LGBTQ+ Poultry Keepers

[TwoCrows]

The ones I get become swollen, often from frostbite or that compounded with another issue. They either stay swollen and blistered before healing, or the foot eventually dies. That's what happened to One Leg and Knuckles, but they were still mobile. Usually if it starts dying, they give up and I have to put them down.

We've had birds over 10 years and they did just fine in less shelter than they've had these last few years and now we're having issues. It's not that I brought in bad quality breeding somewhere either, because it's multiple groups with unrelated birds. I had two males last year that bounded back with little damage that had literally frozen solid feet. He went to roost one night, couldn't get a grip and fell 20 feet almost on top of me.

Honestly this is a part of why I'm so badly wanting to love. Our winters are absolutely horrendous.

Once they suffer from frost bite, their feet never do well in the cold. The cold will forever effect the circulation, cause swelling, reduce strength and gripping. Make sure your roost bars are wide enough so their breast fluff covers their toes completely. Use a 2x4 with the 4 side up, no round bars. I use a 4x4, cant even see a claw. I cover my roost bars too with an old towel stapled to the bar. This keeps feet really warm. You might have birds with previous frost bite roost on the floor in a pile of hay, cage them if you have to so they sit on their feet all winter long at night.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Yeah, I'm trying to decide right now if I should cull one of my drakes, since his feet are still swollen from frostbite he got last winter. This drake is 'technically' my daughters, but she's never taken care of him. In fact, she doesn't take care of any of the animals, I do it all.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Once they suffer from frost bite, their feet never do well in the cold. The cold will forever effect the circulation, cause swelling, reduce strength and gripping. Make sure your roost bars are wide enough so their breast fluff covers their toes completely. Use a 2x4 with the 4 side up, no round bars. I use a 4x4, cant even see a claw. I cover my roost bars too with an old towel stapled to the bar. This keeps feet really warm. You might have birds with previous frost bite roost on the floor in a pile of hay, cage them if you have to so they sit on their feet all winter long at night.

HOPEFULLY They'll all be out of the barn in the wintertime.

That is a good point though, the group that doesn't have roost bars (they sleep in and on old nest boxes) I don't think have had issues. Should I just remove roosting bars in the winter so they have to sleep in shavings and hay?

The mini barn most are moving too will have a heat lamp in it to at least try and keep it above 0 (as opposed to -20 and -30 in the days), and I think most will be in there that have had frostbite issues. Maybe I'll move my two old boys into there too. One had bad frostbite last year, but the other is at least 9.... I'm not sure if they'll be around then either tbh.

 

[TwoCrows]

HOPEFULLY They'll all be out of the barn in the wintertime.

That is a good point though, the group that doesn't have roost bars (they sleep in and on old nest boxes) I don't think have had issues. Should I just remove roosting bars in the winter so they have to sleep in shavings and hay?

The mini barn most are moving too will have a heat lamp in it to at least try and keep it above 0 (as opposed to -20 and -30 in the days), and I think most will be in there that have had frostbite issues. Maybe I'll move my two old boys into there too. One had bad frostbite last year, but the other is at least 9.... I'm not sure if they'll be around then either tbh.

I'd either remove the roost bars or move all of the birds into the mini barn with added heat. The ones that have frost bitten feet in the past really need to sleep on the floor. Make sure there aren't any places they can fly to high up either. The floor will be much warmer than any high roost. And it never hurts to add heat when it gets below zero, I do too. Just make sure if you use heat lamps, they are permanently attached to walls or ceilings, along with added hooks or chains as secondary attachments, in case something comes loose on the lamps, you don't want to start any fires.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'd either remove the roost bars or move all of the birds into the mini barn with added heat. The ones that have frost bitten feet in the past really need to sleep on the floor. Make sure there aren't any places they can fly to high up either. The floor will be much warmer than any high roost. And it never hurts to add heat when it gets below zero, I do too. Just make sure if you use heat lamps, they are permanently attached to walls or ceilings, along with added hooks or chains as secondary attachments, in case something comes loose on the lamps, you don't want to start any fires.

It's impossible to move every bird into the mini barn, even if they did all get along unfortunately. Going through my head though, my Cornish are draft sensitive and they're scheduled to go in there, my phoenix that almost fell on me will be in there with his flock, I can always house the white rooster in a temporary cage in that stall too. The ducks will have waterers, not pools. One Leg will be with the araucanas in one stall. And Knuckles can probably go with the 'normal' phoenix flock, so she'd be in a stall too. The stalls have netting on their tops so they can't perch on any walls.....

I'll have to draw it out to figure out everyone. Thankfully I still have until like November

The heat lamp is definitely permanent attached, I haven't been able to get it down since last winter.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

That Awkward moment when your therapist asks about what you're currently writing....

 

[TwoCrows]

That Awkward moment when your therapist asks about what you're currently writing....

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Oh yeah

*cue panic as I try ro scramble for an answer tha/ is A) not going to divulge into more questions and B) appropriate for a public coffee shop setting in case anyone overhears.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Oh yeah

*cue panic as I try ro scramble for an answer tha/ is A) not going to divulge into more questions and B) appropriate for a public coffee shop setting in case anyone overhears.

Wind can probably attest, I'm sure that the small amount that they've already read would be very interesting for a therapist

 

[Canadian Wind]

Pffff, so far this is tame compared to my own writing!

Not that I would admit to my own therapist about the depth of detail I go into...