Minnesota!

[Missa Chickabee]

BTC!!

So very fun to know I have a chicken ally close by! We are actually midway between Walker and Bemidji on 45. Guthrie.

Thanks for the newsy reply and the links which I'm going to head over into now.

As for the old-timers. I love 'em, too. Especially Bee Kissed. Her rescue site helped me immensely. She has shifted to the web: Natural Chicken-Keeping. But at the end of the day, I still treat every animal like I would my own baby. And I need to sometimes just listen to my gut. So I added the 150 watt red heat bulb at the ceiling socket in my 10 X 12 coop. BUt it was going to be -30! To everything there's a limit. (And I won't be cooking Boaz anytime soon.

)

If it weren't for my hubby and the cat I would likely give them turns in the house with fit-to-measure diapers. Have had occasion to bring some in...one at a time...for one reason or another:

Caught! Can you believe my husband showed this pic to our bank loans officer?

 

[Missa Chickabee]

WINTER DAMAGED and (hen-pecked)

This is what Boaz looked like before I went away for a week. (but of course, this pic was last summer)

And this is Boaz after being hen-pecked. I was shocked. Ventilated coop. I use vaseline or bag balm on his comb and wattles. Still...

SO this is what we are trying to protect: Blue Cote on there, but his long saddle should arrive Monday. We'll just see how he will take to that!

PS. After the Blue Kote application he just loves the blow dryer on the low setting. RX every other day.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Hahaha. Look at that beautiful bird in that beautiful house!

Now not everybody gets to see that everyday! Love it.

We're Near Longville and you and I are absolutely crazy raising chickens where we are according to all our friends and neighbors. Hahaha. How many times have you been asked "aren't you afraid you are going to lose them all to predators?" biggest question I get from everybody. I say, "Yes". Then I explain the research and the trenching of cement and hardware cloth. Predator proof coop....then I see their eyes haze over and I know their bored and I've lost 'em. Hahahaha.

When I tell them I free range, people look like this at me:

To be honest, and even the best on BYC here will say, I am bound to lose a few. Luck. i've been lucky.

As for the OT's--totally valuable information. Totally acceptable to me to take what works for you and then modify to where you live and also your own values. I think many were from south of here too. They're not dealing with as harsh of temps for these extended periods of time in the very least. I'm glad you did what was right for your animals. I did too.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

Hey Missa Chickabee!


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. YUP X2

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

Will Check this out

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. Yes. I have changed my opinion about crows. I welcome them now

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. The Chart says Australorps are pred-savvy, but I think you are right. Anyway they are half black orp, yes?

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Poor Boaz. This long cold snap. I'm going to blame everything on the Cold.

I dunno. I'm feeling lucky with Roger's Pale Toe right about now. Did you read the feather picking thread yet? Do you have a main culprit? or do you think it's a whole bunch of bored girls?

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I guess I should give Holly, my Australorp more credit. She is a bit more skiddish than the BO. But I just sort of picture her bumbling along with the Orpington for some reason. She allows us to hold her but she doesn't want her wings held down. She'll perch on your arm for a bit and wait to see why you had to be holding her.... I like her pleasant yet aloof personality probably the most. She's a nice hen.

 

[Triplell]

Hello, Bogtown and Missa Chickabee,
I am not to far from you, 2 miles east of Brainerd. I use to raise RIR and found they would raither fight amongst them selves then look for preditors. I now raise Black Australorps and just love em. I have layers and then I have y breeder/ show quality ones. My two roosters are so intuned to the sky and the surroundings that not much gets past them. My ducks even have learned to listen to them. I have lots of young cockerels available right now and even some pullets. I also plan on hatching a bunch more in April. I plan on getting rid of my 2yr old hens and replacing them with the BA's. It would be nice to have coffee sometime and get to know each other and talk chicken.

 

[Triplell]

Betty the PBR hen that is living in the house by the woodfurnise is getting lonely. If our weather starts to get warmer then maybe I will let go back outside for alittle while. She still is molting pertty heavily.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

That would be lovely Tripllel. I'm not opposed to coffee either. I get to Brainerd for shopping once in a while. It depends on what I need (Brainerd vs. Grand Rapids) --they're a horse a piece as far as distance. Maybe Miss chickabee and I could car pool. She's a little closer to Bemidji. Or you could all come to Longville (right in the middle)

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Tripllel and Missa Chickabee you've been kind enough to show pictures of yourselves so I thought I better reciprocate. I think it's the only picture I have of me with a chicken!

Here I am with my kids, toasting our new coop and "move in day" for the feathered out adolescent chicks this past May.
Welch's Sparkling Grape for the kids and I might say a well deserved glass of Pinot for me; Grass clippings, mealies and yogurt for the coop-warming meal for the chicks that day.

I didn't sleep a wink hardly that night. Praying that coop didn't have a crack somewhere in it that a mink could get in. LOL.