NY chicken lover!!!!

[marquisella]

Quote: Its North East Poultry & Waterfowl hereis the url: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1569571149949295/

 

[Purpletie3]

My cemani rooster arrived! He's another breeder's breeder roo that was usurped by his own offspring and retired. He is stunning. He has some mulberry in his wattles (which the camera really brings out

but it isn't as bad in person), so when I get a cockerel out of him with black wattles I will be retiring him as my breeder as well. My hens all have perfect black combs and wattles so they should make some really nice offspring together. He's certainly got some spunk! Here he is announcing his ownership of the workshop:




The pictures don't do him justice. All his feathers have a beetle green and purple sheen and he's just stunning in person. I'm really happy with him.

In other news, while I was picking him up (from the wrong post office, of course

) Tractor Supply had a shipment of chicks there. That no one was bothering to pick up. I was going there after I grabbed my rooster so I was so tempted to say just let me take them, but I'm sure they wouldn't have gone for it. So when I went to Tractor Supply, from which I was hoping to buy chicks but of course couldn't since they were all just sitting at the post office, I made sure to remark to several of the people they were there. No one cared enough to go get them, they just kept stocking the stuff that was arriving from the truck. Because I guess getting that stuff settled is more important than picking up and settling in 100 living baby chicks who can't produce their own heat and haven't had food and water for days. I'm pretty disappointed with them about this.

Your roo is stunning! Can't wait to see the babies!

Sucks for TSC...Boo! They really need to jump on the chicks when they come in...so stressful on them!!! Not cool

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: same here ...ice ...snow + rain...ick

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:

No one cared enough to go get them, they just kept stocking the stuff that was arriving from the truck. Because I guess getting that stuff settled is more important than picking up and settling in 100 living baby chicks who can't produce their own heat and haven't had food and water for days. I'm pretty disappointed with them about this.

Which TSC was this ? I would Call & Complain ! I will if you tell me ...the one

 

[Gramma Chick]

Now, before he was standing just fine, and eating like a pig. Now, he won't stand, and I took him out of his tub and put him on the floor to see if I could get him to walk and he didn't stand up, he kind of tried to then seemed to lose his balance and put a wing out to steady himself but didn't get up. He's also not eating much at all, and he should be wolfing it down since he was underweight when I brought him in. He's still alert, fusses a little when I pick him up, but just not eating or standing. I don't know why, perhaps he's in pain and I should still be giving him aspirin? I can try and see if that would help. Otherwise, I am at a loss, and if he stops eating I might have to cull him because I don't want him to starve to death.

It sounds to me like his foot hurts ..maybe a sprain ? Are you still soaking him with epsom salts ?
did you ever try putting the egg white on his frostbite ?
He is alone ? could he be depressed ? Is there a hen that could go with him ?
Heres a link about aspirin
http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/solutions.html

 

[myfivegirls]

Quote:
I said 9 ducks, but it's actually 10 - the other one froze her feet last week, but must have heard me talking about culling her. So, she's been making great attempts to recover, eating just fine, her feet haven't turned black, etc. Tuesday night she went under the coop, even though I'd blocked it off with hay, she pushed it down & it was impossible for me to get her out. So, I left her there, expecting that she'd not make it the night, even though she'd seemed to be doing better. Yesterday morning, when I began filling their water & food bowls, out she came - walking normal! I picked her up & her feet were no longer frozen stiff like a board, but could move! I let her eat by herself for a few minutes before letting out all the others. Now, I just have to see if she continues to make a comeback.

Yes, I just keep adding mulch hay to their coop, and it's frozen solid there. The roosters usually sleep in one half of coop on the roosts, opposite the ducks, but sometimes they sleep right over top of the ducks. Of course the ducks don't bother moving, and in the morning they look a mess. No wonder they want to take a bath, even when it's below freezing! I would too, if I slept under a chicken at night!
Thawed a little yesterday, but didn't have time to attack any of the coops or poop boards. That's going to be quite the job, after shoveling off the compost pile, so I have somewhere to put it all.
It's the longest I've gone without cleaning the poop boards/trays, but they're only in two of the coops. The other three coops don't have any, and I think I prefer the poop trays. It doesn't make less work, but I don't have to add fresh litter as often.
Oh, and the coop that the Swedish Flower Hens are in - the top half is an old truck cap. Well, with the warmer temps, the roof started leaking! So, I have to clean the snow off the roof, and since the coop is tall & on a side hill & I'm short, it'll require a ladder. Haven't cleaned off any other of the coops' roofs, but they should be ok as they're slanted, not flat like the truck cap roof.

Only have two bags of wood pellets left & no shavings for litter. There's a place "near us" that makes grass pellets from hay, they're almost out, but will make me up a batch for coop litter.
I like how the wood pellets expand, and their absorbency better than shavings. But I don't like how sometimes the chickens or little chicks eat the "sawdust". So I thought if they are grass/hay pellets, at least it wouldn't hurt them if they did "accidentally" mistake them for food. Plus it's more "green" / sustainable than wood - and they're actually cheaper per ton than TSC wood pellets.
I was telling someone last night that I've already used 2 tons of wood pellets since I started using them, which was perhaps the end of 2011 or early 2012. The last ton has lasted since fall 2013. But even still, they're expensive to purchase all at the same time! Perhaps today, well pick up a few bales of shavings to hold me over until the grass pellets are ready to be picked up. I don't mind shavings, but they're not my preference, as they seem to not "fluff up again" as easily & take much longer to decompose. Plus, when "spot cleaning" the coops, it's harder, whereas the expanded wood pellets (when they're not frozen like now) - I can almost "sift out" the poop from the hot spots & leave the wood pellets to be reused again. Even though the shavings are probably less $ per cubic foot, I find myself having to add them more often. So, I often mix them with the wood pellets & the two do well together. We'll see how the grass pellets do, but since I've used them for kitty litter at the animal shelter, they're pretty similar, just much darker in color.

Quote: same here ...ice ...snow + rain...ick

Yes, last year I put fake eggs in the nest, which was either a igloo, kitty litter box, etc - all of which was inside the covered yard, so they'd be safe at night when sitting on the eggs. I don't have any nesting boxes or similar in their coop now, and no covered yard. I'd like to have a separate area for the ducks to sit on their eggs & raise their young. If we were planning on staying here for a long time, then I could just build away. But, we're not, so I'm trying to keep things movable, which means it either has to be small or on wheels. I've learned the hard way the past two years that they have to be separated, since the moms aren't good babysitters, compared the broody hens. They'll leave the ducklings unattended for too long, they get into trouble, get hurt or killed. Finally, last year I put the survivors & the mother in a movable pen & most of those made it. But, I only have one of those pens and a lot less yard to be moving them around on, with a neighbor dog that would pester them, running circles around the pen if I had it outside of the main chicken yard. If I kept the young ducklings & moms in where the ducks are now, I'd have to add small wire to the bottom of the fence, or they'd walk right through the 2"x4" welded wire fencing into the neighbor dog's mouth. But, for right now, I don't have to be concerned, as there's plenty of snow that has to melt first, then they have to lay the eggs and sit on them for about 35 days. Hopefully, by that time, I'll have it figured out!

 

[myfivegirls]

Quote:
Same here, I'm not on Facebook & don't intend to join. But, I also know how it's great for networking, like in the case of this group you formed.
I just wish somehow I could connect with that group or let people know about the chickens I'm breeding without having to join Facebook.
I spend enough time here on BYC and updating my website, that I don't have time to do Facebook.

 

[marquisella]

I created a Facebook group for people in the North East. If you are on Facebook and want to join its: Northeast poultry & waterfowl group. Its purpose is the have a place where we can find breeders that are possibly closer for buying & selling, or just friendly talk. So many times we see ads for things & they are across the US. Finding others closer should help with our searches and possible find some more friends along the way.

This is the URL for it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1569571149949295/?ref=bookmarks

Its typed "North East Poultry & Waterfowl Breeders"

 

[demp4]

What a beautiful roo!! @pyxis

We are going to be hatching eggs for our 4H. anyone have fertile eggs they want to donate for cheap? Somewhat local? Near Syracuse or North?

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

Just checking in