Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Triple Willow]

@Bee... now that a good idear!

 

[Triple Willow]

@Perchie.Girl... sounds nice! Good luck on your coop.

 

[Beekissed]

For what its worth here in San Diego County Last year I had three Wellie roosters get frost bite comb tips. Only two lost any flesh. It gets cold at my house at night. Down here at Grandmas we had the back door open today from about 2 till sundown. We topped out at 80 today.

I am going up to the house this weekend if I can get my truck started. Taking pix and planning.... Some BYC friends have offered to lend a hand rebuilding my coop and I have to determine if I have enough materials on hand to take them up on it.

In SanDiego County our Spring really starts in a couple of weeks.

deb

I've had roosters that got slightly frosted tips and they don't seem to really have bad issues...just a small, natural dubbing process that didn't involve any great swelling, wounds, etc.. That's how we can tell how old roosters are in these mountains...if the comb points show natural dubbing from frosted tips.

Eighties today????

 

[BCMaraniac]

Going to put some dry leaves in the coop tomorrow so the gals will stay nice and warm. Also going to place some haybales for strategic wind blockage and warmth, seeing as how we are dropping below zero in a few days. Is currently 13* and windy...that wind can sure suck the warmth out of a coop. Now's the time those insulated roosts of mine come in real handy!

Used pipe insulation to make for soft footing for some heavy old gals some time back but have found that all the birds prefer them right now, so it must feel pretty warm and soft on the footsies!






Everybody be careful out there in these temps, stay warm and safe, slow down and be careful on the roads! (This nagging moment brought to you by MOMS, the die hard mothering instinct that causes a person to boss other people around in an attempt to keep them safe.)

We are 11 degrees and very blustery....

 

[Beekissed]

We are 11 degrees and very blustery....

We are getting that wind too....our motion sensor light came on a bit ago because of the snow being swirled around out there in front of it.

It was pretty...sparkles flyin' everywhere! I'm hoping the cat is sleeping with the dog tonight,as he is suffering from a few wounds he got fighting with other cats...he's crippin' around, so I'm thinking he got his little furry tail whipped.

It's definitely a three dog night...too bad I've only got one.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: Yep.... Mediterranean climates are like that.... Our green time only starts when we get rain.... STill waiting for that one.

We havent had such a warm and dry November December and January in a very long time. The last half of December looked like it was going to get cold..er. We had a few of 40 degree nights and mornings but the days usually warmed up to sweater weather. If It were me I wouldn't turn the heater on at all but Grandma had the heater going 24/7 for about two weeks. At 97 she sometimes has a hard time getting warmed up if she gets a chill.

For what its worth I wont be doing any chickens even if I get the coop rebuilt till I stop being Grandmas Caregiver. Long distance farming doesnt work.

deb

 

[Triple Willow]

It's 15'F here. Earlier the north wind would about blow your drawers off!

 

[Lacy Blues]

Well folks, we're going through a nasty storm at the moment... Blizzard and wind warnings up and it's currently 1 F with a windchill of - 20 F ! I went out to check on the girls tonight and noticed my poor, beautiful BA rooster has frostbite on his comb

. All of the tips have turned black

I feel terrible as I did everything I could to try and ensure this wouldn't happen but he was out some during the day and obviously didn't go in out of the wind when he should have. I feel just terrible about this. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do for him ? I know the damage is technically done and from what I'm reading he will likely lose the part of his comb that is affected. Most things I'm reading say to let nature take its course and it will eventually heal up on its own. He had such a nice comb and I hate the thought of him losing it

He'll probably only lose the parts that have turned black, blunting the points on his comb. My birds also get some on the fronts of their wattles. This week, I have several that are healing up and the blackened flesh is falling off. Poor boys!

For what its worth here in San Diego County Last year I had three Wellie roosters get frost bite comb tips. Only two lost any flesh. It gets cold at my house at night. Down here at Grandmas we had the back door open today from about 2 till sundown. We topped out at 80 today.

I am going up to the house this weekend if I can get my truck started. Taking pix and planning.... Some BYC friends have offered to lend a hand rebuilding my coop and I have to determine if I have enough materials on hand to take them up on it.

In SanDiego County our Spring really starts in a couple of weeks.

deb

I don't know what our temperature was today but it was very very nice out. I was out in a t-shirt. Got a project almost completed for gathering and spreading lots of horse manure from the neighbors. It is a large, reinforced box that will hold lots of manure. It has a "tailgate" on it like a dump truck - hinged at the top. Hopefully driving it over the plowed garden area will be bumpy enough to make the manure fall out a little at a time (spreading). Then when it starts getting low, I can stop and use the back side of a gravel rake to shove more toward the back and when it gets a lot lower, the floor of the box lifts up to tilt, causing the rest of it to be able to slide out.

I'll try to get pics tomorrow. I have one more thing to do on it before it is completely ready. This is one of those things that has been in my head for who knows how long, fighting for air! It finally got some today! Yay!

Oh... this is for my garden area. I could use it to transport manure for t he chicken yards but I'm not sure if the little trailer (pulled by my ATV) will fit through the gates of the chicken pens.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Well folks, we're going through a nasty storm at the moment... Blizzard and wind warnings up and it's currently 1 F with a windchill of - 20 F ! I went out to check on the girls tonight and noticed my poor, beautiful BA rooster has frostbite on his comb

. All of the tips have turned black

I feel terrible as I did everything I could to try and ensure this wouldn't happen but he was out some during the day and obviously didn't go in out of the wind when he should have. I feel just terrible about this. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do for him ? I know the damage is technically done and from what I'm reading he will likely lose the part of his comb that is affected. Most things I'm reading say to let nature take its course and it will eventually heal up on its own. He had such a nice comb and I hate the thought of him losing it

My Bresse roosters both have some frostbite on the tips of their combs, which are HUGE!!! They also have a little around the edge of their wattles.. I would much prefer that to a foot. My fool BCM rooster won't go into the house. Instead he roosts just outside the door of the house as though he is standing guard. Crazy bird....at least his roost is flat so the he can use his feathers to keep his feet warm.....

 

[Lacy Blues]

I don't know if I could let mine perch outside... dorky birds! Once it got dark, I'd scoop him up and plant his butt on the perch next to some soft and warm henny-poo to keep him warm.