Recent content by Possum-Pie

  1. Possum-Pie

    Is this (mild) frostbite?

    I live in Southern Pennsylvania and this past week it was below 0 F. many days. My rooster got the back spike of his comb frostbitten, and my coop has great ventilation. Chickens can survive cold, but -8F is too cold. After the first several days, I put a heat lamp there before bed to get it...
  2. Possum-Pie

    Garden scraps

    Even with the cracked corn I give as a treat each day, they spend energy and time eating 4-5 kernals then moving to a different area to eat 4-5 more. If they stayed in one spot, they could eat all they wanted without moving so much...The only explanation I can come up with is that perhaps they...
  3. Possum-Pie

    Molting?

    I also live in PA. I've always wondered why they don't drop feathers in a molt in the summer when it's 100F rather than wait until it gets cold. We've had a few mornings around freezing and they are all still missing some feathers. As for temps, we get a few days every winter where temps are in...
  4. Possum-Pie

    1 chicken refuses to roost at night

    Couple of thoughts/suggestions. I also have a 2x4 as a roost but I have it up on its thin side. I was under the impression that hens prefer a roost that they can "lock" their toes around. Too wide or too narrow may cause one/some to avoid it. Also, my hens often jump up on the roost early and...
  5. Possum-Pie

    Look don’t touch question

    I've discovered from watching chicken behavior that some obsess much longer than others over changes. I have a SLWD who needed a saddle for a while to allow some healing. Other hens usually fool with it for a few hours, try to back out of the saddle, then ignore it. She spent 5 days backing...
  6. Possum-Pie

    Entire flock stopped laying, help!

    I agree with the above posts. One aside: After my first year with no eggs laid all fall/winter and having to pay $6/dozen at the store thanks to inflation, I began setting aside extra eggs in my garage fridge starting in early summer. I wrote on every carton the week they were laid, and with...
  7. Possum-Pie

    No Crow collar?

    NEVER ceases to confuse me. People in towns allowed to blast music full volume from their houses/cars, drive motorcycles that blast 120decible exahaust, yet a rooster isn't allowed. I'd get some obnoxious 1920s show tune music and blast that at 5 AM if they didn't let me have a rooster. Rooster...
  8. Possum-Pie

    Artificial light

    I agree. Northern N.Y. state is not their "natural" habitat. They have been so interbred for "desirable" traits such as increased egg laying and size that there is not much left of them that is "natural". It seems you're trying to look after their best interest, rather then exploit a few extra...
  9. Possum-Pie

    Artificial light

    Yes, let's agree to disagree.
  10. Possum-Pie

    Artificial light

    I knew this would be controversial. Hens/roos sitting in the dark is what every animal does in nature. They don't need light to play poker or read a book. Research has shown that forcing hens to lay using artificial light can lead to ovarian cancer and other reproductive issues including lash...
  11. Possum-Pie

    Artificial light

    Not trying to point out anyone's flaws, I'm just a science geek. Anyway, my original response was flawed, I had to go back and fix it! My point is that in my opinion forcing hens to lay all year stresses their bodies. I think most people here will agree that cruelty to poultry like the huge...
  12. Possum-Pie

    Artificial light

    Chickens' relatives were from south-east Asia. They have been genetically manipulated through the years to produce nearly 1 egg/day. There is no other non-domesticated bird which does this. Most birds produce one or two clutches of a few eggs/year. It is a strain on the chicken's systems and...
  13. Possum-Pie

    Artificial light

    Exactly, aart. I proofread my posts multiple times, and often edit and re-edit them, but when I make a mistake, it usually isn't spelling but something like this one.
  14. Possum-Pie

    Artificial light

    LOL, I'm dyslexic. you are absolutely correct Light all summer, dark all winter...Corrected it to prevent confusion. Thanks.
  15. Possum-Pie

    Artificial light

    Your knowledge of astronomy is flawed. The equator gets a steady 12hrs sun/12hrs dark per day year-round. This would actually be great for chickens. Far northern Alaska, the arctic, (and Antarctica in the south) get almost no sun during their winters, but almost no dark during their Summers. I...
See more
Back
Top Bottom