Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Trefoil]

Thanks! I will throw a blanket on it tonight and see if it helps. Its 2ftx4ft, so its pretty large, but we needed it big cause we're getting 8 ducks and 2 geese next month too. Maybe we'll just have to get a second heat lamp as well. I'm gonna pick up a 250 watt tonight, cause I'm pretty certain ours is 125.

When brooding outside, I like to use 2 heat lamps, in case one burns out, for me at least heat lamps don't last very long, I put one at each end of the brooder and it seems to work really well. Maybe you already know this, but ducks and geese are very wet when brooding. I have found that either setting their water on a screened box with a catch pan underneath really helps. Or if your brooder is off the ground put a screened section in the floor of the brooder and set their water on that. If you use the box make it big enough to hold their water source and a few of them. I have found this really helps keep their brooder dry while also giving them access to the water they need.

I know how fast this thread moves, so is it okay if I repost a question in case someone didn't see it the first time? I'm just a little worried about my gal...I posted on emergencies/disease/etc. thread, but only received one reply.

My silver-laced wyandotte has a curling side-toe. She walks just fine and will fly and roost okay too. She is almost a month old, but I didn't know if I should be fixing it or not. I don't plan on showing any of my birds -- just have them for pets and egg-laying. The picture below isn't a picture of her, but it is most like her side-toe curling.




Once the brooder reaches my house temperature (we usually keep the house between 68 and 70), do I just turn the heating lamp off and replace it with a regular lamp to control lighting throughout the day? I know the chicks can go outside all night once its 50 degrees, but that's not predicted until late May. I don't want to waste electricity, but I want them to get used to the temperatures before going outside!

--

It's supposed to be 60 here on Monday -- 60! Then we're back to settling around the 40s. Oy vey. I was really hoping to get the chicks into the coop at night by mid-May. I think they're out-growing they're brooder. We have "playtime" three times a day where I let them walk all over the (hardwood floor) living room, but if I leave the top off, the three brave ones fly out no problem!

Its supposed to be 42 here today, but so far its just 35. If the baby were mine, I would try to boot the whole foot trying to straighten the toe, leave it on several days, if it works,great, and if it doesn't, oh well. If you have a vit/mineral supplement give it to her as well.

 

[SillyChicken]

I know how fast this thread moves, so is it okay if I repost a question in case someone didn't see it the first time? I'm just a little worried about my gal...I posted on emergencies/disease/etc. thread, but only received one reply.

My silver-laced wyandotte has a curling side-toe. She walks just fine and will fly and roost okay too. She is almost a month old, but I didn't know if I should be fixing it or not. I don't plan on showing any of my birds -- just have them for pets and egg-laying. The picture below isn't a picture of her, but it is most like her side-toe curling.




Once the brooder reaches my house temperature (we usually keep the house between 68 and 70), do I just turn the heating lamp off and replace it with a regular lamp to control lighting throughout the day? I know the chicks can go outside all night once its 50 degrees, but that's not predicted until late May. I don't want to waste electricity, but I want them to get used to the temperatures before going outside!

--

It's supposed to be 60 here on Monday -- 60! Then we're back to settling around the 40s. Oy vey. I was really hoping to get the chicks into the coop at night by mid-May. I think they're out-growing they're brooder. We have "playtime" three times a day where I let them walk all over the (hardwood floor) living room, but if I leave the top off, the three brave ones fly out no problem!

Don't sweat it.... it's not going to be a problem.. and really not worth the time, effort or stress on your bird to try to fix it. if you are looking for show stock breeding quality birds and want perfect toes, you would want to remove this bird from your flock... if not and you're just looking for eggs to eat, the toe isn't going to change the flavor of the egg.s

 

[snowflake]

will try to add some pics of the birds I got from JB last spring, took some last night, not very good as my puppy was trying to heard them into the run
silver Amer.
Lavender roo
silver roo Amer.
an other lavender roo
silver hen
helpful puppy Tucker

 

[aart]

For 3 hens, a 3 gallon bucket with nipples on the bottom, hung from above, and an aquarium heater in the bucket should suffice. Buckets have tight fitting lid, and could be mounted in such a fashion they could not roost upon it. I could make multiple of those, so they can be easily switched out. Just pull out the heater, transfer it to the new bucket of clean water as needed. Take the old one in for washing, and it will be ready to use the next day, or whenever it is needed.

I get the buckets free from work - and they are the same style as a 5 gallon, but smaller, and with a good tight fitting lid. In their first life, they were used to hold cake frosting.

Am thinking of improvising outdoor-access dispensers for the food and oyster.

Take the very same buckets, cut a narrow vertical strip out of each side, and attach plexiglass, that way I can visually asses how full each bucket is without having to open it. Attach a PVC pipe to the bottom of them that enters the coop, and is a simple PVC feeder as seen in many of the DIY threads. Feeding would be simple, without me having to open the coop on the cold, windy subzero days and blasting my hens with frigid air. Water would be a little trickier. With a heater, I could probably go a few days between changes, if the weather was atrocious.

Nipples need to be in a container that lets air in or they won't flow...so you don't want an airtight fitting lid.

 

[snowflake]

check fuzzy's link I think it is vitamin thing,??

 

[Brennigan]

will try to add some pics of the birds I got from JB last spring, took some last night, not very good as my puppy was trying to heard them into the run

helpful puppy Tucker

more pictures of Tucker!

so handsome!

 

[Amy PT]

@snowflake , Tucker looks like such a sweet guy! Thanks for the egg offers. I'll talk with the teacher and librarian next week!

 

[jerabu]

Nipples need to be in a container that lets air in or they won't flow...so you don't want an airtight fitting lid.

Well, there will be a hole for the cord for the heater, but the lid will otherwise be tight enough to avoid dust and other crud settling into it. So air flow, but minimal.

 

[snowflake]

I have nipple waterers in a 5gal. bucket with lid never have has a problem but with the cord in there it would no longer be air tight I am wondering if the nipples would stay thawed??
DH sweet guy, pointed this out to me article was in Greenville Daily News Wed. March 26
RTFA
RTFA
RTFA workshop April 24 Stanton---The Montcalm planning commission and MSU Extension are presenting a spring workshop "The Right To Farm Act and Local Zoning" It will be held from 6:30 pm to 9pm April 24 at the Montcalm Intermediate School Dist.. 621 New St. Stanton This session will help you understand why the RTFA is a "moving target" and the importance of local gov. keeping current on the regulation. It will be taught by Kurt H Schinler, senior educator in land use. The workshop is for elected off., planning commissioners. economic development practitioners and anyone interested in the topic. A set of educational handouts will be made available to partiipants. Registrations are due by April 17. Call the Montcalm Extension Office 989-8f31-7500 for registration information.

 

[jerabu]

cord is for the aquarium heater I plan on putting in the water, to keep it from freezing. I hope it stays thawed, lol.