The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

Well I decided to try a * do it myself* heated waterer. I took a metal waterer, wrapped it with heated wire wrap (the kind you wrap on water pipes under your house, covered/attached the wire with the highest heat level electrical tape & then cut about 3 inches off the bottom of a galvanized metal bucket and put it over the metal waterer. The metal bucket is to protect the wires from dust, dirt & from the hens pecking at it. It has a thermostat control on it which makes it go on at 32 degrees & off at 45 degrees. I set it up yesterday since we finally have consistent temps below freezing. Its keeping the water unfrozen in the main part. The water that sits in the part the hens can access has some thin ice on it that I easily broke thru with my finger. It was not ice all around it. A few hours later I had to break the ice again in parts. The temps here have been between 10-15 degrees.

So while not perfect at least its not frozen solid. I am curious to see if the ice forms when the temps are warmer but not above freezing.



And FINALLY the hens are all slowly starting to lay. I got my first egg Christmas day. And am now up to 3 hens laying. Thankfully I can tell who's laying by egg color. Progress !!!

 

[lalaland]

nice xmas present = a first egg!

you will have to keep us posted on the water heater as it gets colder. Its always a challenge to figure out watering in subzero temps (not that we've seen any yet here in mn yet this year - so strange)

my hen that was attacked by a dog dec 1 has returned to the flock after 32 days of special care. she is doing great.

just got the kennel and little heated dog bowl waterer and stuff put away and came home to find a 6 mo old buff orpington plopped in the hatchway to the coop. Can't stand.
I've dosed her with tums in case it is hypocalcaemia ( no calcium uptake) which can happen - rarely - even if getting layer feed and oyster shell.

I'm thinking most likely she injured herself jumping off a roost - she is one heavy girl.

 

[CluckyChrissie]

Saying hello and following along: )

 

[lalaland]

welcome cluckychrissie!

join in, the thread has been quiet for a while and just starting to move a bit.
Are you new to chickens?

 

[slordaz]

Welcome CluckyChrissie.


I am trying not to die laughing at the late hatches antics inside and keeping water to the flock outside, We had a couple of weeks with wind chill was -40 here and the flock is doing good even after that. Just nursing the roosters who ended up with frost bitten combs as they refused to come in. Guess I outta be glad the hens all waited until after that to start molting, days 2 no eggs now it's warming to above 0

 

[curious chickee]

We are getting all your rain and cold, but we also needed it. My pens are set up to deal with hot temps, so lots of ventilation. Now trying to combat all the rain we are getting. Tarps over my runs with poles to help keep it from pooling up, adding new shaving every week as the floor is getting soaked, coops are dry, but the birds don't like being in their coop all day. They are used to roaming their run, at least the chicks are 9 weeks old so they can mix in with the big girls

 

[Leahs Mom]

Merry Christmas!!

I am again 5000 posts behind. I miss so much vital information.I miss you all so much..

I have not been around for several reasons..
Major surgery and major health issues
My DH can't take the illness and asked me to move out..he is so upset about all of it. It is so hard on him.


I finally found a place I could afford to buy and have chickens. I should be moving in January/February
I will not have as many chickens as I had ..I will be really reduced because I bought a tiny cottage with under a half acre and that will be hard for me to do upkeep as it is.

I am getting healthy now..I should be able to drive in March and really get back into the swing of things.

Blessing to all..

@delisha

I'm behind too (but not by 5000!)

I'm so glad to see you post. We definitely have missed you. Sorry for your illness and losses - and hopes for a blessed new start this year. I hope you can post some photos of your cottage for us to see!

 

[Leahs Mom]

@armorfirelady

I want to see a photo of your waterer.

Re molting - my birds seemed to molt at just the right time. The "mamma" lost all her feathers at one time for the second year. Thankfully it was warmer this year and she was okay in the weather.

Eggs stopped in October. Then Charlie (3.75 yo EE laid) an egg every other day during the first 2 weeks of December; then stopped again. Had one egg yesterday from the 3.75 yo BR I think. A total surprise. I don't expect to see eggs until mid February - beginning of March. It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

[lalaland]

Hey Leah's mom, nice to hear from you! Are you still concentrating on sfhs?

curious chickee, I'll keep my fingers crossed you don't get swamped with the rains. Really, all these weather changes are a challenge - all the stuff we took for granted about when things would happen and what we need to do for them has changed, and the stuff we didn't plan for is either exasperating or devasting. Where I am, lilacs were budding a few weeks ago, getting green buds so I have no idea what will happen in the spring when the buds are all rotten from freezing.

When I was checking out the buff with the bum legs, I found she has a bad mite infestation so spent yesterday dusting everyone and bathing a couple of others. Takes forever to blowdry a buff orpington! I ran out of wood ash so used flower powder on the rest. And here I thought I had a sufficient store of ashes!

I didn't bother removing the bedding - I had just cleaned it out from the nests and roost areas 2 days prior. THe bedding on the floor, well it is deep litter. I would clear it out, but there is also a large area under the coop of hay, leaves, loose dirt and there is no way to clean that out. So I will concentrate on trying to keep the girls healthy.

Only 3 out of 25 had mites, they were all treated and I will retreat in 7 days. I am adding a pinch of flowers of sulphur to the feed and will keep that up for a week. That should do the trick, along with the redusting in a week.

Also going to top dress the feed with codliver oil.

Anyone have additional ideas about what to do next?

 

[slordaz]

no Idea Lalaland

I am hoping and praying that we stay like we have been last couple of days, looks like the hens are going to get ready to molt. 2 of them are ones that wanted to go broody since just before Christmas but we keep taking their eggs as it's to cold.

Trying to catch a free range rooster that don't wanna be caught is not fun we've tried everything we could think off including his favorite treats with no success. What wold you recommend for Frostbitten comb? For when we do finally catch him, it got frostbite pretty bad, then he tore part of the middle top of it and was bleeding . Thinking I need to change his name from Mr.Pibbs to dummy, wish he was as easy to manage as Rocky our RIR roo. Mr Pibbs is a pain, his saving grace is he does protect his flock very well, with or without the the help of the drake and other Roo.

Thinking in February if they are still wanting to brood will put one at a time in the brooding pen so the others won't bother her, early December one hen had 10 eggs under her when another decided she was gonna sit and brood with her and she got mad and broke all 10 eggs half way through, now nobody will even lay in there,