Minnesota!

[athalia17]

@scandia let's just say, if you plan on buying any chickens from woodville/wilson, wi area... contact me first! I did report her to the Wisconsin animal board of health. They are going to investigate what's going on there. I also told them that she sells eggs to the Stillwater farmers market and is using wormer without a withdraw period in her eggs from what I could tell. It was pretty clear this was happening, all hens lay eggs together in one area, no quarantine areas no marked hens, etc... just a free for all. I told him she was using some cow wormer I had not heard of (the brand name didn't resemble anything close to a -mectin sound). He said it's illegal to sell eggs from chickens that have been given any medications that aren't approved for poultry. Never knew that either. Never had to use anything for them ever either though. Then I found out you have to get import papers to buy chickens/eggs out of state- I had no idea. So I contacted our department in mn and told them what happened, she marked it in my flock file and said what's done is done, let us know what happens. The wi animal board is supposed to contact me back and lmk what they find out. I called her yesterday also, and she didn't believe anything I said and wanted to talk to the vet. I called her back (didn't answer... surprise!!) And left a message saying the vet was going to call her. Needless to say, I'm totally done talking to her. Drama day yesterday, lol. I kept my cool though.

Rooster is on clavamox and something like flubenvet wormer type thing. Any suggestions on how to get a pill down a birds throat any easier? I put it in bread and he didn't eat it, he just kept picking it up and dropping it... calling for the hens who were locked up still. What a stinker.

 

[scandiafowl]

Well... He was a bull... He got banded yesterday so hi future is somones dinner table...

I remember doing that. The looks on their faces when the band snapped on...

 

[holm25]

Yeah... Its a little creepy...

 

[scandiafowl]

@athalia17

Good that you did that. Selling birds that are ill is dangerous.

 

[destiny_56085]

Out of state sellers have to have an import permit to sell anything into MN (eggs, chicks, adults). In order for us to sell to any other state we have to check their restrictions too. For example, both SD and IA require an import permit too even if the people drive over here to pick them up.

 

[scandiafowl]

I heard there is a Western Wisconsin poultry swap coming up. Anyone have details?

 

[holm25]

I heard about the show in June but thats all I heard of.

 

[scandiafowl]

Roosting - is it better to have horizontal roosts or like steps?
Mine are in a step fashion but after looking at the setup in Holm's coop - it looks good with the poop board.

 

[lalaland]

athalia, good luck with dosing the rooster. You might have to separate him out of sight and sound to get him to eat. Dog kennels are so handy for that!


Scandia, steps are good for mixed ages and when space is an issue. Otherwise, roosts all on one level seem to decrease the jockeying but for sure don't eliminate it.
I have roosts in one room of the coop - two roosts going across the room with nothing underneath, and a couple of short roosts with a dropping board.

Think of a square with a couple of roosts on tops. It will hold 8-10 hens, the roosts are close to each other so there isn't extra space. Um, think crowded seating in a meeting room - a chair right in front of you with barely enough room for your knees. This is the favorite roost for everyone, and I like that it keeps them close to each other for warmth in the winter.

When it is hot, they don't use that roost and prefer the roosts that are stretched across the room with all that airspace underneath them.

The second room has a lower roost about 4 feet off the ground. No one uses that at all.
Also has a roost about 6 feet up going across the room, this is a prized spot.
The second room has a shelf about 6 feet off the ground circling the room. I hate this because the poop piles up and it is higher than eye level for me so hard to clean up.

I love holms roost.

 

[holm25]

Roosting - is it better to have horizontal roosts or like steps?
Mine are in a step fashion but after looking at the setup in Holm's coop - it looks good with the poop board.

I have had both kinds of roosts. My birds definetly like the one with the poop board the most. Then theres no fighting to get the highest spot. I dont know why mine fought over that spot but they did!