NY chicken lover!!!!

[Metella]

mquwid: Nice set up !

Fair Musings: I know, I really wanted to bring my SS roo to the fair - now VT's World Fair the poultry all looked very healthy, but since I have no connections, family or such - I had no idea how to get my roo health checked - I even called the state, but they never gave me a call back - I spoke to someone who said she would check on what I had to have ... then in the exhibit there were no owners around for me to ask.

Maybe just as well - but the SS roo that won a blue there ... mine was very close to his formation! I guess I am not going to risk the health of my flock roo just to show him off. The millie's were more white than mine, but the leg feather on mine was better - so that would have been a close call for a judge I would have liked the fun of it - but it seems too much of a hassle for the average person with a job and other things going on in life.

 

[rancher hicks]

miquwid & Nutty - hope you are both recovering from your respective injuries / ailments. I have been dealing with a stomach bug the past few days. Definitely NOT fun. It's that time of year...

Rancher - regarding the scratch distributed around the pen....I do this all the time. It's just that we have so much stinkin' clay, here and now there is absolutely no vegetation left in the pen. So I rake it up good when I clean and then mix some sand in about once a month, just to keep things a little more pleasant for the girls. Seeing them walking around on hard-packed, barren clay irks me.

Lynzi - the pond looks GREAT! Another DIY project under the belt: A+ .

Glasshen - several of us on BYC have commented on the poor state of affairs at the poultry exhibit. Even to a novice like me, it was startling to see. I wonder if some folks who brought birds to the fair consider them to be "disposable" and didn't make any real effort to see that their animals were well cared for.

TOB

I gotcha where the inside of the run is concerned. I was talking about the outside of the run. Planting mints, lemon balm around the outside would at least make it look nice. Plus if mowing of the spearmint is necessary it will clear their sinuses and make things smell nice. Mints are invasive so don't plant them where you would be upset if they grew.

What I like to do is dig a trench around the outside of the run, to some degree sloped away from the run so the rain water runs away. My newest plan is to have the rain water run to the lowest part of the yard to make a rain garden or a shallow pond. There are quite a few frogs and toads this year.

Inside I use straw and large chip shavings. Nobles chips are large. Other things that would help would be peat moss, top soil and grit/gravel as well as the sand. The idea is to keep a "working" compost flooring. Much like a deep litter system but inside the run. I never completely remove everything when I clean the run out. I just take most of it and then add more. Too I give them melon rinds or other treats like lettuce and corn husks. If I see any mice I set a few traps with peanut butter and that takes them out pronto..

When I add straw, I just cut the bale open and let them spread it around. Hay works too, as long as they keep working it.

 

[rancher hicks]

THE STATE FAIR - I have a friend who does 4h for the whole fair with kids in her area of Canandaigua,NY
She brought some of her birds to show this year Here is what she says :

I lost 3,,and all others on antibiotic,and isolated from my laying flock. They have shown no symptoms,as of yet.The 3 I lost had been in a separate area,as they came home with symptoms,so I housed hem in an old Photomat building,that I use to brood spring chicks.I am blessed,,to have had enough areas to place ill,potential,,and unexposed birds.
Thanks for asking,,it was an expensive show,esp when we add in the losses.Some lost all the birds they took,,others,,have lost none. It depended on age,and health or animals.It hit the younger ones esp hard.

All birds are tested for certain things,,but a virus like what we had in the barn is not tested for.Some of the 4-H kids tested birds when they got home,and it was $100 per test! Its not cheap,,but knowing this,,in the future,I will vaccinate my flock against this,before I take them to shows.

Here is what is required to enter
http://www.nysfair.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2013-Poultry-rules-regulations-classes.pdf

I wouldn't take a bird I couldn't afford to lose. It's just not right for this to happen. Though stress, as I've been saying over and over is the number one killer of chickens. It lowers their immune system just like it does ours.

Keep Calm and Chicken On.

 

[rancher hicks]

It seems wrong that people who have good intentions, reputable breeders and serious hobby folks and kids in 4H in order to compete at the Fair practically have to write off the birds they plan to show after paying a great deal of money to show them...Just seems wrong. Competing at the fair should be an honor, not a place sleazy breeders just bring sick dreary feather picked birds with mites crammed together in huge numbers.

Perhaps limiting the entrants to 5 or 10 birds?

I am sorry but one entrant, Jeff, had birds for sale that had all the tail feathers pecked off. These things do not encourage more people to enter birds or keep chickens and should not be there. IMO anyone bringing in birds in this condition should be banned from future shows.

 

[rancher hicks]

TOB thanks

Lynzi the pond looks great.



somehow I'm going to finish today, and hopefully work on a few other projects and maybe if I feel like it homework!

My injured brabanter pullet is not only doing very well but is growing very well, she has beautiful tail feathers, a 3 piece beard, her mohawk, and her V comb is coming in nicely.

I know I missed a few post but I hope all is well!

This reminds me. IF you have a hard time making a door, buy a screen door and cover it with chicken wire. It will be easier than building one and work just fine. I have two.

 

[miquwid]

Thanks Rancher I did build a door very simple I'll post more pics later. It was a lot easier than I thought and I used less wood so I should be able to go nuts with the silkies tractor coop.

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

Morning! Going to wash dishes and do some small chores while waiting to pick my daughter up from pre K. Hope everyone has a pleasant day despite the drizzle.

 

[Lynzi777]

Morning Everyone,
Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.

Glass ~ I think it's great that you want to voice your thoughts on the conditions of the poultry at the fair. I can tell you I for one, who had never been and was looking forward to it very much so, was very disappointed. I had plans to go back a second time with my friend JUST to view the birds/rabbits and I didn't just because of how unimpressed I was the first (and only) time I had gone. On thing that really bothers me about the set up of these livestock buildings is how the animals are "housed" there. I understand that the wire caging is probably the easiest and cheapest route to go but I just don't like the idea that birds aren't really "separated" from the rest. It's like, they might as well be all housed together on large pen. I don't like the fact that one bird is surrounded by three others and can get pecked by all three. No birds should even have the ability to touch another bird! IDK what other type of way they could set up but I just don't like to see birds that closely together like that.


I've been thinking a lot lately about the idea of creating some sort of "pen/run" up in the corner of my yard to keep the chickens in instead of letting them free range every single day. I'm just getting so sick of their messes everywhere. It's so gross and really starting to get on my nerves. Especially when their droppings are right in front of my porch steps or even worse ON my porch!

I know they won't be happy with it but I need to do something. And it's not like they won't ever be allowed out, but I'd like to cut the free ranging down to just one day a week or maybe just on weekends. The ducks will still be let out so they can get to their pond, and besides their messes are NOTHING compared to the chickens. Not sure if I'll get around to it before winter or not. Still contemplating how I can make it a large enough area without having it be permanent. It would need to be something that can easily be taken down if that day ever came again and we had to move.

 

[Breella]

Well if this cop doesn't have a personal interest in the case I am not sure who would.

He came over today, it's going to court. After making suggestions last week about trying to work on the noise (keeping them in later, keeping it darker in the coop until they go out) he has flat out told me that since I "wasn't willing" to give Duane to be Bruilette family that I am going to court. Now they are saying that the noise isn't just at night, they are saying the noise he makes during the DAY is in violation of some law. He says that no less than four of my neighbors have complained about the noise both at night and during the day (the during the day thing is new for me).

I'm frustrated, I'm upset, I don't understand what the heck is going on. Duane is not an overly loud rooster. I have spent time and money this week being awake at insane hours to be sure he wasn't crowing overnight. I bought the baby monitor so I can hear them at night. I don't know what to do. If I give in and give up Duane what is there to stop them from telling any of you who live in my town that you can't have your roosters? What about the next people that get into chickens?

 

[Lynzi777]

Well if this cop doesn't have a personal interest in the case I am not sure who would.

He came over today, it's going to court. After making suggestions last week about trying to work on the noise (keeping them in later, keeping it darker in the coop until they go out) he has flat out told me that since I "wasn't willing" to give Duane to be Bruilette family that I am going to court. Now they are saying that the noise isn't just at night, they are saying the noise he makes during the DAY is in violation of some law. He says that no less than four of my neighbors have complained about the noise both at night and during the day (the during the day thing is new for me).

I'm frustrated, I'm upset, I don't understand what the heck is going on. Duane is not an overly loud rooster. I have spent time and money this week being awake at insane hours to be sure he wasn't crowing overnight. I bought the baby monitor so I can hear them at night. I don't know what to do. If I give in and give up Duane what is there to stop them from telling any of you who live in my town that you can't have your roosters? What about the next people that get into chickens?

This cop is starting to get on MY nerves! I'm sorry, but like someone else mentioned, it's very rare when there are complaints going on that they send the same cop and over and over. He's got to have something to do with it. I say go to court and face them! Like you said, you've spent so much time writing letters, researching his crowing times, why would you give up now? And what's the worst that can happen? You have to have Duane removed by a certain date/time? You were already looking into that anyway. To me, you have a right to keep him, he does not crow at night, who cares if he IS crowing once in a while during the day?!? Thats what roosters do! They crow! So now he can't crow at all??? Give me a break. I'd march right into court and say that when you are given proof he is crowing at night thats when you'll get rid of him. Tell whoever it is to come by and ring your door bell the minute he starts up at night. Ugh, sorry, this just sounds so fishy to me.