart; I love them so much.
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Dec 9, 2023 17:54
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Nthing the 'Don't use anything but hardware cloth' recommendation. Raccoons can be especially evil about reaching through chicken wire to grab a chicken sleeping within reach, haul it over to the wire and just...eat them through the wire. No need to get in. PerniciousKnid, you'd be surprised at what you can move for the chickens. Can you at least take the wire to reuse? Any of the framing? We moved the old carport & wire we used for the run, the corrugated metal roofing, and the heavy security screen doors for the run. It's still working great 12 years later. And the extra work to take it down and move it was worth it in saving our sanity (and money!) & getting the chickens placed quickly at our new home. Also we are incredibly stubborn about reusing things, dammit. If it helps, here's how we moved our flock of 36 chickens 900 miles. The laundry basket carriers worked FANTASTIC. I still have them in case we have to bug out for wildfires. How we moved the chickens: https://jackshenhouse.blogspot.com/2011/09/such-moving-experience.html Setting up the new coop/run (time delay due to house hunting/house purchase, chickens lived in a temporary run betweentimes): https://jackshenhouse.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-spend-two-weeks.html In other news, Eggroll the Blue Laced Red Wyndotte chick that we got this year...has begun to crow. He waited until the kid brought him in for a visit, then made this HORRIBLE noise in the dining room. Video ends pretty quick 'cause I started to laugh. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LTpQIPMb6ag
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Dec 9, 2023 21:29
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Elder Postsman posted:I decided to go all in on some smart home bullshit for this - got some temperatures/humidity sensors and outlets coming today. Got all this set up now using Homekit + Homebridge and Scrypted for a camera. We have lights around the run and in the coop that turn on after sunset and turn off at 9pm, the heater panel turns on below 18F and off above 24F, and the camera is inside the coop so we can watch for eggs.  Which all four are laying now. Getting 3-4 a day, every day, and we're running out of places to put them.
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Dec 14, 2023 20:54
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The babies have graduated to outside! We put them out last night after our two days of cold weather passed, locked in the hutch while the adults were out in the run. Earlier today I opened the door separating them and introductions went as well as could be expected. Here's the initial intro: https://i.imgur.com/c0AQFeY.mp4 That's Peanut Hamper stomping up to the door. She was PISSED that she couldn't go inside last night....  Tammy's great-grandchild was the brave one to venture outside first. Zapdos is surprisingly chill with the babies. https://i.imgur.com/vnAXITh.mp4 Here he is inspecting another of his new children:  But soon the rest of them came out to explore as well.  We also gave them some clippings scavenged from an xmas tree lot. It's great enrichment, plus an extra windbreak in this weather. This is just a good shot of Peanut enjoying them.  Zapdos was over the little ones pretty quickly, though....  Now it's chaos out there, but they'll settle down soon. https://i.imgur.com/9s7Vy4Q.mp4
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Dec 14, 2023 22:37
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So adorable 
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Dec 14, 2023 23:27
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Dec 15, 2023 00:01
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Elder Postsman posted:Which all four are laying now. Getting 3-4 a day, every day, and we're running out of places to put them. Same here! What do poultry goons recommend for egg storage? I've seen these holders where the eggs roll down as a new one is pulled out, which look cool, but I'd like to find a novel solution for storing up to 18 eggs that isn't just a big or tiered basket.
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Dec 15, 2023 02:29
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Beardcrumb posted:Same here! What do poultry goons recommend for egg storage? I've seen these holders where the eggs roll down as a new one is pulled out, which look cool, but I'd like to find a novel solution for storing up to 18 eggs that isn't just a big or tiered basket. https://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Refrigerator-Container-Storage-Organizer/dp/B0B1ZKLSDV?th=1 Having a container that facilitates FIFO is really nice.
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Dec 15, 2023 03:05
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Quail grow so fast, it’s amazing. Lucy has finally given up mothering after 8 weeks, making her the third longest-mothering hen I’ve ever had. Her chicks are so cute.  The other broody kept getting kicked off her nest so I put her eggs in the incubator for safety. I’ll give them back right before hatch day. Vent ahead: I got my NPIP certification! Because I’m paranoid after culling the whole flock last time, I had these chickens tested for Mycoplasma and Coryza and they are POSITIVE for MS and Coryza.  I talked to the vet today and she said last time she recommended culling because we had MG, which we don’t have now. She doesn’t see birds dying of MS or Coryza so she isn’t concerned about them. Anyway, the Coryza probably came along with the (NPIP) White Rock roosters but the MS could have come straight from the hatchery. Apparently they don’t bother testing for Mycoplasma at all… so that’s great.
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Dec 15, 2023 18:43
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Joburg posted:Quail grow so fast, it’s amazing. I think this batch in particular grew extra fast. They just hatched a few days before Thanksgiving! Today marks 4 weeks for the oldest. I don't know if all of them coming from our own covey makes a difference (eggs didn't have to survive shipping) or if we are just getting better at this and giving them better nutrition and such, but each hatching does better than the last. Everyone is getting along great now. It's funny watching which adults the babies latch onto. For example that dotted white follows Zapdos and Motley around constantly....I really hope it's another white hen
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Dec 15, 2023 18:50
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Someone on Nextdoor posted that there were two chickens seen in a nearby park. Several hours later, after discovering that chickens are much easier to catch after sunset, we now have two cockerels. They look to be ~4 months old, gray with brown saddle/neck/head. We already have the maximum number of hens permissible by San Jose law, which doesn't allow mature roosters anyway. So, uh ... what's the best way to find a good home for reject roosters?
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Dec 18, 2023 04:04
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