Maine

[hoppy]

that is really cool. reminds me of the woven finch nests I used to sell (i didn't make them) just on a much larger scale.

SCG- tell us more about the waterville hens. did they give a number of birds and probably is no roosters.

Thanks. I'm not sure it is better than the original, but it does serve as an emergency snacking station.

It is hard to tell in the photo, but it appears that in the original, you can lower the front woven part down (there's a little string), I assume for the purpose of protecting a broody and her chicks. It was too time-consuming to add that feature.

 

[ashandvine]

The nest is very beautiful. I looked at the one from Liberia and wondered if it wasn't built that way to be portable and so maybe the door is so they can close the hen in there during travel. What is the darker supple twig you used to weave into the corn?

Um... I have to agree with Widget. I thought it was a little obvious but (while nothing says home like baked goods) the smell of chocolate is pretty decadent. The bagpipe music could be nice.... if it was low and not a march... I'd put on some of bf's David Matthews if it was me Chocolate for me and favorite band for him, right?

So... gross story. We have a pullet here with an erupted crop. Very disturbing. She gets all the stones you can stir up off the dirt floor or scratch out in the yard... not sure why this happened. She did get a recent change to pellets instead of mash.... IDK. Point is that so far she is alive. Thanks to an emergency call to another BYCer she seems to be recovering. I was told she wouldn't survive if I didn't close the wound but I haven't done that. Any other thoughts here?

 

[hoppy]

look up about crop burn. it would be similar in that it is a hole in the crop and parrots do survive when treated.

So... gross story. We have a pullet here with an erupted crop. Very disturbing. She gets all the stones you can stir up off the dirt floor or scratch out in the yard... not sure why this happened. She did get a recent change to pellets instead of mash.... IDK. Point is that so far she is alive. Thanks to an emergency call to another BYCer she seems to be recovering. I was told she wouldn't survive if I didn't close the wound but I haven't done that. Any other thoughts here?

 

[ashandvine]

The information I was able to find indicates that this diagnosis is from an actual burn due to eating foods that are hot. I do not heat the pellets before they eat them. I mean to try fermenting food here but haven't gotten to that either. They were fed just straight pellets and let out to roam like usual. I am concerned that what really happened is it became irritated and she may have pecked at it and then pecked at it a lot more. As of this morning her behavior is better-- she isn't making that pathetic sound that tells me she is in distress, and she is running around again eating grass. Where she is white I sprayed all the blood off her feathers as much as I could before treating her with the topical antibiotic. The area is not so swollen, is dry and the wound has shrunk. I was very concerned I would have to close the wound. I don't have a suituring needle here, only straight ones for cloth. I am not sure what I would use other than the cotton and that would stick... anyway, I didn't do it. Instead I am dealing with the fevers of my 8mos old. One thing and then another

 

[superchemicalgirl]

6 hens, no roos. There is a min lot / coop size. Permit / inspection required.

http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/hens-approvedfor-waterville_2012-10-02.html

 

[Mainechick168]

Question: Do any of you do the deep bedding method? I'm considering it for the winter- should I start now?

 

[ducklucky]

To those of you who were interested in my Pekins, thank you. We sold all 6 this week, we are left with 6 girls and our Lucky drake. Much easier to manage and so much less food and water. They all went to good homes to folks who already had 2 or 3, but wanted more for their kids. They swore they would not eat them, but that was never a concern (um, kinda), and the one buyer told me if he brought one in to eat, his family would probably eat him instead. In the midst of all this, something got at one of my RI hens while they were ranging the other day, put a puncture wound into the back of her neck. The dogs probably scared whatever it was off, brought her in to nurse, but we all know those puncture wounds are usually fatal, and she succumbed last night. Another good layer bites the dust. Keeping the rest in pen for a couple of days. Everyone including me in hood has seen an eagle around, but sure it wasn't that, a nice neat hole in the back of her neck, like a tooth, and no,my dogs did not do it, the hens will lay right next to them and they are very protective. The dogs have been barking a lot at "nothing" around the coop pen, so know there's something out there, and usually in the morning. I keep scolding the ducks to stay close, but you know how they are, they get so involved with bugging and rooting, they sometimes forget where they are. Fortunately, they come when called, but none of us can watch them all 100% of the time. Oh well, it's been a while since we had a loss, so knew we were overdue. Just sorry she had to suffer for 2 days, but she seemed comfortable enough, just stopped eating and drinking and faded. Thanks again for your interest in the ducks, the rest seem fine, all layed this AM, so no trauma. Will let ya know if we hatch any.

 

[buckabucka]

The nest is very beautiful.  I looked at the one from Liberia and wondered if it wasn't built that way to be portable and so maybe the door is so they can close the hen in there during travel.  What is the darker supple twig you used to weave into the corn?

Um... I have to agree with Widget.  I thought it was a little obvious but (while nothing says home like baked goods) the smell of chocolate is pretty decadent.  The bagpipe music could be nice.... if it was low and not a march... I'd put on some of bf's David Matthews if it was me   Chocolate for me and favorite band for him, right?

So... gross story.  We have a pullet here with an erupted crop.  Very disturbing.  She gets all the stones you can stir up off the dirt floor or scratch out in the yard... not sure why this happened.  She did get a recent change to pellets instead of mash.... IDK.  Point is that so far she is alive.  Thanks to an emergency call to another BYCer she seems to be recovering.  I was told she wouldn't survive if I didn't close the wound but I haven't done that.  Any other thoughts here?

Sorry about your pullet with the crop issue. . I'm glad to hear she seems to be improving.

The vine I used to weave through the cornstalks is Virginia creeper (or we're pretty sure that's what it is). I ran out of it, but was able to find some old caning and just crammed some extra cornstalks onto the top half to fill some gaps. If I had more of the vine, the cornstalks would have been better covered, and it would serve as less of a snacking station!

Still no eggs in there, but today found evidence that someone had at least been in the box digging around, so I'm hopeful that they will eventually use it for the intended purpose.

 

[ducklucky]

Yes, you should consider, but it's a little early. Would keep things as clean as possible til maybe the first hard freeze or snow. Will last all winter. It does work depending on your population density and the floor space available.

 

[hoppy]

what I meant was crop burn is also a hole in the crop (not caused by the same thing) but the treatment would be similiar. you might need to have her eat less and use a crop bra for a few days until it's healed up depending on where the drainage hole is.
but you are right, crop burn is a burn that leaves a hole in the crop caused by hot food which your chickens probably are not getting right now.

The information I was able to find indicates that this diagnosis is from an actual burn due to eating foods that are hot. I do not heat the pellets before they eat them. I mean to try fermenting food here but haven't gotten to that either. They were fed just straight pellets and let out to roam like usual. I am concerned that what really happened is it became irritated and she may have pecked at it and then pecked at it a lot more. As of this morning her behavior is better-- she isn't making that pathetic sound that tells me she is in distress, and she is running around again eating grass. Where she is white I sprayed all the blood off her feathers as much as I could before treating her with the topical antibiotic. The area is not so swollen, is dry and the wound has shrunk. I was very concerned I would have to close the wound. I don't have a suituring needle here, only straight ones for cloth. I am not sure what I would use other than the cotton and that would stick... anyway, I didn't do it. Instead I am dealing with the fevers of my 8mos old. One thing and then another