Maine

[lazy gardener]

Could I get 8 eggs in about a month? Are yours slowing down at all?

Yes, if they are still laying. Right now, I'm getting 1 - 5/day. Not sure if I intend to put a light on them later, or not. PM when you get closer for transportation details.

 

[woods79]

Ok the Hen I was concerned about seems to be egg bound, I can feel one there and she has not eaten much in the last few days, she is drinking, I gave her a 20 min warm soak and massaged her and lubricated her vent she has some bloody fecal matter come out when I did .

Also found out she has lice so I now need to check the other girls that came from my aunt

. she was pretty listless this afternoon and tired after all that. she is resting in a crate in the basement and checking her frequently. I just read in another thread about extra calcium so I am going to crush some tums and give it to her via syringe. Any other advice?

 

[lazy gardener]

You're doing everything you can do.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Ok the Hen I was concerned about seems to be egg bound, I can feel one there and she has not eaten much in the last few days, she is drinking, I gave her a 20 min warm soak and massaged her and lubricated her vent she has some bloody fecal matter come out when I did .

Also found out she has lice so I now need to check the other girls that came from my aunt

. she was pretty listless this afternoon and tired after all that. she is resting in a crate in the basement and checking her frequently. I just read in another thread about extra calcium so I am going to crush some tums and give it to her via syringe. Any other advice?

sounds like you are doing everything right

good luck and

 

[lazy gardener]

I think our unseasonably warm weather has shifted. Downright blustery today. Too cold to be out working this afternoon. Still have a pile of winterizing projects to do.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

This weekend I am getting my heated bases out and cleaning coops, changing light bulbs too

 

[lazy gardener]

I built a set of steps for the coop. Hope to get them stained and installed before end of weekend. Have yet to build the sunroom for the chicken run. The green house is ALL MINE this winter. No chickens allowed. GH is cranking out plenty of awesome salads right now. I still need to make some cold frame covers to go in GH. That will raise the temp inside to = zone 7-8.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

We will probably break out the heated waterers around Thanksgiving. We just changed the batteries in our motion lights (Mr Beam brand, found on Amazon). We have them on each coop and around the run. It's helpful to spot predators lurking out there at night (the lights turn on) and it's helpful when we let the birds out early and they are dumb and jump out of the coop and it also assists when doing chores in the dark. We also have them for human use around the house so we can see to put our key in the door(s).

I have to take the hose off - probably soon. I hate that because then I have to haul buckets.

 

[lazy gardener]

I run about 200+' of hose during the warmer months. We put ours away a couple of weeks ago, but I left the 2 good quality rubber hoses at the top of the pile for easy access. Hope to be able to drag them out on warm days for a quick water in the green house. Otherwise, I simply haul milk jugs full of warm water out to the heated dog bowl when ever I go out. It is sometimes warm enough in the coop that I can leave one jug in the morning for a quick evening fill. This year, hubby saved some old tires, and coiled the hoses inside the tires. Then, the tires can be stacked. It keeps the hoses neatly stored.

 

[buckabucka]

We went back to hose-free and electric water last weekend. It is a pain, but so was the ice in the nipple waterers. I'm thinking about buying some 2 gallon plastic watering cans to haul water with. We don't buy many things in gallon plastic jugs (at least that we empty very quickly). I had been using the jug that came with my first colonoscopy prep . It was my favorite jug, -just over a gallon with an easy to grab handle, but after 5 years of use, it has sprung a leak, and so has the empty bleach bottle.
Right now, I'm using a flat-topped 2 gallon bucket with a lid, but I tend to get dirt on the lid all the time, and it all goes into their water when I pour.