Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

@RoyalChick

I happened to buy the Premier One insulated heated waterer the first winter (2020) and it works well. Last summer for the first time I kept it in use (unplugged) and found it works incredibly well in the heat -the insulation keeps it cool, no light gets through it so there’s no mold growth, and the water stays clean. I stand it on an upturned 3-gallon bucket.

You can put just one gallon in there and the water is above the nipples and it’s not heavy (it holds three gallons which becomes seriously heavy) but depending on how much they drink you’ll have to fill it more often. I’ve replaced the nipples once so far, the springs wore out. Nothing froze at all this last winter.

A downside I’ve found is that the twist action of the lid (three ridges slide into three slots) is a little stiff, so I use a small stick inserted in the handle to help untwist it. I have put a little mineral oil on the slots sometimes, like I do for the base of my food processor /blender. You also want to make sure there’s no water in the slots (I dry them) after cleaning and filling it in winter, or it will freeze shut. Happened once, had to bring it inside to thaw the slots out.
https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...gpaH346MAxW7hIkEHfHmHjUQwg8oAHoECAUQCg&adurl=

Bookmarked for when I need an additional one or a replacement - that beats having to make it - and for when I get electricity out to my run!

 

[Ponypoor]

Not my kitty...

Missy is a good moggy, also too lazy to take off anywhere.

 

[Ponypoor]

You can carefully repair a cracked beak with superglue. I use the gel kind when I needed to - the other is too runny to get it right and NOT someplace you don't want it on a squirming chicken. Just be sure to not get it in his mouth - don't want him to get 'tongue tied!' LOL

I have, fortunately, been able to find multi packs os 'single use' size super glue (well, a knock-off, but same difference). I have used it to repair a beak, and also used them as sutures - sort of- to hold skin together over a wound. (that is what I sued on the crop of crop girl with her surgery. Not on the outside skin at that time, though - just in case!

It seems stable, I gave it a bit if a soft wiggle, and it seems to be in place. I’ll pick up some glue tomorrow though just in case. Gosh he is just the living end, he looks like he has been through the Boer War…

His beak needs to be trimmed back again and I had planned on that this weekend but now I will need to wait to do this. I’ll check it next weekend and see how it is. Maybe give it a slight trimming. Just shape it a bit. If it’s stable enough.

 

[Ponypoor]

Nice article. Momma cats leave cubs to go hunting but it still bothers me she too was not spotted nearby to verify that she was ok/able to return to them. Out here cougars/puma/mtn lions are few & they're getting killed in wildfires or hit by cars.

Those are way too young to be running about, that age they would be in a den. Seems odd to me.

 

[Ponypoor]

I am assuming you already have this figured out by now, but if the whole thing is 100grams, then that is 100000mg. If you need 50 mg, then that is 50/100000 = 0.0005 of the whole package. Do you have a scale that wights in mg? Is the package PURE tylan (no filler).

BTW: you are co-mingling weight and volume. grams/milligrams are weight. teaspoons, cups, etc measure volume

Yup to the scale - should have bought one yrs ago! It’s a minuscule amt to get 50mg!!! Best I can do is around 70mg when measuring to weigh. So I have been doing 100mg approx.

Yup I know weight/volume - most meds will say ‘1 tsp obtains 1g of Bute’ (horse med).

Nope no filler, that’s why it’s so hard to measure out!

Also found out that it doesn’t mix well, I used warm water and that worked better.

 

[Ponypoor]

@Ponypoor
My memory fades w/age! DH & I remembered this afternoon our Vet said to mix 1 tsp Tylosin in a gallon of water & for us to figure out the dose for half or quarter of that to put in a nipple waterer for a chicken we kept inhouse. When a 2nd Silkie showed symptoms they both were on the med water for 7 days. Regardless of allowed egg consumption instructions we just scramble the eggs & feed them back to the treated chickens if they happen to lay one. The vet said to put tylosin in their drinking water so we didn't need to dose individually. What a roller coaster ride when we have to be our own medic!

I noted a few sniffly chooks here today, but it has been wet and humid so I’ll keep an eye on them, but if they don’t stop sniffling I am going to put everyone on the Tylosin, so good it’s to know that dose.

The egg withdrawl is fine, I usually do an egg withdrawl anyways, and just put the eggs to compost.

 

[featherhead007]

Yep, & if they're thirsty enough w/ no other water source we tap the nipples so the water dribbles. After the hens pecked at the water droplets I kept tapping the nipples so they would keep pecking till I didn't have to tap any more. Every time I went out & tapped the nipples the big hens ran to get drinks. By the 3rd day they were for sure using the nipples. W/ baby chicks we started them on chick nipples so transition to outdoor adult nipple waterers was easy.

3 chicks at the nipple waterer 1st day home
View attachment 4074307

So you are a professional nipple tapper too? Wooohooo!

 

[featherhead007]

I meant the herring,

 

[featherhead007]

I noted a few sniffly chooks here today, but it has been wet and humid so I’ll keep an eye on them, but if they don’t stop sniffling I am going to put everyone on the Tylosin, so good it’s to know that dose.

The egg withdrawl is fine, I usually do an egg withdrawl anyways, and just put the eggs to compost.

An egg, is a terrible thing to waste !

 

[Ponypoor]

So you are a professional nipple tapper too? Wooohooo!

I have found that a large water bowl is preferable to my chooks, they will use the waterer, but they prefer the bowls. And I found that they stayed thawed if I placed them near the IR heaters.

Thanks goodness it’s getting near Spring now - getting tired of frozen water (which reminds me I forgot to plug in the trough deicer for the horses water trough), and spending money on electricity for keeping things thawed!