Recent content by The Meadow

  1. The Meadow

    Week by week, a helpful picture guide to aging goslings.

    I am SO HAPPY to have found this. Thank you. I have three goslings just a week old today. This is a great guide.
  2. The Meadow

    What color is the inside of your coop?

    I paint ours white. About every two years. I find it easier to clean if the wood is painted. The roosts are just unpainted 2 by 4's. I toss out the completely dirty ones after a few years and start fresh again.
  3. The Meadow

    Apple cider vinegar, anyone?

    I've been reading a great resource called The Chicken Health Handbook. It explains the science behind using ACV. Our water is naturally alkaline - and our hens benefit from the boost in acidity for their crops from ACV. Disease causing bacteria like alkaline pH levels. ACV helps to discourage...
  4. The Meadow

    Avian Flu Near Me

    I found this a study. It gave me a good wake up call. Judging by the European and Asian experiences over the past two years we are in for a long haul. The 2006 and 2015 versions were less severe strains. This one is very deadly and persists - especially in our cooler temperatures...
  5. The Meadow

    Avian influenza found in South Carolina

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3784916/
  6. The Meadow

    Cozy Coop heater in brooder?

    I am using a cozy coop flat panel heater in my chick brooder. It helps to warm up their space. It has two settings. I'm using the lower setting. They do cuddle up against it. I was unsure that their space was warm enough with just that so I made a cave like space using a heating pad tied to a...
  7. The Meadow

    Swollen Bum with no feathers

    Very curious about how this hen fared ... I have one very similar. I am thinking her belly feels 'liquid'... hoping it isn't water belly. I read it cannot be cured. Did you hen survive and thrive after this incident?
  8. The Meadow

    Anyone use First Saturday Lime in Canada?

    I'm looking too... anyone find it in Canada?
  9. The Meadow

    Swollen Deformed Ankle

    My rooster has what looks like a swelling at his ankle area? He did get himself up into the rafters of our new coop in the summer. But it seems this thickening came on in the fall. I’ve read about bumble foot - is it possible to get that on this part of the leg/foot? He walks on it - roosts on...
  10. The Meadow

    Official BYC Poll: What Do Your Chickens Live In?

    Coop + Enclosed Run + 2 acres of woods and paddocks My flock likes to follow my donkeys around. If the donkeys head out to pasture they'll go there too. But mostly they stay in the woods and the paddocks. Love seeing the jennies walk down the hillside with twelve chickens in tow!
  11. The Meadow

    It's 13 degrees outside...And I am worried

    Here is an inside shot of what we call 'The Palace'. ;) I had our neighbours collect their fall leaves in two large feed bags. On really cold or snowy days I bring in a big bin of them and the chickens have a great time searching for bugs and digging through them all. I scatter some chicken...
  12. The Meadow

    It's 13 degrees outside...And I am worried

    I live in the Ottawa region of Ontario, Canada. Our winter temperatures range from -5'C (23'F) to -35'C (-31'F). The craziness of these last few winters has meant wild swings of temperature. We had 74 freeze thaw cycles last winter. I think that made it quite difficult for the chickens. They...
  13. The Meadow

    It's 13 degrees outside...And I am worried

    It is -20’C here tonight with a windchill of -32’C. I discovered ceramic panel heaters last year. When our temperatures go below -15’C I turn them on low. They have two temperature settings. They sit behind the hens’ night roosts. They can sit in front of them or if they wish they can back right...
  14. The Meadow

    Chicken Coop / Sheds For Canadian Winter

    I would pop out the circular vent up top and just put wire mesh about 1in by 1 in in there. Our coop is made of even slighter vinyl than yours. I used the thin reflective insulation you can get in a roll. I still left three vents about 6 inches by 4 inches open. I ran a metal post across the...
  15. The Meadow

    The Old Folks Home

    I'm much farther south than you. Around Latitude 53. I did end up putting our hens back into the girls' quarters down the road. I am sure they are heaving a sigh of relief this morning! The 'boys' seem much calmer and happier on their own too. A lot less fighting.
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