Minnesota!

[Missa Chickabee]

SORRY TO BUTT IN LIKE THIS. PLEASE FORGIVE ME. This below is a reply to a pm from Bog Town, but thought I'd put it here and see if I can get a response. I love my roo so much that the alternative is almost unthinkable.

Bogtown Chick
Mar 18, 2013 at 9:40 pm
Hi Miss Chickabee: just thought I'd check in on you and Boaz. Hadn't heard from you since our nasty nasty cold weather started and winter snows... I hope all is well and Boaz has started some regrowing of his tail feathers. No doubt the wintering of chickens has proven a challenge for us Northern MN chickeneers. Hope you are catching a break here and there.

Best,
Bog town

Hello Bog Town!

I just wrote you all my news and then dear Windows XP decided to shut me down for updates. Sigh.

OK I will start again.

It has been awhile as I have been very occupied with the "stuff of life" with aging parents, mom-in-law moving in with us (from PA) One of my own parents (mom) hospitalized 4 mos now with Alzheimer's in Canada. Dad needing a nursing home. Good friend went to heaven after a long batttle with cancer, renal failure and flesh-eating disease.

Yes. The chicken coop is my happy place but it needs a good spring cleaning.....once the snow and ensuing muck settles down. Wow. What a winter, yes?

So Boaz and all 18 of my girls survived and thrived on their fermented feed. It's great because there is so much water in the feed that I don't have to change out their waterer but once every 3 to 4 days.

I'd be lost without electricity, though. Big heated dog bowls for the feed.

Boaz's hinder fuzz and 4 inches of his tail feathers have grown back so far, but I have had to isolate him from the girls. A few trial runs told me that there are still a couple of obsessed feather-pickers. They lack nothing in their diets as far as I know. It's just an obsessive habit because all the hens are white or buff and he is black.

If you know anyone who would want a nice Black Copper Marans Roo, please let me know ASAP!

I really want to re-home him if I can. I just love the guy. He is all roo, but still likes me to take him from his roost early in the morning or after dark at night and give him a cuddle. (I think he just hates that he likes that...being a roo and all) I have put out the word on Bemidji Craig's List.

Well, I should post this on the BYC site, too. Will see how well copy/paste works. Boaz is a good Hawk deterrent. I have seen him sound the alarm successfully. He leads the girls to food and then lets them eat first and he does his manly duties with faithfulness and passion.

So if you or anyone you know knows of someone who will take him, please pm me!

Hey thanks so much for checking in on us, BT! I so appreciate you and all on our Minnesota site. I love this state. And northern MN is the best!

Missa Chickabee

This pic is of Boaz last summer. He is now almost 2 years old, that is, almost at his full maturity. As I wrote, his feathers are coming in very nicely now, although the rough winter smoothed out his comb somewhat. If anyone is interested I will send more pics.

MY BLACK COPPER MARANS ROOSTER NEEDS A NEW HOME!

 

[Minniechickmama]

I too have had some tail pecking issues. I have found that when they are juveniles that if, for some reason, on of the blood feathers in the tail get broken and there is blood there, the whole pen will start pecking and the don't stop until the tail is gone or the bird is dead. It is a very gruesome ordeal. I haven't discovered any other reason for this behavior either. I give them good feed, space, water and still I find this happens.

I can't imagine why your hens would do this to 'their man". How RUDE! But I will say, that old saying "Birds of a feather flock together" surely is based in truth. I sometimes put oddball hens I have purely for egging eggs during hatching season (so I have some to sell for eating), into some breeding pens just to make sure the roo has enough girls and doesn't beat them up too badly during breeding season. Anyway, I have an EE hen in with my Welsummers right now and she sits up on the wall where a 2X4 sits out and does not mix with the rest of the pen. When she does come down, the Wellie hens peck at her. I have seen this kind of thing going on from the very beginning of raising chickens. It is amusing but very curious.

So, people aren't the only creatures on this Earth who show prejudice.

 

[RobertYang]

I am currently looking for Serama! If you have any or know anyone in Minnsota that sells any let me know too! Im doing research to find me some also.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Man I would so take Boaz if I didn't have 2 roos already. He's gorgeous and a love no doubt. Anybody wanting a nice roo would find a deal there.

Anybody else had a weasel or ermine visit their coop and run? I've got this cute guy visiting. Looks like he eats mice which is a nice deal but not sure I'm so keen about him drinking blood out of my birds' necks or wings. Egads. He's about 4-5 inches long body and 1-2 inch tail. Cute as a button...but so needs to go bye bye. need to build yet another coop related contraption: "Weasel Box"


We're at the State Boys Basketball tournaments now and wouldn't you know right before we left yesterday I seen him peeking out from his den. My son got the .22 and fired a round down the hole at him...but doubtful we got anything. Crap crap crap. My mom is chook sitting, bless her, but wish I was back North staking out this guy.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Man I would so take Boaz if I didn't have 2 roos already. He's gorgeous and a love no doubt. Anybody wanting a nice roo would find a deal there.

Anybody else had a weasel or ermine visit their coop and run? I've got this cute guy visiting. Looks like he eats mice which is a nice deal but not sure I'm so keen about him drinking blood out of my birds' necks or wings. Egads. He's about 4-5 inches long body and 1-2 inch tail. Cute as a button...but so needs to go bye bye. need to build yet another coop related contraption: "Weasel Box"


We're at the State Boys Basketball tournaments now and wouldn't you know right before we left yesterday I seen him peeking out from his den. My son got the .22 and fired a round down the hole at him...but doubtful we got anything. Crap crap crap. My mom is chook sitting, bless her, but wish I was back North staking out this guy.

Just had someone who was supposed to be getting a rabbit from me yesterday to go with her doe. Well, the night before, she had a similar visitor come in and kill the doe. I have had them get in my rabbits as well a few years ago, but thankfully haven't seen one in the poultry yard. Knock on wood!

 

[cochins1088]

Is anyone planning on going to the swap in New Prague tomorrow?

I'll be bringing 7 week old cochin bantam chicks to sell and I'm hoping to find a gosling or two. Of course, we all know how these swaps go and I'll probably end up coming home with much more than a couple goslings, haha.

 

[cochins1088]

Man I would so take Boaz if I didn't have 2 roos already. He's gorgeous and a love no doubt. Anybody wanting a nice roo would find a deal there.

Anybody else had a weasel or ermine visit their coop and run? I've got this cute guy visiting. Looks like he eats mice which is a nice deal but not sure I'm so keen about him drinking blood out of my birds' necks or wings. Egads. He's about 4-5 inches long body and 1-2 inch tail. Cute as a button...but so needs to go bye bye. need to build yet another coop related contraption: "Weasel Box"


We're at the State Boys Basketball tournaments now and wouldn't you know right before we left yesterday I seen him peeking out from his den. My son got the .22 and fired a round down the hole at him...but doubtful we got anything. Crap crap crap. My mom is chook sitting, bless her, but wish I was back North staking out this guy.

Yikes! Do you think he could fit through chain link dog kennel panels?

 

[Minniechickmama]

Yikes! Do you think he could fit through chain link dog kennel panels?

They can fit through a 1" opening. Make sure you use hardware cloth to cover holes, they can chew through chicken wire.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

He is getting through 1 inch chicken wire. Hardware cloth is the only answer along with a .22 , and a nice spring Soon so my chooks can free range would be nice too instead of 3 feet of snow.

 

[coldupnorth]

He is getting through 1 inch chicken wire. Hardware cloth is the only answer along with a .22 , and a nice spring Soon so my chooks can free range would be nice too instead of 3 feet of snow.

They are tricky little buggers! My sister lost about 10 chickens from her flock a couple of years ago, before they could figure out where it was getting into the barn.

Amen to Spring coming soon - I'm tired of the 3 feet of snow too. I should have used my snowshoes yesterday to get to the compost pile because the drifts are way too deep by the garden.