NY chicken lover!!!!

[miquwid]

had visitors today. 3 Toms

That is so awesome. I want to see a turkey up close and photograph it I never have. People tell me where to look all the time and I never see that they say their mean and will chase ya. Those guys are just beautiful.

Well I just went out to check on everybody and found my rooster Lime dead

He was such a good boy. I don't even know what happened. He was out there moving around just fine this morning. I went to class, came back, and he was gone. Laying in the run by the feed dishes, not a mark on him except for his wattles were all bloody. All I can think of is he got intense frostbite very quickly and lost too much blood. That doesn't really make sense though because there wasn't a ton of blood in the run. Unless it was all his feathers; they're dark red so it's hard to tell. I loved that bird. He was such a sweetheart and good to the hens. At least I still have his daughter, a cross between him and my sweetest, favorite hen that was killed in the dog attacks.

In other, less depressing news, today I integrated the fox bait chickens with my flock. They were quarantined for three weeks and show no signs of illness or creepy crawlies, so it was time. Not too much fighting - everyone is too cold I think. Metella, how are your three doing?

So sorry it's hard losing a good roo.

As soon as I get enough eggs to fill the incubator I'm setting a hatch. I'm concentrating on my frizzle OE project birds.

Very cool, I plan on my hybrids for meat and eggs and then hopefully some Leghorns.

 

[Metella]

Pyxis .... The rooster and one hen are fine - there were no more fights once I put the blinders on Mahogany - and the PR roo is now top roo - he doesn't fight - just dashes at the others and they give way.

One hen died the second night - I think it was that both hens were very skinny and coming back from a molt - they all had been eating - but it may have just been too late from the neglect from the previous home. Too skinny and too cold out.

I'm going to integrate them into my flock Saturday when I can stand to be outside a little and watch a little - I don't want the little hen to take too much all at once. I think Magic the roo can take it - he looks in good shape. She is still way too thin for my liking.


So sorry about Lime ... perhaps he was just older (wasn't he 3 or 4) and the cold and time and a little frost bite did for him.

good roosters are really a gift of nature. It is comforting to have the babies of those good ones ! Makes me thank you once again for hatching out Colo for me.

 

[Pyxis]

Pyxis .... The rooster and one hen are fine - there were no more fights once I put the blinders on Mahogany - and the PR roo is now top roo - he doesn't fight - just dashes at the others and they give way.

One hen died the second night - I think it was that both hens were very skinny and coming back from a molt - they all had been eating - but it may have just been too late from the neglect from the previous home.  Too skinny and too cold out.   

I'm going to integrate them into my flock Saturday when I can stand to be outside a little and watch a little - I don't want the little hen to take too much all at once.    I think Magic the roo can take it - he looks in good shape.  She is still way too thin for my liking.


So sorry about Lime ... perhaps he was just older (wasn't he 3 or 4) and the cold and time and a little frost bite did for him.       good roosters are really a gift of nature.   It is comforting to have the babies of those good ones !    Makes me thank you once again for hatching out Colo for me.   

Yeah, he would have been four in the spring I believe. He was just a hatchery mix so it's possible he was feeling old. I hope I don't lose Honey too I really don't think it was an animal attack as there was no blood besides his wattles and no missing feathers. I'm gonna miss that boy.

 

[featherz]

Speaking of dogs that attack chickens, I have a mystery dog roaming the property only when I am not home. I know it's not our direct neighbor dogs - there are two of those and they have electric collars that seem to work pretty well. Sides, there'd be two sets of tracks. This is an unknown dog and I've never actually seen it -only reason I know it comes around is the dog tracks in the snow.

The chickens are safe, although my cute little cochins are locked up inside their coop without being able to go out in the run (which is electric fencing only).. Anyone know, is the premiere fencing with 15.5K charge adequate to stop a stray dog? Stops foxes for sure, but never tried it on a dog as it's never been a problem here. The dog has not yet crossed the electric fence line, but the rest of the chickens are still all in secure runs with a hot wire so it wouldn't really have motivation to do so.

I have 25 + acres so it would be next to impossible to stop a dog from getting in at all..

 

[featherz]

Yeah, he would have been four in the spring I believe. He was just a hatchery mix so it's possible he was feeling old. I hope I don't lose Honey too

I really don't think it was an animal attack as there was no blood besides his wattles and no missing feathers. I'm gonna miss that boy.

Sorry about your roo.. Maybe he just passed and the other chickens pecked his lil wattles. You are welcome to one of my roosters =)..

 

[armorfirelady]

Speaking of dogs that attack chickens, I have a mystery dog roaming the property only when I am not home. I know it's not our direct neighbor dogs - there are two of those and they have electric collars that seem to work pretty well. Sides, there'd be two sets of tracks. This is an unknown dog and I've never actually seen it -only reason I know it comes around is the dog tracks in the snow. 

 The chickens are safe, although my cute little cochins are locked up inside their coop without being able to go out in the run (which is electric fencing only)..   Anyone know, is the premiere fencing with 15.5K charge adequate to stop a stray dog? Stops foxes for sure, but never tried it on a dog as it's never been a problem here.  The dog has not yet crossed the electric fence line, but the rest of the chickens are still all in secure runs with a hot wire so it wouldn't really have motivation to do so. 

I have 25 + acres so it would be next to impossible to stop a dog from getting in at all.. 

I have 2 dogs on invisible fence. It took them 3 days or putting their nose on the hens electric netting to decide it wasn't going to stop hurting when they touched. They now get no closer then 10 ft to the netting (when it was up) my male wants chicken for lunch daily if he could. Electric netting stops him cold.

Jlaw & Lynzi I wonder with the artic cold if the hatch days might not be delayed by a day or two? I know their inside but I thinks peoples houses inside are still cooler than necessary with furnaces trying to keep houses warm. Even my wood stove takes longer to heat the house and I put in extra insulation years ago. So I know it's not insulation thing. Just these artic temps making everything colder

 

[featherz]

I have 2 dogs on invisible fence. It took them 3 days or putting their nose on the hens electric netting to decide it wasn't going to stop hurting when they touched. They now get no closer then 10 ft to the netting (when it was up) my male wants chicken for lunch daily if he could. Electric netting stops him cold.

Jlaw & Lynzi I wonder with the artic cold if the hatch days might not be delayed by a day or two? I know their inside but I thinks peoples houses inside are still cooler than necessary with furnaces trying to keep houses warm. Even my wood stove takes longer to heat the house and I put in extra insulation years ago. So I know it's not insulation thing. Just these artic temps making everything colder

Oh good to know! So hopefully when the snow melts and I let the girls out into the netting the dogs might stay away. I need to buy the higher netting for my cochins and I need to secure it better when the ground unfreezes so they can come out again - right now they have the shorter netting and a dog might just decide to jump it. Plus the attachment point is iffy. I netted the rest of the chicken area (for my other chickens) when I started getting fox kills and it definitely stopped that, but I know dogs can go a little nutso. This dog hasn't tried to dig into any of the mini-run areas.. yet.. but they all have a hot wire.

 

[JLaw]

I have 2 dogs on invisible fence. It took them 3 days or putting their nose on the hens electric netting to decide it wasn't going to stop hurting when they touched. They now get no closer then 10 ft to the netting (when it was up) my male wants chicken for lunch daily if he could. Electric netting stops him cold.

Jlaw & Lynzi I wonder with the artic cold if the hatch days might not be delayed by a day or two? I know their inside but I thinks peoples houses inside are still cooler than necessary with furnaces trying to keep houses warm. Even my wood stove takes longer to heat the house and I put in extra insulation years ago. So I know it's not insulation thing. Just these artic temps making everything colder

I know mine was delayed some to it because. I was having trouble keeping temp was like 97-98ish last few days of hatch. I'm about to load up the bator again I have someone wanting to buy chicks.

 

[JLaw]

I was using the egg turner up until lockdown, then removed it. I took it out because I thought if they were wiggling around they may not be able to get over that "lip" of the spot they were in if they needed to. (IDK, this is my first time hatching on their sides so I thought well what if their beaks are on the bottom facing the floor and they need to roll to turn themselves?) I haven't seen any movement from the smaller egg for a couple of hours now. :-( The other one is ok so far. Placed a paper towel in there to help them from moving so easily. Gonna candle when I get home to see if there are any internal pips.

Hope it turns out ok for ya. The liner they used was a foamish mesh one. I honestly don't know how they hatch when on side. I know normally when I hatch in my carton the pip is just by air cell normally.

When using egg cartons I cut them up. Pulled this back out of the trash this aint how the eggs was after hatch but probably close. I cut the sides down to almost lvl with the joining in middle of carton then I cut the tips off there. This way aircell is above the carton just about all around it does rest on one side alittle with these smaller eggs.

 

[armorfirelady]

Oh good to know! So hopefully when the snow melts and I let the girls out into the netting the dogs might stay away. I need to buy the higher netting for my cochins and I need to secure it better when the ground unfreezes so they can come out again - right now they have the shorter netting and a dog might just decide to jump it. Plus the attachment point is iffy.   I netted the rest of the  chicken area (for my other chickens) when I started getting fox kills and it definitely stopped that, but I know dogs can go a little nutso. This dog hasn't tried to dig into any of the mini-run areas.. yet.. but they all have a hot wire. 

My Aussie can easily jump a 6 ft fence. He has done it at my moms. He has never tried to go over the electric netting. And thankfully neither has he gone over the metal fencing around the garden. It's only 4 ft high. Even with the hens in the garden all winter he has not tried. I did end up putting about 18 inches of plastic fencing on top of the fencing around the garden. But that was because Stella my BR liked to sit on the metal fence and go wander they yard. She can't sit on the plastic fencing. Very rarely do the girls go over the electric netting. They have only done it when stressed or chased by the other hens. I don't expect any problems this spring. Everyone gets along better.

Stella now just hops the gate........but only when there is no snow on the ground. Thankfully she also hops it to get. Back in