Consolidated Kansas

[OzawkieBantams]

Quote:
Well i will have to knock off all the snow and take down all the wind blocks for the sun to get in.

Sun or no sun...they'll still be better off outside.......ducks have a built in down coat. If they were mine I'd put them back out.

I did after i read your first post.......

Thanks for all your help Katy.

 

[Ivywoods]

It's solid ice with drifted snow on top of that. I just finished chores a while ago. I could hardly stand up. I slipped once coming out of the coop and fell on my butt. I slid 6 feet before coming to a stop. Then I had a heck of a time getting my feet back under me to stand up. Ice and sloping ground are not a good combination.

I had to put my hubby's bird dog in the barn last night. He has a house and straw bale shelter in his kennel and generally stays pretty warm, but the kennel was one big snow drift. He is in the barn with the goats and chickens. Poor bird dog. He is wearing himself ragged pointing chickens.

We lost a boer goat last night. I think one of the other goats rammed her, and she got wedged between a board and the siding of the barn with all 4 feet up. I wish I had gotten there sooner. I don't think she had been dead very long.

The chickens are all still laying well, but even collecting the eggs several times a day some of them are frozen. It was 6 degrees in the barn this morning, so things were freezing quickly.

I'm SO ready for spring.

 

[ck_dunham]

Well I think we lucked out at our place. All though the the drifts were high the over all snow wasnt all that bad! All the birds were looking good this morning and had plenty of food and water! I'm glad I made the wind blocks a few months back! I hope you all are makeing it out of the cold snow alright! I know Lawrance was cold this morning at -15... (via. Fox 4 news)

The sun is high and bright!

 

[CarolAnn]

Thankfully we barely have a breeze going this morning. I hope it stays that way all day. It's bone chilling if you have to be outside very long. I brought in one of my girls last night. Yesterday afternoon she was squeaking like she was sneezing and opening her mouth to take a breath. I got my daughter's big dog kennel, put straw in it and brought her in. NO clue what to do for her beyond bringing her in from the cold coop. I mixed some colloidal silver in water then added a few drops of cough syrup and gave it to her. Late in the night she started to make another sound that sounds more like maybe a cough. { I never thought I'd be trying to distinguish a chicken cough from a sneeze.} She sounds like a turkey. I don't know elsewhat to do. I read where some give them Polyvisol (?) liquid for children. I'd head right to town if I thought that'd help. Do vets actually see/treat chickens? She's eating and drinking. Oh, I mixed her crumbles with warm water this morning and emptied a couple capsules of echinacea into it. That's what she's eating. There's a little apple cider vinegar in her water too. Poor thing! Advice please.

Also want to add that none of my other birds are behaving this way.

 

[Myabcs3]

Glad to hear that most everyone is making it through! The sun is nice and bright. Spread hay out in the chicken run and even with the bitter cold, the girls went out. I think the key is there is little wind, and what slight stir there is, the flock is blocked from. I have to admit, I was a bit worried about the younger girls, but they made it through with flying colors. I did learn something from this storm, while I made sure the chickens and the humans had food, we totally forgot about the dog! A 125 pound german shepherd eats a lot!

Sorry Carol Ann that I can't give advice - just a newbie and haven't had to deal with it yet. It sounds like you are doing the right things? She is eating and drinking, which is good. Hopefully some of the Kansas chicken experts will weigh in shortly.

Stay warm!

 

[Nana2KJS]

I don't think we got it as bad as some of our neighbors. Saw one report of 8-10 inches, another of 13. Drifts in places but not like some of you. I thank my lucky stars that my hubby is handy. Though I put the "coop" together from a kit, he built the run, and covers it every winter. Our ladies are puh-lenty happy!

Stay safe everyone!

 

[averytds]

What the heck Tammy! How did you manage that?!?!?!

It's only about knee high in my front, but I've got plenty of waist high out back and several drifts even taller than me! Darnit. That's not fair!

 

[Nana2KJS]

LOL! I think my new fence blocked most of it! Only took 20 years to get one, but we did it just in time!

 

[averytds]

With the long open expanse and then the privacy fence, I think it made ours worse.

Great run! Somebody at Orscheln's was talking about how cute your coop is last weekend.

 

[mikeksfarmer]

CarolAnn I truly believe you did the right thing bringing in your bird. Hey Warm, no flock stess and good food does wonders. Then you added some medicine. She learns what great treatment you give; and she will fain sickness more often; like my Foxy.

Spent yesterday diging out of about 10 inches. Drove to town and ended up diging my self out of a ditch. Guess going for diet coke was not the smartest move I made in my life. Did complete the mission all by my self though so I at least was succesful. today was so cold I didnt even want to go out; then I thought about what they(birds) are going through. Ducks with ice berrys. Chickens wont even leave the chicken house. Well they get warm water and lots of feed.
Truly have enjoyed my wild birds have at least 5 different sparrows and so love the fox and harris sparrow. Yesterday had a red tail hawk sit in the sun above my chicken coop; didnt mind abit maybe he could catch some mice. Right under him/her my sparrows fed like he/she wasnt there. I have such great birds in the cage and out. However I am ready for a melt and change!