Michigan

[LEEHAHA]

NEWBE ????......i was offered 2Muscovies from a friend i have a large coop and was thinking of adding them with the chickens.... anyone do this and do they get along ok???thx lizzz

 

[ChicwannaB]

I don't know about Muscovies, but I had 2 Pekins and riased them in the same pen as my chickens, the ducks stayed out all night tho. good luck.

 

[chicken grandma]

Leehaha, I would get some advice on here before you mix the muscovy's with your chickens. Good people here to ask about that!

 

[Chickmate]

Quote:
It's not the cold so much as the humidity. Even at moderate temps (30's) there is a possibility of frostbite when you factor in the humidity and the wind chill. All three conditions were present today so that is what I suspect was the causal factor, but I'm not 100% certain.

The known facts are no metal surfaces to contact with; blood on the plastic water containers where a comb would likely touch when the hen drinks and the 2 hens with the large combs have black tips on their combs. It may just be a coincidence. But... Anytime one sees blood where it shouldn't be should investigate where it may have come from. Thus, blood on the water container made me take a close look at the critters that use it. I don't think I'm being over-protective; I think I'm being pro-active in finding the cause.

The good news is that no chicken seems to be adversely affected but I would rather error on the side of caution as I am a steward in the welfare of the animals I share my home with. A little bit of balm on their combs is easily done, even if over-reactive.

I should also note that the egg that Gravy gave me today had a smear of blood on the shell, so the blood on the waterer really stood out. Maybe that led to an acute awareness of anything amiss, but I'll stand by my position of due viligence in caring for my little flock.

On the other hand, perhaps I can exploit this situation and get one of those coeds to come help me with a chicken boo-boo. And this time I can ask them out.

RaZ - I was hoping you knew that I was kidding you about being overprotective. I agree anytime you see blood requires a good examination of every bird to see where it came from and what first aid measures are required.

 

[theron]

Got a puppy today. She is a cairn terrier/maltese mix. SHe has a brindle coloration and is really cute. Ill get some pictures up later.

 

[Chickmate]

Quote:
Nova - If your neighbor has sickly chickens, even if you think it's due to poor ventilation, I would be very hesitant about letting him come in and get that close to your birds as he might transmit something. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Quote:
male ducks will mate with your chickens- chase them relentlessly. Male muscovies are very large and can hurt/kill your chickens. Ducks/esp Muscovies do not like being cooped up at all. Proceed with caution.

 

[RaZ]

Quote:
No need to hide, I knew you were kidding. Besides, I'd rather be called over-protective than a neglectful owner.

 

[Chickmate]

Quote:
No need to hide, I knew you were kidding. Besides, I'd rather be called over-protective than a neglectful owner.

Neglectful we know you are NOT!!

 

[RaZ]

The only thing I neglect is housekeeping.

This is the cause of my concern of yesterday:

Today, I could find no sign of injury on the chickens and they behaved as they normally do. Even got 5 eggs.
The only thing that was possibly different was that Extra went to roost before the other girls even came in. Maybe they have been jostling for the prime roost spot and blood was spilled??? Who knows?