Minnesota!

[Rich55016]

I use wood chips over my sand. My sand is about 400 feet deep.

That is some really deep sand. Lol

 

[Coffee 1st]

What do all of you use on the floor of your coops for the winter? I have been using shavings, but I am thinking about switching to sand. If that is a good idea, how deep of sand do you have? 3",4"??

I have a tarp, then straw with DE, lots of people use shavings and sand but my girls didnt like the shavings so i went back to straw. i think because thats what they had when i 1st brought them home and im ok with that because its cheap...

 

[KlopKlop]

Klop with the dog and kitten ordeal you may try the "leave it. Mine" in a deep low stern voice. I did this with chicken training with the new Labrador. She's interested in the chickens yet... More than I like. But she came to heel when I said that to her just today. I'm sure would work the same with kittens and pit mix. The pits are smart dogs too.

BC in my dogs I find the HEEL command is stronger than anything other. They do most commands but sometimes their curiosity tends to over ride their brains and they ignore sit or stay or do them for a half a second. but Heel brings them back to me and the closer they are the smarter they seem to get.

I am with Ralphie on this one, they listen best when they are within arms reach. She is making strides from where she was when she first met them. We use the word 'Gentle' with her. She isnt a mean dog just is not careful about her strength and is pretty clumsy. it has worked well with the chickens. She is good with them except if they flush which sometimes happens when she thinks she needs to sniff the chickens bum which of course they dont like. fortunatly besides a couple minor incidences with a couple lost tail feathers nothing bad has happened.

 

[duluthralphie]

OMG thats 2 funny...

Maybe funny, but it is true!

 

[duluthralphie]

So wrong. My hibiscus is blooming also but it was time to bring it in so I don't mind.

Looks like my Icelandics, they are molting later then the rest and still haven't got their tail feathers in. Oh to be beautiful again!

If you don't want to go through kitten phase, my mom has a couple of cats that need a home. Just a suggestion.

Ralphie, I would love to take credit for the outbuilding, however, the people before us had the gravel pit in town & they would run semis in & out of here. I guess there is some testing that needs to be done on rocks. DS is happy about it all, he doesn't freeze his bottom when he's working. Ok he really doesn't ever freeze, he's very warm blooded. I'm so glad that you grabded the rest of the bales, now I don't have to look at them or move them some where else! Really I'm a closet lazy person.

It was my pleasure and thanks for them.. The buildings are yours now no matter who build them, they are fantastic! I would have them filled with chicks and junk so fast!

I am a closet hoarder, without a closet.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Nov 1st and my Rose bushes are starting to bloom again...maybe we get to skip winter this year...

We had a bearded iris bloom about a month ago. There was something else out of synch with the season, but can't remember what it was. I have birds that hatched late winter who are molting! One Welsummer pullet and a couple of the early New Hampshires. SMH It is very weird to see that.

I would love to have gotten out and worked, but I barely got chores done before dark today. Some expected errands along with some unexpected things came up. Two unexpected things are 2 cats that someone obviously dumped off here and have no clue that our dogs barking means they want to rip them apart. Last week a black cat showed up and our dogs did kill it. But two nights ago, a loud, starving obnoxiously friend cat showed up at the door meowing to come in. We got it into the garage before the dogs got out at it. Then tonight, ANOTHER one showed up. I think these two know each other and may be mother and daughter (not sure but I think they may both be females), and now we have both of them in the garage with a place for them to sleep and a litter box. I am planning to take them to either the Humane Society or another rescue place in Rochester tomorrow. The poor things' bones are sticking out and they are just kind of crazy right now. They were not afraid of us, and want to come inside, and everything about how they behave says they were house cats, and how does more than one end up on someone's doorstep? I hate people who do that crap. Our cats don't want them around either, they hissed and started getting all riled up when DD found the younger one out by them, its about 4 months old or so.

 

[Cluckies]

What do all of you use on the floor of your coops for the winter? I have been using shavings, but I am thinking about switching to sand. If that is a good idea, how deep of sand do you have? 3",4"??

In the henhouse or in the run? In the henhouse I use large pine flakes (TSC) over Sweet PDZ, in the winter I double the flakes to about 5 inches. In the run I use sand. over that last year I put pine flakes as well, this year i'm going to try and gather up all kinds of leaves and try to keep them in a dry place until needed, then they can sift through that all winter. It has been hard though to try and get dry leaves due to the weather

I tried straw at the beginning of last year, it did not go over well. My girls weren't used to it, they started eating it and one got sour crop. plus the poo froze to it and it seemed to get slippery as it froze and unfroze. I've thought about hay, just haven't pulled the trigger on that after the straw incident.


Ralphie, what kind of wood chips do you use?

I have birds that hatched late winter who are molting! One Welsummer pullet and a couple of the early New Hampshires. SMH It is very weird to see that.

I would love to have gotten out and worked, but I barely got chores done before dark today. Some expected errands along with some unexpected things came up. Two unexpected things are 2 cats that someone obviously dumped off here and have no clue that our dogs barking means they want to rip them apart. Last week a black cat showed up and our dogs did kill it. But two nights ago, a loud, starving obnoxiously friend cat showed up at the door meowing to come in. We got it into the garage before the dogs got out at it. Then tonight, ANOTHER one showed up. I think these two know each other and may be mother and daughter (not sure but I think they may both be females), and now we have both of them in the garage with a place for them to sleep and a litter box. I am planning to take them to either the Humane Society or another rescue place in Rochester tomorrow. The poor things' bones are sticking out and they are just kind of crazy right now. They were not afraid of us, and want to come inside, and everything about how they behave says they were house cats, and how does more than one end up on someone's doorstep? I hate people who do that crap. Our cats don't want them around either, they hissed and started getting all riled up when DD found the younger one out by them, its about 4 months old or so.

I have one that had a mini molt this summer, now it appears she might be molting again? I just don't know what to think of that. she was looking good finally too, then last night on the roost she dropped many feathers, terrible.

That is so sad about those cats. I know it happens, my mom actually did this to my cat after I went in the Navy she didn't want to take care of it until I could get a place and take her with me. I was very upset to say the least. I'm sure she didn't last long out there in the wild being a house cat, probably scared to death. I may have been able to find a place for her, but I didn't know about it until after it was done and I was a couple thousand miles away. Terrible.

still get sad when I think of it.

 

[duluthralphie]

I Wish I could take a kitten from one of you. When we lost our cat a couple years ago, we did not replace it because our kids have allergies to them. Lo and behold, I found I could breath through my nose after the cat was gone 6 months or so. I guess the allergies the kids have were inherited.


I was at my sons in Shakopee on Thursday, my grand daughter and I picked cherry tomatoes off their plants (outdoors). There were lots of them and the plants were blossoming still. We picked about a dozen so we could give Grandma some. ( I do not eat tomatoes, I have functioning taste buds) We gave Grandma 8 tomatoes. She was so happy and Vivian was so proud of herself, however, Grandma only ate 2 tomatoes, Vivian sort of ate 6 of grandma's.

Looks like I get 2 more days time to get ready for winter. I lose tomorrow because I am babysitting again.

I had a rooster emergency last night, my young BA apparently does not like girls. He refuses to stay in the coop with Ed and the girls. I found him roosting on the center pole holding the bird netting up over the guinea gulag. I ended having to get a ladder and climbing to the top of the pen and throwing the rooster towards the edge of the pen. When I got him close to the end my DW grabbed him and we moved him to the hospital rooms. I could not let him stay out he was in the perfect place to become owl food.

Today I will be placing him into a dog cage in the chicken coop until he learns it is his place. I may have to put him and his hens into breeding pens, I was hoping to not do that until February. He is crucial to me BA breeding. When moving the rooster, I noticed my nest sleeping has gotten worse. almost every chicken is sleeping in nests! The GG poults started this trend and it has spread. I am going to have to block the nests I hate doing that as I hate having to go out before I have 14 cups of coffee to unblock them.

Kloppers how long did you have to block yours for to stop the bad habit?

My wife liked my new Creamette/Creamer feeding area, she wants me to make another one but larger for the turkeys. This is not the norm, she is not a fan of my spending on my birds. I think she has been abducted by an alien and replaced by one. When we left Aussiegal's yesterday she was all excited by the Alpacas and CC. She thought he looked really good in her flock and kept saying, I can't believe that handsome guy is our rooster. I had to explain over and over, it was no longer ours. She said I knew what she meant, I did not. I have King George and his gals now.

Does anyone want a Guinea Hen? I do not dare let her out of Guinea Gulag and I do not want to send her to camp. You should know she has behavioral issues. She chases chickens and cars. She refuses to do anything you want her to do. I have her with 5-6 roosters now, so maybe she will make guinea crosses if she lives there all winter.

Everyone have a great day, and type. I have a few more hours of coffee drinking ahead of me.

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie, what kind of wood chips do you use?

I use the coarser chips from TSC in ER. I really put them in thick. Last year I had the water inside the coop and they held doo much moisture. I am hoping for better results with my waterers outside.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I don't think it matters so much the word to get your dog under control as much as the tone you use with them personally. IMHO. I've never used heel. But my tone with their name or other commands have brought them where I want them. Anyways...
I have 3 birds just now dropping feathers. Always makes me a bit more nervous this time of year.
I have removed a nest box from my coop. The portable gray plastic one. The silkie and buckeye have been sharing it and I saw my silkies back looked like an overused piece of toilet paper. Ugh. So a bath and blow dry for her yesterday. Yuck. Everybody placed on the roost last night.