INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[flyladyrocks]

Sorry double post, not a sure how that happened!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Been meaning to get back to those of you that '@mentioned' me--it does pop up on my phone, so I know when it happens, but life makes it difficult to reply sometimes. Seriously, I'm on the verge of this after the week I've had:


Thank goodness it's the weekend!



So yeah, my cold weather article is always in my signature, just click the text that says On Supplemental Heat, right beneath my poultry 'credentials'. I should change that, because it's more about how chickens are able to thrive in cold weather than about supplemental heat, but I guess the general message is that this is what you should know to make that choice. I've been reading and rereading it a lot lately, thinking it could use a revision. I have this thing with my writing where it's never good enough... If y'all only knew how long it takes me to compose a simple reply here! (So, um, a children's book may be a bit out of my reach, though I do appreciate the encouragement!) Anyway, for convenience, here's a direct link to my article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...led-look-at-the-question-of-supplemental-heat


On frostbite, I just want to point out that in my coop, there are two permanently-open peak vents in the main portion of the coop, one vent with a flap above the perches in the main coop, two vents in the corners of opposite walls in the coop addition, four of five windows in the addition (minus the fifth one only because snow was blowing into it), and a 6-foot by ~4-inch vent along the roof on one side of the addition, all of which have been open all season. My coop is not insulated, and I do not heat it beyond the heat that the birds, themselves, put off. No frostbite to be seen in any of my birds this season. That kinda indicates to me that the cold isn't the problem.

 

[Indyshent]

Had to share this pic of our turkey Anastasia. With her are Rapunzel (buff) and Belle (lav).

"I don't care if I have my own nesting box! I like this one!"

That look on her face! Whoo, you barged into the bathroom, didn't you?!

Turkeys can give the disdain/disgust look better than anyone!

 

[Indyshent]

Did you happen to notice what kinds of chicks they had at RK?

Shelbyville had barred Rocks, RIR, ISA brown and BSL, with bins set up for more than twice that

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I had a murder of crows chasing/harassing a large red tail yesterday. I reached for my phone to video it but didn't have it. Unfortunately my dog doesn't understand the crows are a good thing and he was chasing at all of them.

Small birds he doesn't care but a robin or bigger and you are not allowed to be in his airspace!

They are great hawk deterrents, wish we had them here!

I was at RK yesterday to pickup chicken feed etc. I was planning to get a bag of cracked corn for cold weather extra protein treats but saw something else. They had "Midwest sweet feed" on sale. This is normally for horses, goats etc but for $5.99 a bag it was cheaper than cracked corn! It's supposed to be at least 12% protein in the pellets with oats and stuff mixed in. I think it also has a molasses mixed into it too. The chickens and turkeys really went to town when I feed them some, and their regular feeders were already full so they weren't that hungry they must like the taste!

So if anyone is looking for an out of the ordinary treat you might try this sweet feed mix. On sale yesterday at RK for $6!

Yes, its great for an extra boost! My geese will eat it too.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
I may be able to help out. I don't have any extra drakes, but will be going up to see jchny2000 this weekend to pick up some Muscovy hens. I could pick up a drake for you. I'm located in Mooresville, so quite a bit closer to you than Pendleton. I might be interested in some of your extra hens also, what colors do you have?

I was at RK yesterday to pickup chicken feed etc. I was planning to get a bag of cracked corn for cold weather extra protein treats but saw something else. They had "Midwest sweet feed" on sale. This is normally for horses, goats etc but for $5.99 a bag it was cheaper than cracked corn! It's supposed to be at least 12% protein in the pellets with oats and stuff mixed in. I think it also has a molasses mixed into it too. The chickens and turkeys really went to town when I feed them some, and their regular feeders were already full so they weren't that hungry they must like the taste!

So if anyone is looking for an out of the ordinary treat you might try this sweet feed mix. On sale yesterday at RK for $6!

Might have to try this. I wonder if the pigs would like it too? Did they also have chicks available? The last time I was in the Martinsville RK, they already had chicks! I thought that was crazy early.
If the drake is going to a home rather then a freezer, I will sell him pretty cheap. I have a few extra lavender and several black drakes.
I use sweet mix for my buck, Bo and my cow Fanny. I add just a small amount to my donkey Daisy's feed also, but its too high protein for her straight. When my goat does are not lactating or pregnant they get it also. My geese love it, and the adults don't need as high a protein as chickens and other poultry do.

YES, YES, YES!!! I totally agree. It makes me absolutely sick and sad to hear a healthy flock was "depopulated". We've had some losses here (we lost our wonderful chicken dog to complications from being hit by a car months ago and we had an internal layer, our EE who thought she was a turkey - my sons favorite) I think that made that depopulation more heartbreaking for me. Wondering/worrying about @amwchickin and the other (27??) Backyard flocks if "they" are "depopulating" healthy birds. I will sound like a conspiracy theorist but I still think there has got to be info not being shared if these supposedly high biosecurity farms are getting it. It has to be more that just wild birds!! Okay I'm better get off my soapbox before I get really riled up.

Off to happier topics- the chicks you may have this year! This is why it us dangerous for me to be on here. I thought I was good with "I don't need to buy any chicks this year we'll make plenty of our own" then you torture me with Lav Amer, Choc Orps and ooo what will your Cuckoo boy create? Last years maran is definitely the daddy of most of the chicks we got from you. He was a busy boy! Not only feathered feet/legs, but we get the most beautiful olive egg from Nutela who we thought was an EE b/c her legs are feather free. Guess we know who her daddy was!
Quote: From todays update so far it appears they are NOT depopulating healthy private flocks. I think its a good idea to start YELLING if that does occur. I am so happy to hear you did get an olive egger! I need a copper maran rooster to set up another OE pen for this year. They make a very dark green egg. I have an awesome splash maran fella now, but the eggs are not the dark green I was aiming for.

Quote: LOL! @LonelyPageTurne and I are breeding them this year, and the AMs as a joint venture. She is going to brood at her place, then they come back when old enough to be outdoors. The chicks and hatching eggs will just leave from here.

Quote: Yes. We got a pair of Yorkshires from Janet. They are fun, and the setup to keep them in was easy to put together. Stop by when it's warm and we can show you both the pig and the bee setups.
Its not as high a protein as swine feed but extra eggs would take care of that! I do use it in the fermented corn if it goes on sale. For feeders, its a good alternative food just needs eggs or another protein added to keep them putting weight on.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Had to share this pic of our turkey Anastasia. With her are Rapunzel (buff) and Belle (lav).

"I don't care if I have my own nesting box! I like this one!"

She is gorgeous! I see her dropping eggs out of there tho!

Been meaning to get back to those of you that '@mentioned' me--it does pop up on my phone, so I know when it happens, but life makes it difficult to reply sometimes. Seriously, I'm on the verge of this after the week I've had:

Thank goodness it's the weekend!



So yeah, my cold weather article is always in my signature, just click the text that says On Supplemental Heat, right beneath my poultry 'credentials'.

I should change that, because it's more about how chickens are able to thrive in cold weather than about supplemental heat, but I guess the general message is that this is what you should know to make that choice. I've been reading and rereading it a lot lately, thinking it could use a revision. I have this thing with my writing where it's never good enough...

If y'all only knew how long it takes me to compose a simple reply here! (So, um, a children's book may be a bit out of my reach, though I do appreciate the encouragement!) Anyway, for convenience, here's a direct link to my article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...led-look-at-the-question-of-supplemental-heat


On frostbite, I just want to point out that in my coop, there are two permanently-open peak vents in the main portion of the coop, one vent with a flap above the perches in the main coop, two vents in the corners of opposite walls in the coop addition, four of five windows in the addition (minus the fifth one only because snow was blowing into it), and a 6-foot by ~4-inch vent along the roof on one side of the addition, all of which have been open all season. My coop is not insulated, and I do not heat it beyond the heat that the birds, themselves, put off. No frostbite to be seen in any of my birds this season. That kinda indicates to me that the cold isn't the problem.

TGIF for sure, DH is flat wupped. His company keeps running late hours when the weather is letting them work (commercial construction)
I agree, I have not seen birds die from "just the cold" here either as far as I know. Usually if it happened its a bird that won't coop up. I feel it contributed to my pet turkeys death, but BB variety turkeys are known to have a weak heart. I talked to a friend tonight that lost some scovys, but she feels its because they would not coop up to stay warm. If the temps drop below zero I am checking on my scovy every few hours if they aren't cooped. I have hauled my entire scovy flock into the unheated porch before! Thats just not possible for everyone to do. I research breeds and watch those more at risk with severe cold.

Quote:

death stares for sure!

Quote: oh geez, its so early! But I know its so folks get laying birds by spring. I am thinking about adding a few more leghorn and comet for my egg flock.

 

[flyladyrocks]

Editing to reflect who this is directed toward. Just noticed what I thought I quoted is still in the reply box!
@pipdzipdnreadytogoWhat are the dimensions of your coop and how many birds? Just trying to get an idea of how much ventilation you have in relation to the coop size and birds. I have lots of windows but I can't leave them all the way open all the time. I'm in the city and they get noisy, in the middle of the night! And not just the roos. I never realized how light it is in the winter, but it is lighter than summer. With no foliage on all the trees and bushes there is nothing blocking the extremely bright streetlight in our alley.

I do believe ventilation is the key. And I discovered the kids had closed things up tighter than they were supposed to for the 2 nights the frostbite showed up.

I need to somehow cut vents in right up under the roof where the light will be blocked.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Editing to reflect who this is directed toward. Just noticed what I thought I quoted is still in the reply box!
@pipdzipdnreadytogo What are the dimensions of your coop and how many birds? Just trying to get an idea of how much ventilation you have in relation to the coop size and birds. I have lots of windows but I can't leave them all the way open all the time. I'm in the city and they get noisy, in the middle of the night! And not just the roos. I never realized how light it is in the winter, but it is lighter than summer. With no foliage on all the trees and bushes there is nothing blocking the extremely bright streetlight in our alley.

I do believe ventilation is the key. And I discovered the kids had closed things up tighter than they were supposed to for the 2 nights the frostbite showed up.

I need to somehow cut vents in right up under the roof where the light will be blocked.

Post pictures of the roof so we can help you figure it out.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Had to share this pic of our turkey Anastasia. With her are Rapunzel (buff) and Belle (lav).

"I don't care if I have my own nesting box! I like this one!"

How are the peas in the Pea Barn?

Your friend is a wonderful person for helping freezing, neglected dogs!
Originally Posted by wheezy50

I was at RK yesterday to pickup chicken feed etc. I was planning to get a bag of cracked corn for cold weather extra protein treats but saw something else. They had "Midwest sweet feed" on sale. This is normally for horses, goats etc but for $5.99 a bag it was cheaper than cracked corn! It's supposed to be at least 12% protein in the pellets with oats and stuff mixed in. I think it also has a molasses mixed into it too. The chickens and turkeys really went to town when I feed them some, and their regular feeders were already full so they weren't that hungry they must like the taste!

So if anyone is looking for an out of the ordinary treat you might try this sweet feed mix. On sale yesterday at RK for $6!

@wheezy50 Thanks for the tip! My hens are getting tired of the usual seed treats that I give them. I hadn't heard of sweet feed, so I googled it and ran across this humorous paragraph about why the old version of sweet feed was changed to a mixture in pellet form:
Anyone who has ever fed one of these early sweet feeds can attest to the ability of horses to sort the mix and eat the ingredients they find most acceptable. Unfortunately, what horses determine to be the most acceptable ingredients are not always the ingredients they require to balance the diet. This became clear to this author while in graduate school at the University of Kentucky. In an experiment attempting to modify nutrient intake as a means of influencing growth, the horses would have nothing to do with the experimental ingredient mixed into their feed. They simply sorted the ingredient with intricate nose and lip movements, conveniently leaving it at the bottom of the feed tub.
(from What Are Those Pellets in the Sweet Feed? | Equinews)

It reminded me of my hens digging through a bowl of seeds with their beaks and "cherry-picking" their favorite ones!