Minnesota!

[Cluckies]

I'm afraid to look at next weeks forecast now... lol

 

[jbenson]

We didn't get jack for snow here in the Cities. I am kinda sad about it. It's been raining and "warm" here so long now the grass is really greening up. I didn't order Christmas in Seattle - could someone inform Mother Nature what our global position is?

I've left the chickens cooped up this week because I was getting worried about fungus. One chicken was starting to show a couple spots of what looked like it on her comb and I know the moisture level in the coop is currently lower than them running about in the drizzle and then tracking mud back in. They are mad though. And now the coop is dirty again and I have to clean it. I think that will be Friday's project while DH is at work. I feel like I just cleaned it. It gets bad so quickly when they are shut in all day. I appreciate the warmer temps for not having frozen water and all that, but I'm over it. I have a sinking feeling all this warm weather will earn us another polar vortex next month and we're gonna pay for it.

At least I have fuzzy butts to look forward to next week. Bator is full for the NYD HAL and my customer list for chicks is growing. Gotta get the brooder set up over my Christmas break here so it's ready when they decide to hatch. Just breeding d'Uccles this year. Well maybe I'll do a few more blue layers later in the season for myself, but I had such bad luck with those last year (ended up with one pullet and a dozen cockrels out of my last hatch and a lot of late quitters). I had debated intentionally crossing them with a different roo to get more greenish eggs, but I really don't want to change the looks of the birds that much. They are already a cross between Ameraucana and Araucana and most of mine do not have the Ameraucana beard or muffs, but they do have tails. Possible i have too much Araucana genes and the "fatal gene" is getting mine in the shell - can't really tell for sure. Or maybe DH will make good on wanting to get a few chicks from somewhere else of breeds I don't yet have. We've debated getting bantam Dark Cornish (so cute) and maybe a few bantam blue cochin. I also need to get a new d'Uccle roo for next year to keep my blood lines from getting inbred.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have been letting my chickens out as much as possible in this weather.

I am worried about being inactive in a coop with so much humidity. Because we have had rain and the snow is all gone the chickens have been digging through the leaves and grass.

I am not aware of the fungus you talk about? Should I be concerned about them being out and getting that more than respiratory problems in the coop?


I think I made a mistake on my rooster selection also. I did not keep a EE rooster does that mean I will not get colored eggs from any chicks I happen to keep? The roosters I kept are all brown egg layers.

How hard is it to bring one rooster into the flock? Is it worth the risk of disease to do so?

I am not breeding for show, I just like the pretty eggs to sell or give away.

 

[jbenson]

I have been letting my chickens out as much as possible in this weather.

I am worried about being inactive in a coop with so much humidity. Because we have had rain and the snow is all gone the chickens have been digging through the leaves and grass.

I am not aware of the fungus you talk about? Should I be concerned about them being out and getting that more than respiratory problems in the coop?


I think I made a mistake on my rooster selection also. I did not keep a EE rooster does that mean I will not get colored eggs from any chicks I happen to keep? The roosters I kept are all brown egg layers.

How hard is it to bring one rooster into the flock? Is it worth the risk of disease to do so?

I am not breeding for show, I just like the pretty eggs to sell or give away.

The fungus is a white growth on the comb. It can be treated, but I'd rather prevent it. It happens during periods of high humidity sometimes. I suppose it will depend on what is in the area where your chickens dig, your ground, etc. I know I have had to be careful as I have seen it a couple times during very wet periods at my house, but usually I'm able to treat it with an anti-fungal directly on the comb and it goes away. I try to keep the coop as dry as possible and clean as possible to avoid respiratory stuff. When it's really cold and wet, I tend to keep them in a bit more - they really like to dig in the mud and drag a lot of that into the coop - not to mention that a lot of mine are feather legged/footed, so I'd rather they not get mud balls on their feet.

If you did not keep an EE roo, but you cross your EE girls with brown layers, you won't get blue eggs, but you'll probably get some shades of green out of any pullets from their offspring (depending on how dark the brown is compared to the blue). It's not just the roo who decides the shell color. I keep my blue layers for the fun of blue eggs too. They aren't show birds or anything, but they are pretty. I like the look of them as much as I like the blue eggs.

I will be bringing in a new roo as a chick (I actually plan on getting maybe 6 more of this breed - probably straight run - and will keep one cockrel and whatever pullets match the coloration I am working towards - also that way the new roo won't be a lonely chick as the new chicks will be kept in a separate brooder from my homegrown chicks). I will get him from an NPIP breeder to avoid as much disease as possible and introduce him to my flock once he is big enough (by then I can be fairly confident that he is not carrying something that will wipe out my flock). I don't have the facilities to bring in an adult bird and keep it separated for a few months for the type of bio security I am trying to accomplish (the adult bird would still need to come from an NPIP flock for my own peace of mind and since I am working towards being NPIP myself).

I will probably let them out today to let them stretch their legs. And I will probably let them out Friday and over the weekend if the temps continue to be mild (and cause when they are all out in the run, it's much easier to clean the coop.) But I will be watching for fungus. Last winter during polar vortex, the humidity raised in my coop a bit and I had a couple birds show small fungus growths on their combs. I treated them and then I smeared everyone else with bag balm to prevent moisture buildup. That seemed to work. I might try that again - as much as they hate me smearing that stuff near their faces. I'm also gonna go out and check everyone's noses to make sure we aren't getting anything respiratory - which can become a problem when the humidity is really high and all the spores aren't covered by the snow. Not totally excited that I have to be on high alert for that during the winter, but at least I know what to look for and I'm determined to have a super healthy flock, so I check them over regularly so if something isn't looking right, I can catch it early. So far, we have had little to worry about here, but it's never bad to be cautious.

 

[Cluckies]

Thanks for the input on the fungus on the combs. I have seen white specks on their combs a couple weeks ago, but I thought it was just dry skin. I'll have to research photos and see if that is what it is. The wetness is terrible. I do let them out in the run, but not outside due to the mud. I have two wearing pinless peepers and don't want the mud to get into their peepers and nostrils. I have one molting and want to keep her out of the wind. It is a trying time here, lol.

 

[duluthralphie]

The fungus is a white growth on the comb. It can be treated, but I'd rather prevent it. It happens during periods of high humidity sometimes. I suppose it will depend on what is in the area where your chickens dig, your ground, etc. I know I have had to be careful as I have seen it a couple times during very wet periods at my house, but usually I'm able to treat it with an anti-fungal directly on the comb and it goes away. I try to keep the coop as dry as possible and clean as possible to avoid respiratory stuff. When it's really cold and wet, I tend to keep them in a bit more - they really like to dig in the mud and drag a lot of that into the coop - not to mention that a lot of mine are feather legged/footed, so I'd rather they not get mud balls on their feet.

If you did not keep an EE roo, but you cross your EE girls with brown layers, you won't get blue eggs, but you'll probably get some shades of green out of any pullets from their offspring (depending on how dark the brown is compared to the blue). It's not just the roo who decides the shell color. I keep my blue layers for the fun of blue eggs too. They aren't show birds or anything, but they are pretty. I like the look of them as much as I like the blue eggs.

I will be bringing in a new roo as a chick (I actually plan on getting maybe 6 more of this breed - probably straight run - and will keep one cockrel and whatever pullets match the coloration I am working towards - also that way the new roo won't be a lonely chick as the new chicks will be kept in a separate brooder from my homegrown chicks). I will get him from an NPIP breeder to avoid as much disease as possible and introduce him to my flock once he is big enough (by then I can be fairly confident that he is not carrying something that will wipe out my flock). I don't have the facilities to bring in an adult bird and keep it separated for a few months for the type of bio security I am trying to accomplish (the adult bird would still need to come from an NPIP flock for my own peace of mind and since I am working towards being NPIP myself).

I will probably let them out today to let them stretch their legs. And I will probably let them out Friday and over the weekend if the temps continue to be mild (and cause when they are all out in the run, it's much easier to clean the coop.) But I will be watching for fungus. Last winter during polar vortex, the humidity raised in my coop a bit and I had a couple birds show small fungus growths on their combs. I treated them and then I smeared everyone else with bag balm to prevent moisture buildup. That seemed to work. I might try that again - as much as they hate me smearing that stuff near their faces. I'm also gonna go out and check everyone's noses to make sure we aren't getting anything respiratory - which can become a problem when the humidity is really high and all the spores aren't covered by the snow. Not totally excited that I have to be on high alert for that during the winter, but at least I know what to look for and I'm determined to have a super healthy flock, so I check them over regularly so if something isn't looking right, I can catch it early. So far, we have had little to worry about here, but it's never bad to be cautious.

Thanks..
I live on very sandy soil so there is no much mud and I have no feathered feet to watch. I will probably have to buy a EE rooster chick as early as possible this spring. I hate not having kept one, I had originally planned to.

I understand the rooster alone does not make the egg color, but I doubt my roosters have anything but brown egg genes. I wish I had not killed that last rooster, but he was so mean!




On a completely different note, I have gold finches at my feeder today! They have been missing for over a month now. I am glad they are back.

 

[jbenson]

At least it's not raining today. I let them out. The run looked pretty dry. Our soil is also kinda sandy, but when it's raining, it's not enough to keep from having mud.

 

[Minniechickmama]

It sounds crazy, but I look forward to the temps getting down enough to harden all this mess up. I am going to need cleats to walk out in the pasture if this keeps up.

 

[duluthralphie]

Fellow Minnesotaons!!!


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/943307/the-greatest-movie-of-all-time-is-on-right-now


It is on right now do not be late, you only have 24 hours to catch it this year..Or borrow one of my 5 copies!

 

[ejb3810]

Ralphie, Why would you not look to acquire an Ameraucana rooster as opposed to an EE. It would allow you to find a particular color variety and help to propagate pullets that would lay eggs of a better blue color. I have two EE roosters from this past summer that were supposed to be pullets. You are welcome to either one or both at no charge, but I am located in Hermantown.