NY chicken lover!!!!

[marquisella]

So excited....one of my Sebastapol geese is sitting on a nest she made overnight....I'll be making several trips out to the barn to check for the eggs. I just separated them yesterday cause I saw the 2 ganders sparring...

Birds can have their feet frozen to a branch. With this cold, I wouldn't be surprized if it happened.

I'm looking for Guinnea keets when someone hatches some. Mine were hatched by a chicken, & she raised them up. I put them in with the adult chickens when they were old enough. Their run has a 5 ft chain link fence. They eventually were able to fly over it. So, during the day, they would fly out, forage out to the fields, and come in back at night, or whenever they felt like it, to eat, drink & sleep. It was very convenient for me, they let themselves out and did come back. I loved having them because they would give the warning signal when a fox or hawk came around. They would fly up into the trees, and the chickens would all run inside their coops. Eventually though, the hens would decide to make a nest out in the fields, and got picked off by fox.

So I would like a few more to have. Also, the ticks are back since its been a few years that I haven't had any. They also eliminiated all my ground bees. Great birds!

 

[Coop de Cuse]

Yikes I am thinking of those determined guineas in the trees. As I was reading 8 pages I was thinking of tennis balls. I would try to get a tennis ball into those trees perhaps it would help them to fly down. There would be no danger of me hitting them...but they are up so high it would be hard to get it up there. We struggle with this when we do chairlift evac practice. We use a sling shot, or a pellet gun to fire the line over the cable...if it were me in those trees, a projectile would motivate me to move. Maybe fire from the side away from the yard, so the yard seems the safer choice.

I was also thinking of smacking the trunk with a shovel. The noise would get them going, but no matter how I get them out of the tree, they will just fly to another one, maybe higher...I think their main problem is landing in the snow. One of them tried it and was ok and is now in the coop. I just need the others to take the plunge and get something to eat

TAKE THE PLUNGE ALREADY lol

 

[armorfirelady]

-9 when I got up this morning. It went down to -11 overnight. Thank goodness the sun is shining. The girls were out & about before I made it outside. They love to go into their old run which is covered in plastic. The sun shines on all morning so I am guessing its warmer in there for them. They tore thru chicken wing bones, turkey & leftover rice. Yesterday my mom got 6 eggs out of them......they never lay that well for me.

Keep warm everyone

 

[bakingintherain]

It's covered up to the middle cross bar with plastic now to keep the snow out. Other wise it gets to hot and humid. There black tub of water is one of the last to freeze too. I also stack a bale or two of straw inside for them to play on. It faces the morning sun. There is also a door on the back of the coop to add another run.

very cool setup!

I just don't want them penned up their whole life. And that's what this person is making it out to sound if they can't even tell me where they'll be housed or if they have a yard for them at least.

you made the best decision!

I keep hoping they get low enough to get out the ladder and sneak up there in the dark and snatch them one by one, but the lowest they have been so far is about 40 feet. Most of the time they are waaaaaaaay up in the trees like monkeys

The wind is relentless tonight. I know they are cold hardy, but this is pushing it! Wind chill is currently -25

I did notice the "can I make it?" with them today. Silly birds! They are going to die up there

what pains! i have trees exactly like that behind my house on the north side

Sorry not giving my cell number out on here. Lol i use to wear a spiderman costume to school 10-12th grade.

If you can get some straw or hay, it might help to spread a thick layer out around the tree. This might give them better sight of where to land. Kinda like the Skiers in the Olympics.

I wasn't away that Guineas would fly up into trees like this. It's one of the reasons I didn't get Muscovy ducks.

yeah i made the muscovy mistake lol

I use a plastic coffee container and had an old lamp in the garage. I took apart the lamp (it had several separate lights on a thin pole). I used the individual lights and placed one inside the container, sideways. I drilled two holes in the side of the container. One for the lamp, one for the wires. Once the lamp is secure and the wires attached, the cover goes back on and the water jug on top of the container. I use a 40 watt bulb.

I tested it extensively with hay and pine shavings. I will post some pics and instructions

I put the heater on a ceramic tile in the coop for stability. Sand could also be placed in with the light, but it can't tip over because of the cord. It does not get hot to the touch. The light is sideways because it does not fit vertically. Before putting them in the coop, I buried them in hay and left them on for 24 hours. The hay way barely warm, so I am not worried about a fire hazard

So far, it keeps the water from freezing and I can remove the water at night and turn off both of them.

ohh i am making something very similar to this but with concrete blocks

 

[JWEBB]

very neat ideas..I'm aching to get outside and do some of these neat ideas you all post. I just love this forum! ya windchill overnight was murder! tomorrows high will be so nice if it really does get up there as they say.

I am in hella big trouble now. I just found NATUREBERRY FARM in Macedon. Its a good thing they are only open to 4 today and I don't have the car or I would be there right now.

AND they have GMO Free feeds!

 

[JLaw]

I was also thinking of smacking the trunk with a shovel. The noise would get them going, but no matter how I get them out of the tree, they will just fly to another one, maybe higher...I think their main problem is landing in the snow. One of them tried it and was ok and is now in the coop. I just need the others to take the plunge and get something to eat

TAKE THE PLUNGE ALREADY lol

Hey coop I just thought of this. How friendly are your birds? You say a lot of people let them get into trees and they come from Africa so use to hiding and moving. So I was thinking maybe they see you as the threat and are trying to get away from you. Every time you go out there you could be inforcing that thought into them as you circle the tree. I know my rooster aint too friendly and if my kids circle the flock he goes after them but if they just walk through he leaves them alone, I think its because he sees them as stalking when they circle the flock. Just something to think about.

 

[Henicillin]

I've got Storeys' book and have been looking up ducks. Perhaps I'm wrong. I'll get back to you on that. I do know Cayugas start out laying black but then they fade as time goes by.

My Rouens lay light green eggs, and tons of them. The KCs lay a lovely pinkish-cream egg, and even more of them than the Rouens lay. I have a wealth of duck eggs.

Two of my turkey hens think I'm the hottest tom on the block. They both squat for me, so of course I pat their bums and put my other hand on their backs, because it's funny. Turkeys really get into it - they aren't at all like chickens, who sort of sit there in a trance. They chirp, sway their heads, pant, half-close their eyes - it's hilarious! Meanwhile, the boys are strutting and puffing and booming at me, thoroughly annoyed.

 

[JLaw]

very neat ideas..I'm aching to get outside and do some of these neat ideas you all post. I just love this forum! ya windchill overnight was murder! tomorrows high will be so nice if it really does get up there as they say.

I am in hella big trouble now. I just found NATUREBERRY FARM in Macedon. Its a good thing they are only open to 4 today and I don't have the car or I would be there right now.

AND they have GMO Free feeds!

Yeah I've bought a few birds from them. They have gotten a local feed mill to start doing the gmo free feed if I remember right. I think last year or year before it was a trial with them and now they should be doing more. So you may get it cheaper if you find the mill.

 

[JLaw]

My Rouens lay light green eggs, and tons of them. The KCs lay a lovely pinkish-cream egg, and even more of them than the Rouens lay. I have a wealth of duck eggs.

Two of my turkey hens think I'm the hottest tom on the block. They both squat for me, so of course I pat their bums and put my other hand on their backs, because it's funny. Turkeys really get into it - they aren't at all like chickens, who sort of sit there in a trance. They chirp, sway their heads, pant, half-close their eyes - it's hilarious! Meanwhile, the boys are strutting and puffing and booming at me, thoroughly annoyed.

LMAO I wish I could see that. I got a bird that I get to squat for me sometimes she's a talker all the time so when I go into the coop I make sure the ruff up her back some. My turkey didn't squat for me then again she was young it was BBB's for thanks giving.

 

[JLaw]

Forgot to mention I got my pellet stove in and finished installing it yesterday. Man this thing cranks the heat but I don't have it in the best location to heat the whole downstairs. The layout of my house is "U" shaped with my kitchen off the bottom of corner of the U. My living room is in one tip and my sons room in the other well the stove is in the living room roasting 85ish in here on low. By kitchen it's only 70 and my sons room is cooler. This summer we will move it to the bottom of the U part of house and have angled to go all areas just didn't want to order more pipe to do it this year with this cold snap we have now.

Heres a picture of the beast. Not pretty i think it's more of a basement/workspace type of one but it works good and thats all i care about. Used about 2 bags so far i think. cheaper than propane so far.