Surviving Minnesota!

[KlopKlop]

Morning all! Finally recovering from my cold.

Welcome new people!!

Ralphie your hens joined general population this weekend and are holding their own. Some are roosting with the flock some aren't yet. Seems like our flocks are compatible.

My momma kitty was MIA all day yesterday. Thought maybe she was digging in somewhere to give birth but she was lounging in the chicken coop when I went out for lockup. The cats are enjoying the warmth in there it seems

 

[I Love Layers]

Got more snow last night. Selling about 10 dozen eggs today. That's about it for me.

 

[KlopKlop]

Junior's comb is getting dubbed.  Dang it.  It is thinner than the New Hampshire's ever was so not sure why I thought me and a can of bag balm could change the inevitable. Ha.  Glad I got the photos of his cockerel summer... Tips are all black and some nice blister bags at the base of them.   They gone.

Nice nippy AM.  DH's V-plow is drawing on his battery of the truck.  He's needing it jumped everyday.  PITA cars and trucks.  Yuck!  IDK...what the deal is.   He needs new plug ins that he can do easily...as the current set up needs electrical tape to hold them.  I'd love it if we'd get a break from the little snow showers that dump 2-4 inches.  Then he could just take the darn thing off.  Anyways.

Welcome EMorical.  I don't know what to make of your silkie dropping.  Stress of a new move...and then winter cold on top?  Not sure.  Or maybe it hadn't been conditioned to the colder temps? 

BigFoot hope the tummy is feeling better today.  Ralphie...that gif has got to go....

Bummer on the comb. Conrad was the same. A big proud comb 2 summers ago. Last winter took its toll despite bag balm. Still tall but no fingers left. If anything it will make this winter better for him.

My two young roosters I spared have rose combs so no troubles this year I hope!

 

[ejb3810]

Good morning to all. Ralphie, it seems that you have been duped by that "Duck Herder" from Stevens county? He seems to have numerous aliases and each time he uses a new one is simply an opportunity to display those photos of ducks again ?!

It is quite easy to attract and keep crows around especially if you are located below the line for the Minnesota Banana Belt. Up here, the crows migrate South for the winter.
Ravens are more difficult to attract, but they are year round residents once they establish. I had crows nesting in the Red Pines at the back of my clearing for years, and they were not very good at keeping hawks away. A couple of years ago the Ravens moved into the Red Pines and chased the Crows off. The Ravens are extremely territorial and protective of their nesting vicinity, and "knock on wood" I have had almost no hawk problems since they moved in.
Ravens are very wary and I think that to attract and keep them in the area one would need to establish a feeding area which is not too close to buildings occupied by humans. They are smart, and they do not trust humans. They like eggs, dead birds, mice and etc. I don't think they care if the eggs have been or are frozen. You may wish to just establish an area where you deposit all the road kill which you can lay your hands on? This would quite likely confirm what the neighbors have been saying about you any way?

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Bummer on the comb. Conrad was the same. A big proud comb 2 summers ago. Last winter took its toll despite bag balm. Still tall but no fingers left. If anything it will make this winter better for him.

My two young roosters I spared have rose combs so no troubles this year I hope!

I knew it was inevitable. Kloppers. just a matter of time...of me missing one night of bag balm or what have you. So it was always with mixed thoughts on doing anything. once we get through this winter...Next one will be a piece of cake and thereafter. I just feel bad he has to go through it at all.

 

[EMorical]

I have been raising bantam faverolles for the show ring for 8 years. If you want something with proper color, feathering, and attitude you buy from a breeder. The hatchery caliber stock I've seen is all over the charts. They are a friendly little breed. I wouldn't suggest combining with larger more aggressive breeds or they will get picked on. Decent layers all year long. They do have feathers on feet, but not near as many as cochins or silkies so don't get as crusted up. Combs aren't huge and tips of combs get frozen off if anything. I've never had one of them go broody on me yet. Fertility is always good without hassle of AI or trimming in many other breeds. Best part about them is that you can easily tell sex on the chicks within just a couple weeks.

I didn't even know that the faverolles came in a bantam form!!! Thanks for the info! I appreciate it!

 

[duluthralphie]

I think I may need some Toads from you! I have a family of 7 to feed and need a big bird for a meal! How long does it take for them to grow out?

That is the nice thing about toads. If you want the normal 6-8 pound bird you can have it in 10 weeks or less, If you want the ones I like you can grow them for longer The ones I have now were hatched in May and they are at Max weight. The girls are laying.

I will give you a dressed out weight next week, I think we are going to be processing one for a family dinner with your Great Aunt, the WW, and some of her daughters. If it is warm enough and if she is healthy enough to travel. I maybe overly optimistic, but I am hoping to push 18-20 lbs.

I have one that has pinkish ankles. His ankles are huge them look to be over an inch thick. I am trying to decide whether to harvest him or let him go. If it is just thick ankles because he is a big boy he is fine, if it is because it is the first sign of heart problems he needs to be removed from the breeding program.

I find with Toads I dare not take chances as the CX genes make them pretty fragile and I am trying to keep the size and remove the heart and leg problems. A friend that has raised birds in the past stopped over the other day and he could not believe they could be so big and get around so well..

As Ivie said when we went to catch them to put the dress on Bertha, we could not catch them. If Ivie was not half terrier and crawled into the small hole we would have never got them.

 

[EMorical]

I too am relatively new to chickens but for cold hardy "cool" looking birds I like my gold and silver laced Wyandottes. They are pretty and have the rose comb which is good for the cold weather. I also have which seems like a million other breeds- only 8 or 9 really but those are probably my "coolest" looking ones.

Thanks @Momof3plustwins - I had a silver laced Wyandotte (Winnie, cuz I can't pronounce her breed name hah) this past summer; and I ended up passing her to the neighbor b/c she was the only hen who had learned to jump the garden fence! So it was either neighbor or crock pot and I don't usually eat the ones I name. The gold laced is on my "list" I think! Hows the broodiness? I have just a heck of a time with my hens hiding their eggs - is that related to broodiness or what??? Which worked out "ok" as I did get a batch of 8 chicks from them this past summer - but cmon! I need eggs to eat too!

 

[duluthralphie]

Good morning to all. Ralphie, it seems that you have been duped by that "Duck Herder" from Stevens county? He seems to have numerous aliases and each time he uses a new one is simply an opportunity to display those photos of ducks again ?!

It is quite easy to attract and keep crows around especially if you are located below the line for the Minnesota Banana Belt. Up here, the crows migrate South for the winter.
Ravens are more difficult to attract, but they are year round residents once they establish. I had crows nesting in the Red Pines at the back of my clearing for years, and they were not very good at keeping hawks away. A couple of years ago the Ravens moved into the Red Pines and chased the Crows off. The Ravens are extremely territorial and protective of their nesting vicinity, and "knock on wood" I have had almost no hawk problems since they moved in.
Ravens are very wary and I think that to attract and keep them in the area one would need to establish a feeding area which is not too close to buildings occupied by humans. They are smart, and they do not trust humans. They like eggs, dead birds, mice and etc. I don't think they care if the eggs have been or are frozen. You may wish to just establish an area where you deposit all the road kill which you can lay your hands on? This would quite likely confirm what the neighbors have been saying about you any way?

The roadkill is a double edged sword here, it brings in the eagles and hawks. Of course, if I had them eating on roadkill in the back 40 I could get a clean shot at them...




(kidding Mr Federal warden, kidding, really!)

 

[duluthralphie]

Thanks @Momof3plustwins - I had a silver laced Wyandotte (Winnie, cuz I can't pronounce her breed name hah) this past summer; and I ended up passing her to the neighbor b/c she was the only hen who had learned to jump the garden fence! So it was either neighbor or crock pot and I don't usually eat the ones I name. The gold laced is on my "list" I think! Hows the broodiness? I have just a heck of a time with my hens hiding their eggs - is that related to broodiness or what??? Which worked out "ok" as I did get a batch of 8 chicks from them this past summer - but cmon! I need eggs to eat too!

I fight hidden eggs all summer and winter long!

I think it is a fact of life with free ranging. I try to keep them locked up later in the day to get them to retrain to the nest boxes. I plan to lock everyone in the runs this coming summer for a couple weeks to force them to lay in the boxes. I have 2 runs off my coop a small one for turkeys and layer flock and a larger one for my CLB breeders. When I can put the breeders into the layer flock they will all be locked up. Besides it will force Sven to fight for his position as head rooster, Right now he just assumes he is. I have a feeling the old man in the legbar pen might feel differently about who is head man.