NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

Love my duckers

Minus one duck and cute little crowns on their heads and you'd have the makings of a nice Christmas card. We three ducks................get it?

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

I'm glad that some of you didn't get any snow... We got about 10 inches here up on the mountains in DeRuyter. I shoveled a path out to the chickens yard and then shoveled a huge part of it for them. Piled up the snow on the sides of the coop to block the underneath from the wind. All the girls came out in the morning to eat and drink, but when I went out a few hours later they were hanging around the Duck Hut...I checked on them every few hours and to make sure that their water wasn't frozen.. Well anyway, when I went out when it started to get dark only 2 girls came out to see me and the boys (ducks) were under the coop. I looked under there expecting to find all the girls after I looked inside and they weren't there... I laughed when I saw a head peeking out of the duck hut. It seems that when it gets cold and snowy, they like to all cram into the duck hut to stay warm. I ended up having to turn it over to get them all out. They all went runing into the coop, and the ducks ran into the hut. It was too funny. The temp never got above 20 today, It was SOOO COLD!!! If i didn't have to go out to them I wouldn't leave my house.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Cold!

 

[County Boy]

Cold!

You all better believe that!!

 

[ke5hde]

Cold!

Yup. I spent most of the day outside. It's all about the layering.

 

[armorfirelady]

Cold!

Yup. I spent most of the day outside. It's all about the layering.

I had 3 layers on today while working in the coop. Sure wish I had the insulated muck boots I want to keep my feet warm

 

[Lynzi777]

Miquwid - sorry the sick Silkie didn't make it. That was nice of you to take on that task and try to help it the best you could.

Marq - Good Luck with your newest additions! You'll have to share some pics.

Ke5hde - how are the chicks? Anymore pips from the rest of the batch?

 

[stonykill]

Yup. I spent most of the day outside. It's all about the layering.

me too, and agreed.

 

[ke5hde]

Miquwid - sorry the sick Silkie didn't make it. That was nice of you to take on that task and try to help it the best you could.

Marq - Good Luck with your newest additions! You'll have to share some pics.

Ke5hde - how are the chicks? Anymore pips from the rest of the batch?

I had 2 more hatch. Lost 2 of the lavs. They completely zipped and then shrink wrapped, we weren't home or else I probably could have prevented it. Candled the rest and they all gave up. At this point I think I'm going to have to bring my humidity up higher than 65% at lock down.
I ended up with 2 blues, 1 from the splash that looks lavender and an oddball creme color looking one. I'll get some pictures up after they get moving around a little more.

 

[Breella]

In other news there is some construction going on down the road and I'm curious to know what is going on. Does anyone think the town will tell me if I call?

Oh and last evening when we came home there was a black cat near the house. It ran off, but I don't know anyone who has one. Too I saw foot prints in the back yard that seemed small and may be a cat, but I'm worried it's a fox. It didn't really seem to stop at the back hoop though. I would think if it were interested or smelled the chickens it would have snooped around the coop and it didn't.

RE: Construction They usually will have you come down and file a Freedom of Information Act paper and they will call you or mail you the info. Not like the old days when you could just call up the town board (I grew up in a small neighborhood in Queens, we still have that there, and can still usually get answers like that!) Everything up here in our neighborhood is so official.

RE: Black Cat my mother in law has several ferals and semi ferals who live outdoors that she feeds, but I don't think that any of ours would travel that far (I hope not at least) if it becomes a problem cat I could try and trap it for you and we can see if it's spayed/neutered and if not I can take it to SNAP. They don't bother my chickens at all, My orange Tabby Oliver actually walks me to the coop, jumps onto the roof and waits for me, and walks back to the house most of the time when I'm working out there. She's gotten close enough to look into the mesh and see the chickens. She's a hunter. She used to bring me birds, snakes and squirrels all the time but since her cancer she's wound down. I also think she finds the chickens to be hard prey in general, and she's only got one good eye (cancer was in her eye).

Also: Lesson Learned



No more large water in the coop. About 4gal of water. This is how I spent my evening. I'm going to make a cookie tin heater for the large water and it's going outside behind the wind break I'm putting up tomorrow. I will only keep a small 1gal water in the coop until I get my automatic coop door opener and the small water is only going in overnight when the coop door is locked.