Minnesota!

[SouthDakotan]

I resolved the snow depth resistance by stopping by my local appliance dealer & getting two large refrigerator boxes, which I opened up flat. Then as the snow got deep, I placed one out just past their door on a sunny day. They come out & sun themselves & eat a bit of snow and fluff and prine. Then they head back in. It seems to have helped. Today they made a mad dash to come out, after I retrieved their cardboard "floor" and set out their feed dishes at its edge. They came out and have been enjoying the sun -- but keeping their feet off the cold snow.

I definitely want to stock pile cardboard appliance boxes for next winter so I can do it a few more times through the winter & not have to worry about digging down to find the previously laid cardboard.

DEEP down there is the first box, but I figure come spring met, a few niffty little bugs will mistakenly think its a great place to build their homes and so I will likely leave it down for a while so the insects will establish themselves well -- then I will pull it up and let the girls go crazy.

 

[FoxyChicken]

I'm with you on this one. The pecking has gotten pretty bad for us too. The frizzles are getting the brunt of it. One looks like a Turken she's so bald. Two have no feathers on their backs. Several ladies are missing most or all of their tail feathers. No remedy has fixed it for us either, they are just going stir crazy. I stopped opening the door cause they won't go outside due to the snow depth and I thought it silly to let the cold air in if they weren't going to go outside. I'm so sick of it. It's been near impossible to keep things clean too since they freak out and fly at my head while I'm scooping the floor (we have a slab floor coop). In the nice weather, I lock them out in the run while I clean. I want spring so badly. Thank goodness no skin has been broken yet because I'd have to bring the victim in the house. I've not no place outdoors to separate them anymore.

Well my bird separation didn't go exactly as planned... I set up a small enclosure in the garage (a kiddie pool with fencing around it) for the two Australorps (Black1 and Black2. I ran out of creativity with names

) because they seemed to be getting the brunt of the picking, Black2 much worse than the Black1. They always hang together out in the coop, never pick on each other so I thought I'd put Black1 in there so Black2 wouldn't be lonely. Well it turned out that when it was just the two of them in a small space B1 did pick on B2, so I put B1 back in the coop. B2 actually seemed to enjoy her alone time, she had all kinds of food, water, bedding and we had a fire going in the woodstove so it was relatively warm. I even put on classical music for her. She seemed very relaxed. Well wouldn't you know it, a couple hours later a package arrived in the mail. About two weeks prior I had ordered some anti-picking spray off of Amazon (Net-Tex?) but didn't realize until after I ordered that it comes from the UK and wouldn't arrive for a month! To my surprise it showed up two weeks early. I figured I'd better try it out as long as it was the weekend and I could keep an eye on things, so I pulled poor B2 out of her happy place, sprayed her down with this stuff and stuck her back in the coop. It didn't seem like the stuff did any good, but the bottle says that it takes a week to work so I'm still keeping her in the coop. I'm pretty sure she hates me now. I just don't see why it wouldn't work sooner? If they don't like the taste of it you'd think they'd stop picking right away, not a week later.

The poor bird is so crusty now from all of the things I've smeared and sprayed on her, when she sees me she either cowers in the corner or runs away... Oh, I also ordered an apron for her that showed up yesterday but I had no idea how to put it on and the dumb thing didn't come with any instructions!

I had to google it last night so I'll try putting it on again tonight. She's got to be on the verge of suicide. Well at least it's warming up and they might think about going out into their run during the day, that almost doubles the amount of space they have. I hung another cabbage yesterday and the 6 little piggies ate the entire thing in one day! I should also have 2 pounds of mealworms showing up tonight. Ya ever see the movie Gremlins? I made the mistake of feeding them mealworms and now they're little monsters!! I feel like I need to explain myself to them when I go into the coop and they mob me at the door..."no, no girls, I don't have anything for you. I'm just here to collect your beautiful eggs. Okaaay?" in a sweet voice as I slowly creep my way through the crowd...
Oh! And another thing! (as long as I'm on my rant

) I saw these cute little miniature bales of alfalfa at the hardware store, I think they're supposed to be for rabbits, so I bought it as another thing for the little beasties to be occupied with. I threw just a couple of these little flakes of hay in the coop. Two words: CHICKEN LAXATIVE! Oh my gosh, they were pooping left and right! So now that it's getting really warm in the greenhouse during the day the place just reeks! And I keep tracking it into the house on my boots! Probably have to do a full cleanout this weekend.

Okay then, I feel I should apologize. I didn't mean to go on such a rant, but it just sort of happened once I started writing my trials and tribulations down. I've just been so stressed and angry about it all, but now that I've written this I'm actually laughing at it all so I guess that's a good thing! Happy chickening!!

 

[SouthDakotan]

FoxyChicken, I know I shouldn't be laughing but THANK YOU for the humor! Made me feel like I'm not alone. Here's the trick I have tried on some of my critters (including some humans)

http://www.vitacost.com/Images/Prod...l-Gel-Tea-Tree-Pain-Reliever-078522030225.jpg

Apparently many things DO NOT like the smell, including dogs But it has amazing healing ability. Additionally the ointment relieves pain. My husband is a welder, so he often gets weld spatter burning him. He said its the best he has ever had for resolving the immediate burning pain. (not recommended for large sun burns, etc).

If the hen's treatment stuff takes a week, I'd consider keeping her isolated in a dog-kennel within the coop. That way they still know her as a flock member but can't get to her. Just a suggestion. Each time she is removed for several days, it can make for flock unrest as this "new' bird is put in & disrupts the pecking order.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Foxy, your birds with the meal worms sound like my cracked corn addicted flock. I swear, if I toss 2 kernels to any of them, the whole flock knows it and goes nuts. Now I say flock, and I mean over 100 chickens all separated by breed. So, as I toss it to the first pen, the rest are literally going nuts and flapping and jumping like I had been starving them or something. I only feed it as a snack when it is really cold so they can make more heat for themselves. I laugh every time I see this behavior. It is a sure way of telling if any of them have something wrong with them, because they must be sick or injured to not come running for the corn.

The things that amuse us humans

 

[Hensnhorses]

So sorry to hear about both sad events.

 

[Hensnhorses]

Quote:
You are a riot. I can hardly wait to get my chicks (2 more weeks!). I'll pull out the classical music for them too. Thanks for the chuckles!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Foxy Chicken: I think we've all had those days in our chickening repertoire and there is certainly no better place than BYC and particularly this Minnesota Nice thread to "go-off" --

Chickening is not for ninnies. That is for sure. And this Minnesota weather just makes it all that much harder. I've had a winter-full of issues myself. I haven't had feather picking...but I've got a friend with it going on in the coop...I got some old wool sweaters from our local thrift store (at least 50% wool). Felted them down in hot water In the wash. Then put them in a hot dryer. Then cut a template out from some threads here on BYC for Chicken Aprons...and cut some wing slots. No-Sew method. Keeps the girls warm and keeps the feather picker from snackin on backs...while my friend decides what to do with the Picker. I'm thinkin' she's dumplin's.

 

[jbenson]

Foxy Chicken: I think we've all had those days in our chickening repertoire and there is certainly no better place than BYC and particularly this Minnesota Nice thread to "go-off" --

Chickening is not for ninnies. That is for sure. And this Minnesota weather just makes it all that much harder. I've had a winter-full of issues myself. I haven't had feather picking...but I've got a friend with it going on in the coop...I got some old wool sweaters from our local thrift store (at least 50% wool). Felted them down in hot water In the wash. Then put them in a hot dryer. Then cut a template out from some threads here on BYC for Chicken Aprons...and cut some wing slots. No-Sew method. Keeps the girls warm and keeps the feather picker from snackin on backs...while my friend decides what to do with the Picker. I'm thinkin' she's dumplin's.

I'd love this template. I have a couple getting picked bare on their backs and no remedy has worked so far and I just don't have time to sew aprons right now.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/424354/free-chicken-apron-saddle-pattern

jbenson: The general pattern I use is on the first post of this thread. I think the pattern has evolved a little for me though...as I look at it... the shoulder to neck area I've made more of a diagonal or straight shot. Then I'm not using elastic as they recommend (because that requires sewing--LOL) I made the wing slots about 2 1/2 inches long and about 1/2 to 3/4 inches from the edge. Then you firmly, steadily pull your hen's wing through each slot. The hens will protest a little about getting them on...but once on...they sort of stick out a wing or wiggle a little to maybe slough it off and then they are on to their normal thing and to me they look a little more confident in themselves. I try to use natural colors similar to their own markings if I can find them.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Turned off the flat panel heater yesterday! I'm so excited for this warm up. Had a friend with a coop fire using a heat lamp recently. I'm glad I made the decision to get this heater this winter. Smartest thing I did with the birds this year. Everybody stayed relatively comfortable in the coop this winter...and I owe it to this nice addition.