Recent content by CanaDawn

I posted these in the winter coop thread, but these are Seramas, each about a pound, outside by choice in the snow this morning at about -3C, in Alberta. If there is a snow-free area, they are outside most of the day at -10C. This is winter #2, and last year it was -40C a few times. One comb...

they aren't the hothouse flowers they are reputed to be. I did avoid using a heat lamp until about -10C, but that's what you should do with any animal that's going to be outside for the winter (avoid keeping them artificially warm in the fall) and even with the option, they don't use it much...

These birds weigh about a pound a piece. They are NOT supposed to be hardy at all. eta: just did a quick search for your posts re what you have, and those breeds should be just fine through a winter, and it wouldn't surprise me not to need a heat lamp.

Just wanted to pop on here to post this photo of my "hot house flowers". Serama hens outside by choice (there is a lamp and bedding and places to scratch/feed in the shed behind them, and snow free area in their run to the left of the shed (just a narrow strip, since the cover is off but wide...

OH! That's a long time. No, she gets up sooner than that, seems to be up the last two days now (I expect the rather cold weather here finished her resolve) and it seems to me its been about 2 weeks this time, although I should check......yes...Aug 27 I have noted that she is broody, so it may...

silkie seems to be up and about much of the day today. Maybe the very cold couple of days and nights have made her decide this invisible batch of eggs is hopeless. At least she's not kicking the other hens around and charging at the dog like some demented little bolster cushion.

I would say the grey chick is about the cutest little thing I've seen in a long time! sigh.....I'm going to end up putting eggs under my silkie next year, I just know it (they are pretty obsessed with the effort, aren't they?)

Wow Blooie, I just looked up those two procedures. That is some seriously fascinating medical stuff, and from what little I know of such things, it looks like an improvement in quality of life for her after it's all healed up and done. Happy Birthday Kendra!

I'd just pull them when I got home, or get someone to come get them over the weekend if I really didn't want chicks, but that's me. Can you block her off from the roos or the other birds so that she at least won't have fertile eggs? She probably isn't laying if she's already broody, right? I...

I guess she doesn't get to keep any eggs then!

My Silkie is BACK on the nest....third time since June iirc

http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/pfs14.htm Apparently the continuous light is also something of dogma, and there's quite a few variations that have been tried and successfully used.

Ok, so...deeply technical question: I have just learned that some plants require long spells or short spells of darkness in a 24 hrs period to bloom (ie....summer blooming in Northern Hemisphere need short dark, fall need long dark.) In the short dark situation, a brief amount of light that...

Sorry 'bout the missed guess on gender, I did pause before I typed wondering if I actually knew which pronoun to use...