NY chicken lover!!!!

[Lapeerian]

How about a very long extension cord ? or two ? That how our chickens water dish stays warm . They have outside extension cords .

I really don't find that as a viable option. I already have an extension cord running the 100' from an outdoor outlet on the house to the barn just to run a light (for use only when working in the barn). I would need to add a splitter, then have a 15' and 2 - 30' cords to run to each stall. The buckets have chew-proof cords, extension cords do not. As much as it is a pain in the @$$, I would rather haul water buckets than have a barn fire.

Yesterday the snow came off the roof, filled the water tanks. Hubby hauled 2 straight hot water buckets up this morning to dump in to melt through the snow and ice for today. Can't wait for the thaw this week just for the purpose of breaking down all the ice buildup. It was nice not having frozen horse buckets or rubber pan for the chickens yesterday. Don't look forward to the mud/wet frozen ground that accompanies mid-winter thaw.

PharmChick- My NH/sexlink eggs seem to run on the x-large to jumbo size as well.

 

[rancher hicks]

Wow thats a lot of roos ...Do the crow at each other ?

Doesn't seem to be a problem. I think when they can see each other that helps. Also some breeds are more prone to crowing than others. I had two bantams, one silky and one brown leghorn and they crowed alot more than my larger birds.

They've been gone for a long time now.

 

[Tough Old Bird]

I have been reading how chickens do NOT like to walk through snow.....guess it's true, based on everyone's funny stories!

I still say the best education short of owning birds must be reading these posts!


TOB

 

[stonykill]

I have been reading how chickens do NOT like to walk through snow.....guess it's true, based on everyone's funny stories!

I still say the best education short of owning birds must be reading these posts!


TOB

don't give them a choice and they will walk right through it. If mine want to eat, they had better be willing to walk 60 feet.... or they starve. Food is a huge incentive

 

[Tough Old Bird]

A quick "newbie" question for you more experienced folks:

What would be a good, basic start to have on hand for a chicken "medicine cabinet"? I was looking thru some of the things at the Feed Store yesterday and although I like to be prepared, I don't want to waste $$. What are some remedies, over-the-counter or home-made, you can't be without?

Thanks!


TOB

 

[marquisella]

Some blue copper Marans eggs with a Branbanter egg collected in the last few days. I wish they weren't scratched....

 

[stonykill]

A quick "newbie" question for you more experienced folks:

What would be a good, basic start to have on hand for a chicken "medicine cabinet"? I was looking thru some of the things at the Feed Store yesterday and although I like to be prepared, I don't want to waste $$. What are some remedies, over-the-counter or home-made, you can't be without?

Thanks!


TOB

Nustock is the only thing in my medicine cabinet....other than a hatchet

 

[rancher hicks]

Nustock is the only thing in my medicine cabinet....other than a hatchet

Where can I get Nustock? What's it do? I know I've asked before but I forget.

I keep vitamins, sulmet, duramycin and Exprinex on hand. Though to be honest, I don't know why I just don't wring the necks of those who get sick, since it happens so rarely and if they recover you can't breed them. At least I don't.

Now I have to ask this too. When hatching, does egg size matter? In regards to the size egg laid by a hen hatched from it goes. Right now I'm only keeping the largest eggs to hatch. Only those over 2 oz. A 2 oz egg is large on the scale.

 

[Cass]

A quick "newbie" question for you more experienced folks:

What would be a good, basic start to have on hand for a chicken "medicine cabinet"? I was looking thru some of the things at the Feed Store yesterday and although I like to be prepared, I don't want to waste $$. What are some remedies, over-the-counter or home-made, you can't be without?

Thanks!


TOB

Stony, stony, stony....I'm sure you have some antibiotic ointment around the house you would use on puncture wound....you know the kind without pain killer....

TOB, I have blue kote to spray on red spots so the other birds don't peck the injury, the above meantioned antibiotic ointment without pain reliever, "Save a chick" (which is just powdered electrolyte stuff, you can use unflavored Pediasure--I hatch chicks and have saved a few with it), Corrid and an broad spectrum antibiotic powder (just in case). Oh, and a hatchet. If it requires more than I have in the house and bed rest, it becomes dinner/landfill fodder. (Some you don't eat because you don't know why it died, some you eat because you do know why it died) And Eprinex for worming. I don't worm often, but I do it....I have seen an increase in egg production both times I did it. But my chickens live in a very very swampy area, so they get stuff that more dry land raised birds do not get.

Chickens get mites, feather mites, vent mites and scaly leg mites. I don't consider Sevin "in my medicine cabinet" cuz I keep it with the garden stuff, but I have powdered a butt or two with it, in the past for mites. Other people use Food Grade DE for mites. Vasoline or cooking oil works on scalely leg mites. I have never had those in my flock. Face masks for when you use this stuff is a good idea too. DE is not good to breath in.

Most things that chickens get do not kill instantly. (Predator attacks would be the exception to that) If your chicken starts to have a problem you ask around and then go get what you need to help/fix the problem. (there is a thread on BYC for emergencies....responses can be in a matter of minutes) The one thing I would have in the house, even before I got the chickens, is Blue Kote. Some injuries can be blue koted instantly and saves you having to find a place to separate the bird from the flock til you get to the store to get the blue kote. With that said I have used BLue Kote 3 times in the past 18 months. One of those times was to cover blood that showed up on EVERYONE and I don't know, to this day, where the blood came from, but it dripped all over everyone and they wanted to pick at the spots on their neighbor while roosting. (Note: BLue Kote is actually purple and a permanant stain....use gloves and clothing you don't care about, cuz they WILL flap and manage to spray it all over you before it dries. I keep an old coat around for covering up with when I have to use the stuff)

 

[Cass]

Where can I get Nustock? What's it do? I know I've asked before but I forget.

I keep vitamins, sulmet, duramycin and Exprinex on hand. Though to be honest, I don't know why I just don't wring the necks of those who get sick, since it happens so rarely and if they recover you can't breed them. At least I don't.

Now I have to ask this too. When hatching, does egg size matter? In regards to the size egg laid by a hen hatched from it goes. Right now I'm only keeping the largest eggs to hatch. Only those over 2 oz. A 2 oz egg is large on the scale.

Yes, Rancher, size matters. Sorry to be the one to inform you of that.

I hatched 3 different sized eggs (cuz the hen wouldn't give any of them up and I have the scars to prove it) and the chicks were 3 different sizes. Only the largest survived. Might be they squished their smaller siblings, might be the smaller ones were just weaker. If I had a choice on what to hatch I would hatch the largest eggs I had so the chicks were bigger at the get go...I really hate it when the itty bitty ones die. (And they always do)