Recent content by nikicolorado

  1. nikicolorado

    fireplace ashes as a dust bath?

    thank you for your responses! yay! i've read so much about respiratory illness risks, it is a relief to know that bathing in ash is good for them!
  2. nikicolorado

    Is it frostbite or something else?

    Hey neighbor, it's getting colder by the minute and my wifi keeps freezing up so I'll make it brief: I would call a vet or someone who has experience with handling damaged combs. My sense is that the frostbite might make it extra sensitive to abrasion, and petroleum jelly can be stubborn to...
  3. nikicolorado

    Is it frostbite or something else?

    Ok - good luck and I hope she heals well! It's hard to not worry over them...especially in this cold! There are some other recent threads about winterizing - really good info from veteran henkeepers!
  4. nikicolorado

    Winter "Cabin Fever"

    I've heard that giving them whole pumpkins to work on is a great winter treat. Also, I've seen folks hang vegetables in suet cages from inside the coop. I've seen the scratch blocks at the feed store - they look like a tidy option for in-coop feeding. I'm in northern Colorado - not as far...
  5. nikicolorado

    fireplace ashes as a dust bath?

    Wood ash is very high in alkaline - some gardeners use it to balance acidity in soil, but only very sparingly. Traditionally wood ash is also used in tanning hides, so I would avoid allowing your birds to bathe in it and breathe it in. I would be afraid of causing damage to their sensitive...
  6. nikicolorado

    Organic bags of dust

    Hi, I've had similar issues and decided to go with traditional pellets. Mine were late laying, and I decided to switch from expensive organic feed that didn't seem to be giving them the nutrition they needed, to the "layena" pellets. After waiting almost three months for an egg, within a few...
  7. nikicolorado

    Is it frostbite or something else?

    Hi, I'm in NoCo too and have been worried about my flock's first winter. It is a drastic drop in temp, and I'm relieved to find that they are doing well; so far no colds, no signs of frostbite, and still eating/laying normally. Here's what we've done to adjust to the cold: first, we swapped a...
  8. nikicolorado

    How chickens drink water, and a question about what is best for quality and health.

    I started with the hanging bucket/nipple method, but it just gold moldy from lack of use. My hens would wait until they could get water from nearby the sprinkler, or from the dog's bowl, so they used the fancy bucket only rarely. I got rid of the nipple bucket and now give them two sources of...
  9. nikicolorado

    Drafty vs. Well Ventilated

    We are hitting low temps here - in the teens and single digits - and made a few adjustments. We added some extra bedding - pine shavings on the floor and shredded paper in the nesting boxes (I have observed my hens and so far they have not shown any interest in eating the paper, as some do...
  10. nikicolorado

    Eleven Hens in Colorado

    Greetings! I have had my backyard flock of 11 hens for about four months; 4 Easter Eggers, 3 Welsummers, and one each of Salmon Favorelle, Barred Rock, Silver Brahma, and Buff Orpington. We are enjoying them, learning a lot, and appreciate all the eggs! Being raised a city girl, I have no...
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