Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Oh boy do I agree with everyone, I absolutely hate winter. The last few days have been the pits. I have had to go out in layer over layer of clothing just to do chores & then I can hardly bend over for the thickness of it all. My one ewe had her lamb on the first horrible day & he's a tough little bugger. So far he seems fine. I did lose one rooster the first night & of course he was my English Lavender rooster. I put his brother in the pen now but I have no more backups at this point. My Isbar rooster wasn't looking good the 2nd day but yesterday he looked better. I think all of my roosters with big combs have frostbite & that will fall off so they won't have pretty combs any more. This cold is just brutal. I have lost several birds in my laying flock so far. One of them was an old rooster that I knew wouldn't make it through the winter, he had been a really good flock rooster. I put a young one in this summer anticipating losing him. This weather just makes me want to stop raising birds. Oh & I also have a rabbit that got wry neck really bad the first night of that awful cold & I moved them both into the garage. She isn't doing great, ugh.

 

[chicken danz]

I can so relate. I have never lost birds to cold before. But I've lost several since this extreme cold hit. I lost two older hens that were more like pets and I don't think either of them had laid since last spring. I lost one pullet who had had a cold for a while. She was a mixed breed so not of real value. I lost one young peafowl I had moved to a pen with some juvenile birds, and I lost a couple of baby ducks, and a few young chicks that obviously got chilled. I put and extra bag of shavings in the brooder house and the green house where the ducks are. I hope that solves the problem. I keep adding more and more bedding and putting up more windbreaks.
If anything would make me stop raising birds it would have to be dealing with the frozen water all over. Even heated bowls won't keep it thawed in extreme temperatures.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Nods I'm with you and Trisha Verna, I lost a pullet (OEGB/Silkie) this morning found her yesterday afternoon just huddled outside the coop door(she was the only bird I had that could somehow slip out of the tunnel system) and I tried everything and she was looking and acting normal but then I hear a weird noise in the middle of the night(she was in my in suite bathroom ) I didn't see anything but found her dead this morning. Soo I'm guessing she had a fit/heart attack/? Am so sad because she was my last OEGB hen thankfully I ordered some more for this Spring and I had some cross mix hatch out so hopefully I will have some hens for him by this Spring.

I can't wait for the heated Chicken Waters that I ordered to arrive I'm so worried that they simple aren't getting enough water though I am doing my best with the cold I just feel its not enough.

Also onto a happier note we have decided to plant a ton of friendly chicken plants to grow a lot of their food for this year out at the farm. Would love anyone's input on what they have grown that has helped to decrease the amount of pre packaged feed for your birds.

 

[TattooedChicks]

Hope everyone is staying warm and beginning to dethaw. We’ve been so lucky here in Shawnee to not have had any losses yet, only my Bantam roosters showed some frostbite, but the whole tiny flock spent the worst 3 days last week in my spare bedroom after I found a pullet not willing to get up from the cold ground.

Is anyone thinking about spring as much as I am? I need the sun to get to work so I can get more chicks. I’d love to buy/ trade Bantam eggs or chicks with locals this year. All my stock will be Japanese or Jap crosses if anyone is looking to add a few new birds.

 

[Trish44]

@Dani4Hedgies the more greens your birds can get in warmer weather the less feed they will eat. They still need protein so have to have some layer feed but I know my laying flock eats less when they're out free ranging. They are the only ones that are free range, all of my breeding stock are in pens or the breeder coop. I do however try to take them some greens throughout the summer. The ones in the pens even like eating tree leaves.

My birds have been much happier since it has warmed up some. I'm keeping a watch on the rooster's combs that got frostbitten.

 

[chicken danz]

Nods I'm with you and Trisha Verna, I lost a pullet (OEGB/Silkie) this morning found her yesterday afternoon just huddled outside the coop door(she was the only bird I had that could somehow slip out of the tunnel system) and I tried everything and she was looking and acting normal but then I hear a weird noise in the middle of the night(she was in my in suite bathroom ) I didn't see anything but found her dead this morning. Soo I'm guessing she had a fit/heart attack/? Am so sad because she was my last OEGB hen thankfully I ordered some more for this Spring and I had some cross mix hatch out so hopefully I will have some hens for him by this Spring.

I can't wait for the heated Chicken Waters that I ordered to arrive I'm so worried that they simple aren't getting enough water though I am doing my best with the cold I just feel its not enough.

Also onto a happier note we have decided to plant a ton of friendly chicken plants to grow a lot of their food for this year out at the farm. Would love anyone's input on what they have grown that has helped to decrease the amount of pre packaged feed for your birds.

Milo, corn, oats are great bird crops if Heather has room to plant a large crop. For forage crops; turnips, collard greens, rape, and other brassicas are great. Root crops from these can be fed later as well.

It's supposed to be colder again today with high winds but tomorrow is supposed to be better. I'm so ready to be able to be out without multiple layers of clothing.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Milo, corn, oats are great bird crops if Heather has room to plant a large crop. For forage crops; turnips, collard greens, rape, and other brassicas are great. Root crops from these can be fed later as well.

It's supposed to be colder again today with high winds but tomorrow is supposed to be better. I'm so ready to be able to be out without multiple layers of clothing.

Yep we have the room 270 acres so we are planning a HUGE garden for them so I recognizing a lot of your list but I don't know what "rape and other brassicas are" please give more info

Yep heard it might get to 55 on Wed wouldn't that be wonderful!!!!

 

[chicken danz]

Rape is basically what they make Canola oil from. Brassicas are plants in the mustard family. Which include:

• arugula (Eruca sativa)
• basket-of-gold (Aurinia saxatilis)
• bittercress (genus Cardamine)
• cabbage and relatives (genus Brassica)
  • bok choy (Brassica rapa, variety chinensis)
  • brown mustard (Brassica juncea)
  • broccoli (Brassica oleracea, variety italica)
  • Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea, variety gemmifera)
  • cabbage (Brassica oleracea, variety capitata)
  • cauliflower (Brassica oleracea, variety botrytis)
  • collard (Brassica oleracea, variety acephala)
  • kale (Brassica oleracea, variety acephala)
  • kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea, variety gongylodes)
  • napa cabbage (Brassica rapa, variety pekinensis)
  • rape (Brassica napus, variety napus)
  • rutabaga (Brassica napus, variety napobrassica)
  • turnip (Brassica rapa, variety rapa)
• candytuft (genus Iberis)
• charlock (Sinapis arvensis)
• dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
• honesty (genus Lunaria)
• horseradish (Armoracia rusticana)
• Kerguelen cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica)
• pennycress (genus Thlaspi)
• peppergrass (genus Lepidium)
• radish (Raphanus sativus)
• rock cress (genus Arabis)
• rocket (genus Sisymbrium)
• rose of Jericho (Anastatica hierochuntica)
• sea kale (Crambe maritima)
• sea rocket (genus Cakile)
• shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
• stock (genus Matthiola)
• stonecress (genus Aethionema)
• sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
• thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana)
• wallflower (genus Erysimum)
• watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
• white mustard (Sinapis alba)
• whitlow grass (genus Draba)
• wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum)
• winter cress (genus Barbarea)
• woad (Isatis tinctoria)
• yellow cress (genus Rorippa)
• Needless to say, I cut and copied this list to simplify it. Basically it is green leaf type plants many of which have a large root.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Awesome I have a great many of those already on my list so sweet looks like we are ready to order. We also plan on having both a chicken compost pile as well as giving them left over meat to make sure their protein levels stay up.

 

[CayugaJana]

It’s 44 degrees today and it’s feels wonderful!! I don’t even mind the rain! It’s the first time not wearing a coat in almost a month.