Consolidated Kansas

[mommahen10]

This video is uploading now but it says it's going to take 53 minutes. This is dd's favorite Christmas present.

http://youtu.be/-0aJcG09fGQ

 

[mommahen10]

I don't know if you all can see this or not but it's cute...

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=4581904478544

 

[sunflowerparrot]

So - before I go and spend money on silkies - I just want to make sure it is ok and they are not fragile and will be ok with my flock and coop without heat - correct??? (This just goes against everything I've always heard and read.... ) These are what Miss R really wants - but she also doesn't have a lot of money and would be heart broken if they died in this cold.

 

[HEChicken]

I don't know if you all can see this or not but it's cute...

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=4581904478544

Sorry, it wouldn't let me see it.

So - before I go and spend money on silkies - I just want to make sure it is ok and they are not fragile and will be ok with my flock and coop without heat - correct??? (This just goes against everything I've always heard and read.... ) These are what Miss R really wants - but she also doesn't have a lot of money and would be heart broken if they died in this cold.

I can only speak from my own limited experience. I got two from Hawkeye on Oct 1st, and I was concerned about them as we went into winter so have been keeping a close eye on them but so far, they are coping with the winter weather really well. However....having said that, it is good to look at all of your factors. Since silkies do not roost, they instead huddle on the floor in a corner of the coop to sleep. Mine were "raised" with a dozen chicks who are now part of their mini-flock, and those chicks are still inclined to sleep on the floor with the silkies at night (they can get on the roosts and do so during the day but when the older chickens get up on the roosts at night, the chicks who are now about 3-4 months of age get down and sleep in the corner with the silkies). That, plus the deep bed of straw, seems to be enough to keep the silkies warm. However even during the day I have never seen them shiver or look cold - they are out and about for at least some portion of every day, and that is entirely voluntary, since they could go back in the coop if they wanted to. I do not provide any heat, except a heated dog water bowl so that their water does not freeze.

What I really enjoy about the silkies is they come when I call them. My other chickens come running when they see me because I might have good treats for them, but the silkies, perhaps because they cannot see very well, stay wherever they are until they hear my voice. Then when I call "Where's my silkies? Come here silkies", they actually do respond to my voice and come over to my feet. They like to be picked up and loved on in a way that other chickens don't. Sometimes I will just find a place to sit, pull one on my lap and they settle down very happy to have the attention.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

So - before I go and spend money on silkies - I just want to make sure it is ok and they are not fragile and will be ok with my flock and coop without heat - correct??? (This just goes against everything I've always heard and read.... ) These are what Miss R really wants - but she also doesn't have a lot of money and would be heart broken if they died in this cold.

It seems to depend on who you talk to and probably most important, maybe the strain they come from? My only experience is some pet quality ones I bought as adults. They wintered just fine last winter without any heat in a drafty chicken house. They had a plastic tote to go into to cuddle and that probably trapped some body heat and helped stop drafts. Check to see how the flock you buy from is being raised and in what climate.

I do not provide heat out doors or heated water. One winter when it was extra cold, I would take hot tap water out to thaw water containers and refill with it. I ended up with scovy ducks believing saunas had been provided, took delighted baths (in 3 gal buckets) and then ran around the yard shaking their frozen feathers sounding like tinkling bells. They were just fine.

 

[chicken danz]

I just saw an article that used epson salts to cure gleet
My brother has had saliva stones several times and has had to have surgery a couple times to remove them. They are very painful.

Hawkeye, you were right, the weak one didn't make it. I was up from 2:30-4:30am and I kept trying to get it ot eat/drink and encouraging it to move around becuase it's breathing was weak, then it got crackly. By this morning, it had passed. It's so sad. It does sound like your dh is very sick, that's a very high temp for an adult. I hope his fever stays away but you may need to get insistent with him. There's no sense in letting it go and it'll cost so much more in so many ways and it's simply not worth it. What kind of patterns do you make Hawkeye?

Danz, with my last hatch I had a few with unabsorbed yolks and there was one chick that was removed from the shell and another that was still attached to the shell. They both were weaker and sort of just laid there. Overnight, the one that was unattached to the shell the yolk dried up but was still hanging there. The one that was attached to the shell the yolk actually absorbed. The downside is that they are stuck lying on their side and even after that they had to readjust their muscles to be able to walk and I had to cut little things to get them loose from the shell. They did fine though. This time I made sure I turned them while they were attached to their shell, and they did better that way. If I tape up the yolks, how long does the tape stay on before it falls off? Did it go ahead and absorb? Paper tape as in medical paper tape?
Yep I used paper medical tape. I am allergic to all kinds of tape and plastics so the only medical tape I can use is paper tape. It seemed to work perfectly. It gave the chick a couple days to absorb the yolk and heal before it fell off and I can't even tell now which one it was.
I'm scared of dropping eggs too so I almost always hold them just a couple of inches above the incubator so they can't fall far. I've dropped them, but they've never broken. It scares me so bad, I'm so sorry Maidenwolf.
I just hatched a chick from the egg I smashed with the top tray in the incubator. It hatched beautifully. I have no idea how it made it out of all the tape on it's shell. But surprising it did and is very healthy.
I'm sorry about your olandsk roo Danz. I wish I knew what to say or had ideas but I'm still following along with the meds and such. I don't think the yeast will hurt anything. The ACV should have yeast and some lactic acid producing bacteria (I think). It should be just fine. BTW, I can tell the barred rock chicks from you apart from the ones that are mixed here. The ones from you have a rounder body shape to look at them from the side. The mixed one has a longer body from head to tail. The mixed also has darker legs. I can tell the ones from you are going to be plump and round like the hen we have. I hope they get so round they look like they have super short legs, I love it they're so cute. They have a sweet temperment, and they're quite smart. They've adjusted to outside well and also to their new friends. They're all getting along wonderfully. My dh is wanting to move some 5 weekers outside tomorrow, I'm cringing even with heat lamps. We do need the space to keep everyone moving to more appropriate quarters. Winter has just begun and I'm looking forward to spring. For some reason while I was up with the little chick last night I was thinking about the vaporizer with the oxine in it. Is it a vaporizer or a cool mist humidifier?us I use a warm vaporizer but I would think a cool air one would be okay. I also put some vetRX in the medication port so they get a double wammy.Same thing? Anyway, it makes sense that it would reduce the spread of airborn illnesses. It also makes sense that it would reduce the numbers of bacteria in the respiratory tract. I think we should try this with people too when we start spreading illnesses through the house. Anything that would cut down the number of the germs would have to help. Thanks for the chicken med link, I saved it.

Mammahen that kitchen was just adorable. That is so cute and I would love to make something similar for my granddaughters if they had the room to have one. I may have to steal your idea and just make one for them to play with when they are here....(not very often). Looks like it was a total success. Also adorable little play your kids put on.

Well my olandsk cockerel died last night. I did start them all on denaguard yesterday; however and it may be wishful thinking, but it looks like the little pullet that was doing really bad yesterday is looking a little better today. The birds out in the coop seem to be doing better than these I brought in. I haven't lost any of those. They are still on duramycin but maybe getting out in the pen is beneficial to them....or they might just be stronger birds.
I lost one of my white orpingtons yesterday for no obvious reason. Just found it dead in the brooder. I'm not having the best of luck with those for sure.
I've got way too much money in them for the results I've had. I just hope I end up with at least a breeding trio so I can make some money back.
My old cat is still hanging in there. He ate a few bites yesterday. I wish I could find something that was good for him that he would eat. He is going to starve to death if the renal failure doesn't get him first.
I got a table I ordered for my Dad day before yesterday. So I met with my sister and we put it together. It was a cute little table and reasonably sturdy as well. So it took a couple hours to get ready to take it to him. He seemed really pleased. I also ended up with a car load of more of Mom's things. I haven't brought them in yet. It was so late and cold when I got home and I had to take care of the birds. My sister had gathered them for me. One thing I got that my sister was reluctant to give me was a Christmas tree skirt and stockings I bought for my Mom several years ago. It is just gorgeous. It's a deep red velvet and satin and has beautiful bead work on it and bead work fringe around it. When I bought it I was doing my Christmas tree in purple so it didn't go with that at all or I might have bought one for myself. I tend to do monochromatic decorations on my tree and am pretty anal about them being perfect. Since I bought a new couch I now have reddish tones in my room so the tree skirt will look lovely. I will just use it with like ornaments. I am excited to have it now that she is gone. It will always remind me of her.
I have a lot more craft items my sister drug out. I will have to go through those and decide what to keep.
I really do wish I had time to do crafts like I used to. I really enjoy it. Chickens? Crafts? Chickens? Crafts? Chickens!

 

[mommahen10]

I only use paper tape for medical tape, it comes off easier. That's amazing that the chick hatched so well. How long was it until hatch, about a week? That's great!!! I'm glad you got to see their little video, they had so much fun doing it. She really enjoys her kitchen set, I moved it to the kitchen because she likes to put real food in it and I find I'm needing to wash her dishes too. I'll move it to their room when the newness wears off a bit. I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your roo. You tried so hard to save him. The tree skirt and stockings sound beautiful, now I can't wait to see your tree next year. I stood in the kitchen for the last few days and I'm all cooked up, I have nothing to do in there except make the bread dough and there is enough left over food I don't need to cook anything at least for today if not tomorrow too. I feel like I earned a break, I say a break but what I really mean is time to work on something else. I planned on picking up in my room and cleaning up my sewing area. I haven't touched it since my dd's wedding which was 6/2. I'm ready for some crafts too, although the chickens, well you know how that goes. Turns out I don't get my 'break' anyway, my dh invited a friend over. I think we decided that I'm going to keep hatching, I can only hatch a set number with just what I have anyway and I have more brooder space but not more outside space. By the time we need more outside space though the weather should be letting up to build it. When is prime time to sell the extra pullets? I'm going to be in Colorado in March with my dd and likely to be there quite a while. I need to get off of here, I hear we have a sugar spill.

 

[mommahen10]

I added lots more pics of Maidenwolf's chicks here...
http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o299/mommyshome/Ambers Chicks/

 

[chicken danz]

If you have pullets about ready to lay in spring through early summer and again in fall you will sell every one you have. The hot summer last year really slowed down sales for me but as soon as it cooled a little people went nuts and bought every one I had. I probably sold too cheap late summer because I just wanted to reduce numbers as quickly as I could.
I had someone call me last night looking for a pair of peafowl. Of course they wanted breeding age birds. I have one pair I could have sold them but I am still wanting to know how they turn out. They aren't showing the colors they were sold as yet.
I had a handful of chicks hatch yesterday and still have a few more to go. This isn't on purpose but if I can hatch some nice birds even it it is winter I will do it. I am mostly hoping to get a few chicks from my olandsk girl that passed.
I have some eggs coming maybe next week to try to hatch. These are replacements for a defective bird.
As hard as I try not to, there is always something that needs hatched.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Mommahen- the video was super cute. I am so glad she liked her gift. I know what you mean about earning a break but never actually getting there.. Oh well, even if it is a break from one thing it feels good. I think we will do good on selling our chicks I know lots of people that had been asking me if I was going to ever sell. Now it is pricing correctly.

Danz- sorry to hear about your roo. Those sound very fragile.

The chicks are perfect and I cant wait to hold them