Minnesota!

[BlackBrookPoultry]

Someone told me the other day that they buy timothy/alfalfa hay cubes (for horses) and soak them, add fish meal and feed it to their chickens. I think this is a great idea for winter! My chickens are normally free range and I'm sure they miss their greens in the winter months. I think my ducks would really benefit from it too.

 

[Triplell]

I keep it dryer if that makes any sense so it is the texture of oatmeal , and also don't have any roos right now so not those big wattles to worry about.

I am also so relieved it is warmer.  I have a girl in a hard molt (brought on by a horned owl attack) and I have had to have a heat lamp for her because she was literally shivering. 

Mine just started to molt real heavy so now she is in the basement by the wood furnice. She is looking really pathetic.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

6 DegreesToday!!!! alleiluia!

I opened the pop door this morning and shut off the Brooder lamp!

So looking to the 30+ degrees they've predicted for this weekend!

LaLaLand do you get a little superficial frost bite on wattles feeding wet food? I did some FF feed in November but then shut it down when I started seeing frost bite on the roos. I'll probably pick it up again this spring. They get so much benefit from that fermented feed but I just don't want to do maintenance on those frost bites.

Hello BTC (Bogtown Chick) ( from down the road past Laporte. )

Had a "duh" moment when I read what you wrote here. My poor Marans roo has frost-bitten wattles but I never thought about the wet fermented feed causing that. Thanks for the heads-up. I have been transitioning over to dry feed because the fermented feed has been freezing...even in the heated dog dishes....at least it has done so with the last dips to -30 or so.

Boaz's comb has gotten hit pretty badly, too. But the missing tail feathers and missing vent-area-fuzzy feathers..( 4" by 6" swath ) has left his hinder very vulnerable to the cold. I blame it all on the the 3 leghorn sisters with their picking at him...and then teaching the Orpington girls to follow suit. So now I paint his vent area regularly with Blue Cote so his pink skin won't be so inviting.

I guess the old timers would tell me to just 'put him in the pot', but he's a nice Marans despite looking like he's come through WWII. So...I've had our Tess (LoveMyChicks) make me a little coat for him. Should be in my mailbox Monday.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

Also, just wondering if anyone would know how Welsummers would do in the cold of northern MN winters. I understand they are good foragers...which Orgpingtons are not.

 

[Angiebubs]

Missa Chickabee: I have no experience with Welsummers but my Orpingtons are good foragers? And Storeys guide lists them as good foragers as well.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

Missa Chickabee: I have no experience with Welsummers but my Orpingtons are good foragers? And Storeys guide lists them as good foragers as well

Hmmm. I don't doubt they can find food. I'm more concerned about their ability to dodge predators. Someone on BYC from the south said Orpingtons were too slow to hide.

Our property borders up to hundreds of acres of DNR and county land that is wild,wild,wild. We live in the woods. We've had wolves, foxes, bears, raccoons, skunks, weasels, etc and lots of hawks. Love my Buff Orpingtons (15) They are sweet. When I saw an eagle doing a reconnaissance flight over their open-to-the-sky run last summer, I asked for help here at BYC and learned from someone that I could just run #50 clear filament over the top at 2 foot intervals to keep the overhead predators away. It works really well. And it set my mind at ease.

Our neighbors down the road had a flock of 10. Not sure the breed. They free ranged them. They are down to one bird due to predators.

When we had the dog I didn't worry about the ground predators, but now no dog.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

They're not too slow to hide, but if they don't have a rooster that's quick at giving them the warning, the won't hide in time. I would imagine an orpington rooster would not be the best at that. I have an Iowa Blue rooster in with my orps and he does a great job. He even fought off some raccoons this fall. I don't know if the welsummers would be any better. I think you're going to want something fast and a little flighty if you're that worried about predators.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Hey Missa Chickabee!

Down the road not too far for sure! My kids go to WHA school!
Yep I picked up on the wet food bit with extreme temps pretty quick. Once with the FF on one roo and then one morning on warm oatmeal that froze onto my bantam roo's wattles.

I can't just offer it to the girls, i guess. Pretty hard to keep it from the boys. I have scabbed up nasty looking tips on the comb on my New Hampshire from frost bite and the wattle's on my cochin bantam still fairly dark. As things start warming up and healing I'm sure they'll be fine but nonetheless I fret the small stuff as a noob I guess. Also, I've got some circulatory issues with my Rooster's toe.https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...e-prone-to-frost-bite-photos/10#post_10344119 I think it's an old injury from this summer and one of his toes is paler than the others...although it has remained warm now here these last few days with some intervention from me.
You know I believe that humidity and moisture are aggravaters (lack of ventilation and wet food) but I also think we have nasty nasty cold winters and they are DRY winters where you and I live ...and COLD is the culprit. IMHO

Did the vaseline bit and everything.

Hey just saw a great thread on here about feather picking! Interesting stuff and yet one more thing to order through the mail for ya! LOL. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/697052/i-think-i-found-a-miracle-cure-for-feather-picking

I love the old timers and the flavor of their posts. And the knowledge I get from them has been unparalleled. But some of those threads get a little "my way or the highway". And you do feel like this when ever you got a differing opinion.

. I guess we weren't suppose to feel that way but regardless more felt that way then they should need to. 4x 6 is a serious swath on a chicken IMO and I have no doubt that chicken is in good hands. Tripllel on this thread has brought one in by the fireplace who's went into molt. LOL. I think it's all good.

Roosters. Totally valuable. My Big New Hampshire Rooster will have everybody under a picnic table, deck, RV, brush, tall weeds 30 seconds before an aeriel predator hits the clear above our yard. He amazes me. This winter I've been watching the crows. One eagle was over head tonight and minutes later the crows had him pushed outta here. it's pretty amazing. love the crows.
My most flighty and cautious birds are the Easter Eggers. They use their wings and they are not cuddlers. They use the trees and brush and undercovers all the time. My orpington and Australorp are a bit slow on the uptake and do seem to "dum-dee dum" along. Up here in the woods: Free ranged all summer...not one predatory loss.

I locked them up every night of course. Had 3 raccoons meet the wrong end of a .22 after everybody was on the roost and locked up... Timber Wolf and Fox at the end of the driveway a couple mornings--pure luck that they didn't come in the yard, I guess. Had 2-3 neighbor dogs come through sniffing (this is my biggest concern). Just scared them off. So I guess luck and a Rooster is a good thing. But I'm leaning more and more on the Rooster as the key to our success. I would love a Welsummer myself. But of course my chicken math would get the best of me if I let it.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

Some of those "old timers" can get down right nasty if you challenge their opinion.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

They're not too slow to hide, but if they don't have a rooster that's quick at giving them the warning, the won't hide in time. I would imagine an orpington rooster would not be the best at that. I have an Iowa Blue rooster in with my orps and he does a great job. He even fought off some raccoons this fall. I don't know if the welsummers would be any better. I think you're going to want something fast and a little flighty if you're that worried about predators.

Good point. My roo is a Marans about a year old now. Saw him sound the hawk alarm once. It was almost a bad day in their then-topless run. They did stampede the coop door. Maybe he'll do the job. I'd worry about the Orp girls out of the run. Just found this from the home-page. (Sounds like you are right about Welsummers....good foragers, not predator-savy.)