Minnesota!

[Cluckies]

My EE's are also having issues. Silly Goose started laying last October, layed for a month and quit for the winter and hasn't started up again yet. The other one, Baby, lays shelless rubber eggs, or very thin eggs since January. Hmmm They are one year old May 1.

Goose is in my infirmary right now, I think she might have had coccidiosis (sp), they are all on Corid, she is getting better. I started them on it Saturday. Saturday I had to put the medicated water in her mouth using a syringe (without needle) every hour or two as she couldn't do anything but sleep all puffed up. Now she eats and drinks on her own, she started by eating baby food sweet potato, loves that stuff, now i'm mixing it with mash wet with medicated water, still inside the house though, not quite back to her old self, maybe 80 percent though. might join the girls tomorrow or the day after if all goes well. it was touch and go there for a couple of days

But hopefully we are over the hump!

 

[duluthralphie]

I have had 3EEs that are at 7 months. A couple of months ago I was even getting some double yolkers. But now they just lay once in every few days. They went through a patch of laying just shelless eggs too. I don't know if that is over or not.

I have been reading this thread for a little while. I am very impressed with how much you guys know and do with birds!!

I have more EE than anything, mine have been laying since they were 24-25 weeks and are still going strong at a year. I get mainly Blue eggs, with lots of green and some olives. I get lots of eggs I think at least 5 a week per bird.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Holy smokes! A lot of folks from MN! I live north in the East Bethel area. I'm new to chickens - My oldest are about 5 weeks. I didn't plan it out too well.....my little flock won't start laying until the Fall and then I'll have to figure out how to keep them laying in the freezing MN Winter : )

 

[Cluckies]

Hi MinnesotaNice,

and the Minnesota thread! I got my chicks last year in may. I did not make them lay through the winter, all though 3 of the 6 layed through the winter on their own without incentive. I think winter is hard enough, just trying to stay warm, without being forced to lay eggs

Glad it is over for awhile!

What kind of chicks did you get? curiosity killed the cat and all that...

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Thank you, @Cluckies ! I think I'll just let nature take its course and if any of them lay, fantastic! Do you heat your coop? I've heard mixed opinions from those who live in snowy areas. I have yet to even get that far in my plan - just curious.

I have all cross breed chicks. Some look pure, but I'm no professional : ) I do believe most are EE's as I'm noticing many green legs as they age. But I was basically told they're mixes of Araucana, RIR, Buff orpington, Buff brahma, Light brahma, Dark Brahma, Giant Buff Cochin, Giant Blue Cochin,Barred rock, Blue andalusian, Salmon Favorelle, Langshan, Black australorp, Golden laced Wyandotte, Welsummer, Cuckoo Maran, Ameraucana, Speckled Sussex, Mottled Cochin, Columbian Wyandotte, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Black Wyandotte, White Wyandott. So.....yeah. Lol

 

[Minniechickmama]

Minnesotanice, Welcome to the crazy coop! That sounds like my first year, I had over 30 breeds or varieties to try on. Now, I have 5 large breed and 2 bantam breeds I keep and breed from, plus Easter Eggers. Paring down is hard because there are so many fun breeds out there to choose from, then the different colors or patterns too!

Ralphie- I am jealous! Love the songbirds! We used to have a contest when the kids were younger, 'who sees the first Indigo Bunting'. We haven't been putting out a feeder for a couple of years though, and yes, I feel very guilty! I want them to come back! The Orioles are back this week though. I put an orange out a couple of days ago and need to restock that. With this nasty weather though, they may turn back South!

I do breed for show as well as some for fun. I do try to remember to ask folks what their intentions are with their chickens before going into what I have for them. If someone just wants their chickens to be in a their backyard flock to enjoy and get eggs from, I will have much different answers regarding what they should or shouldn't do when faced with different situations with their birds. I belong to some groups outside of BYC where there is constant bickering over what is what and what should be done to help or whether to cull. Not everyone is in this game for the same reasons and I try to respect that, same as I do when customers come calling for birds to buy. I must admit though, I do have my pet peeves, like the difference between Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers, which thanks to big hatcheries, lots of people are confused about that.

I am happy to say, I have more peeping going in the hatcher tonight. It will be a relief to get a good hatch again, even if it is just in time for hatching season to be over in this house. My brooder house is full and time to get more of them moving out.

I think my warm blankets are calling me to come snuggle in for this blustery night. Let's all think warm thoughts and bring that nice weather back real soon!
Good night, folks.

 

[The BlanchRanch]

Welcome Minnesota nice! I was told not to heat my coop because if the heat goes out they will freeze because they have not adapted to it. I have a very low wattage lizard light that I will turn on when it gets under -10 and I try to keep humidity out of the coop because you want to keep it as dry as possible. But I too am new to this and do not know a lot.

 

[The BlanchRanch]

So sorry to hear about your goose. Hope she gets better!!

My EE's are also having issues. Silly Goose started laying last October, layed for a month and quit for the winter and hasn't started up again yet. The other one, Baby, lays shelless rubber eggs, or very thin eggs since January. Hmmm They are one year old May 1.

Goose is in my infirmary right now, I think she might have had coccidiosis (sp), they are all on Corid, she is getting better. I started them on it Saturday. Saturday I had to put the medicated water in her mouth using a syringe (without needle) every hour or two as she couldn't do anything but sleep all puffed up. Now she eats and drinks on her own, she started by eating baby food sweet potato, loves that stuff, now i'm mixing it with mash wet with medicated water, still inside the house though, not quite back to her old self, maybe 80 percent though. might join the girls tomorrow or the day after if all goes well. it was touch and go there for a couple of days

But hopefully we are over the hump!

So sorry to hear about your goose. Hope she gets better!!

 

[Cearbhael]

Yo

Holy smokes! A lot of folks from MN! I live north in the East Bethel area. I'm new to chickens - My oldest are about 5 weeks. I didn't plan it out too well.....my little flock won't start laying until the Fall and then I'll have to figure out how to keep them laying in the freezing MN Winter : ) 

u make sure you have hardy winter layers and you should be fine. Everyone here has the same prob so ask them and they will tell you what they have and what they do! I personally like Orps

 

[duluthralphie]

I have my DW knit little wool parkas for my birds in the winter..

Getting the moisture out without being overly drafty is the biggest winter problem to me. I hate losing combs, but every rooster I had over winter has lost the tips on his comb. But the turkeys that refused to go inside did not lose anything off their snoods. Bert lived outside or in an open air coop all winter and he did not lose a comb until I moved him inside. I am rethinking my winter ventilation, I am going to have more holes in the coop.

My layers will be moving to a coop which is actually an old single car garage and I will keep the garage door up and have wire in its stead, to keep the moisture down. The Creamettes will move to the coop the layers have now, and the turkeys and guineas will do whatever they want.