Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Peep-Chicken]

We hardly have even a half inch of snow here. It's really the ice under the now that's the issue.

The chickens ran out from the coop today, the rooster slipped and fell and just layed there for a second. He got up now walks very cautiously. I checked him he's fine, just now cautious.

 

[1muttsfan]

In the big coop I use a metal heated waterer base with a 2g galvanized waterer. Small coop a large heated dog water bowl part filled with sand, and a 2 g galvanized waterer. It was 3 degrees this am and there was a small amount of freezing around the edges of the trough in the small coop, but not completely frozen. It gets too cold here to leave the waterers outside, they freeze up, so I just make sure the coops are well-ventilated.



That is one of my young SFH cockerels, they are very curious and friendly - and beautiful

 

[Stacykins]

I just use rubber buckets or pans for water in the winter. Yes, it means I need to refresh it more often, but it means not having a half a dozen extension cords reaching about 200 feet.

The ducks have a joyful time playing in the water where the sump pump drains way out back. The water levels are high enough now that is drains almost constantly. They splash and play in the warm water all day!

 

[chickwhispers]

Hello All!

I use cookie tin heaters for two waterers, one galvanized and one plastic. I still replace water , carried out with gallon jugs, daily. My goal is to have a water line and electricity to the coop next year. its about 100 feet or so. But I have a person who can help me trench, so I hope to be able to get that done next year. It was on this years list but too many other things happened, so that got put on hold.

Scifisarah, your coop is darling! Love it! Congratulations!

Opa, Do get well and back to 100% soon. I know the feeling when something health wise drags on for so long.

Farmerboy, Pearl is so pretty, good luck on that calf!

And everyone else... Stay warm, get well, stay well!

 

[chickwhispers]

I should add the heaters are placed on top of bricks, which set on the cement floor, which also get warm and help take the cold off the water. The electricity is currently supplied by heavy duty extension cord. All connections are behind/through walls and wire mesh or on the ceiling so they girls can't get to them inside the coop.

 

[Totalcolour]

Silly- She was bred back to Jersey. Naturally

.
Quote: The lady that I brought her from told me that when she was having the vet to check her out when Pearl was 14 months old, she was shocked to find out that Pearl was 5 months along for her calf. Pearl had been in the pasture with the bulls of the same age. But, since Pearl was too young to deliver the calf, the calf died while being born, and had to be pulled out. But, I know that her 2nd calf will be born with no issues as Pearl is older and at the right age to be delivering calves. Still, I will keep an eye on her as much as I can.
Do keep an eye on her. If she miscarried the first calf, they shouldn't have bred her back right away since she was too young for the first baby, and not fully mature herself. She should have been allowed to recover and mature a bit before being bred back. It's hard to tell from the pic, but she looks small, although she's very nice looking. I know you care greatly about your animals - I really hope she does well and has an easy time with the new calf!

 

[fuzzybutt love]

When i had electric to the coop i also used a metal loop that you would normally drop into a large animal trough with the rubber buckets as well. Since the rubber don't get as cold as the other materials, it didn't kick on very much at all; the girls weren't partial to the taste of the water but they drank it good.

Today i did the other part of my winter rites, and used nature's greatest insulater and piled it in a huge drift around the camper. (Snow) Since it's off the ground doing this helps a ton with the temps too; that and getting the straw in there to a depth of a foot at least. Right now i only was able to get the one bale of compressed but i am hoping there is a normal bale or two around here come friday!!! Cozy in there now. They thanked me for my winter efforts by bringing my glove back yesterday. Not kidding! It was neatly placed on the TOP of the straw right next to the water dish; it was NOT anywhere when i was looking for it and kicking the straw around looking the other day. Not smart, huh??? I know by the perfect beady eye they all cocked at me that it was intentional, and i had to laugh. But no one is taking the credit.

Not related, but i'm kinda freaked out by the "beating winter boredom" picture on the Byc main page; That is my flock! But not my flock; someone has an exact lookalike flock to me!!! I have been staring and staring and there is no way that is mine because that looks suspiciously like a bee hive behind them in the white boxes and i don't have one of them or anything that looks like that. But I have every bird in that pic, exactly the same number and colors; Heck, the only thing missing is my two roos, and the month old, one other blue hen!!!! Freaky. I don't have all their pics on the computer .... but you get the idea!

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

@fuzzybutt love

I love your chickens, so pretty. That's a funny coincidence for sure. Go play the Lotto! Kidding! I never advocate gambling.

 

[lbrykowski2011]

Literally, been researching for hrs to stay on safe side. The universities and most vets agree sevin is fine to use, but only the 5% one. The withdraw time for the eggs is 7 days, due to the fact sevin is absorbed by the skin and the same for poultry dust, they have the same main chemicals. Bummer part is I have to retreat in 7-10 days, so it will be 2 wks total of no eggs.

But better than lice on my lil girls. Just trying to figure out how to dispose of eggs. Was gonna throw them in the woods, but not sure if another animal will eat them and get sick, could carefully put them in the garbage. The university of maryland is where I got the withdraw time.

Fuzzyb- love ur chickens, my EE's are my fav.

 

[uchytil]

We have no electricity to the coop so we use rubber bowls. We have two (one for a spare) but mostly can just pop the ice out and refill the one bowl. It is amazing how the chooks will work at keeping the water open during the day.

eta: Wish we could find small rubber bowls for the rabbits. As is, we rotate out their crocks with the frozen ones being brought in to thaw. DH is picking up more crocks today as we ended up with another bunny over the weekend. DH went to look at something on craigslist and the owners had this bunny. First they wanted to sell it....then offered to give it to him. DH took it for the simple fact that the poop was so deep on the tray that it was mounded up inside the cage..

I don't think that bunny knew what to think when he was put into one of our hutches with clean bedding, a resting pad, fresh hay....like all the rest of our animals, our bunnies are spoiled

my rabbits would eat rubber bowls