***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[lonnyandrinda]

Rofl poco! Love the enabling!

 

[erinszoo]

Getting kind of scared, my first winter with chickens, I hate the thought of them being to cold, any suggestions on keeping chickens in the winter.  Thanks for any help.

Just think of it this way, chickens come with their own feather coats!

We have a house for winter that they are closed in at night but during the day they run free. If it snows they tend to stay inside unless we put out some straw. The turkeys, otoh, don't mind snow at all. The biggest trick in winter is keeping your waterers thawed and your hans from freezing while filling them.

 

[artsyrobin]

Quote: I feed hot breakfast, hot oatmeal or something like that, vaseline to the combs, if they have large combs, their body heat heats up the coop too, deep litter for them to snuggle in
the only ones i bring in are the seramas, as they can't handle below 40 degrees without a heat source- drafts and moisture your need to watch with the others, it is the condensation that causes frostbite.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Has anyone ever had a broody hen that wouldn't sit on the nest? I have a Langshan hen that constantly roosts on the edge of the nest box, her comb has shrunk so I know she's not laying. I don't know if it's because she's molting or because she's broody. The other hens will lay in the box directly behind it but she doesn't sit on the egg. But whenever I reach in to get the egg she acts all "broody" on me- puffing and growling. If she's actually broody then I can put her in a wire cage and this cooler weather should break her quick. I've looked her over and her weight is good, and her crop is usually full, so she's not sick. I've just never had a broody that didn't sit on a nearby egg if it was available.

 

[NanaKat]

Quote:
wear surgical gloves inside your regular gloves or wear dishwashing gloves over your regular gloves. Keeps your hands dry so the don't get as cold.

 

[NanaKat]

Has anyone ever had a broody hen that wouldn't sit on the nest? I have a Langshan hen that constantly roosts on the edge of the nest box, her comb has shrunk so I know she's not laying. I don't know if it's because she's molting or because she's broody. The other hens will lay in the box directly behind it but she doesn't sit on the egg. But whenever I reach in to get the egg she acts all "broody" on me- puffing and growling. If she's actually broody then I can put her in a wire cage and this cooler weather should break her quick. I've looked her over and her weight is good, and her crop is usually full, so she's not sick. I've just never had a broody that didn't sit on a nearby egg if it was available.

if she is not laying, more specifically if her vent has shrunk and is not moist, then she won't be broody. Birds in molt normally don't go broody either. . Your hen may be one of those girls whose hormone level may still be up or she may be taking on "Nanny" status for a while.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

if she is not laying, more specifically if her vent has shrunk and is not moist, then she won't be broody. Birds in molt normally don't go broody either. . Your hen may be one of those girls whose hormone level may still be up or she may be taking on "Nanny" status for a while.

Will check her vent today. I was going by her comb color and size that she wasn't laying. Thanks!

 

[NanaKat]

We took a devastating hit to the Cochin pen last night. Never had a predator get in that pen before so I failed to put the wire screen up last night. Lost my gorgeous cock Black Bart and a lovely 18 month old black hen I purchased from Larry Dye. The hen had no bite marks so I think she broke her neck trying to flee while Bart was putting up a fight. .
There were two hens on eggs, and nine 7 - 8 month olds as well as Big Blue and three other hens in that pen. So I know the critter will be back. Black Bart was a heavy weight at 15 pounds and the hen was about 8 pounds

Must be a huge boar coon. The critter avoided the pen where the attacks had been before so never touched the live trap. I had already moved the keeper juveniles into the brooder room and left a few freezer camp birds in that pen where the attacks have been. They were behind a wire panel.

Snap traps will be set in every outside pen. We are going to get this bugger. If I have to sit in the truck with a loaded gun at the ready, he is going to be a dead critter.

All birds will be locked in either the barn or secured buildings for the next week. It will be crowded at night, but should have no more losses.

On a good note, yesterday I found one of my young hens from the juvenile pen sitting on a clutch of eggs hidden under the cannas. She had 8 eggs. So I moved her to a cage with a nice nest and she has settled in on her clutch. I have no idea how long she has been visiting that spot or if other hens had been laying there. I will candle the eggs in a few days and see how many are fertile. Some of these may be from the Cochin boy that Ksane purchased.

 

[Kassaundra]

So sorry nanak. We have been setting traps for something that has gotten a few of ours, in the early morning hours. So far it has gotten the bait each time but not sprung the trap, except for a small skunk. We altered the door open time so no more losses, but I really want to get the I think raccoon. Driving to work today about 12 blocks from my house came across a whole family of mostly grown raccoons!

 

[NanaKat]

So sorry nanak. We have been setting traps for something that has gotten a few of ours, in the early morning hours. So far it has gotten the bait each time but not sprung the trap, except for a small skunk. We altered the door open time so no more losses, but I really want to get the I think raccoon. Driving to work today about 12 blocks from my house came across a whole family of mostly grown raccoons!

We try to shoot any raccoon, coyote, skunk and opossum we see. But it always happens that we don't have a gun with us when we see one.
Just recently checking cows late in the evening we saw a momma coon with three young run across the grass patch in front of us. This was 1/4 mile from the house.
We have trapped and killed a skunk, two coons and one possum since spring this year. They either go after the vegetables or the birds.
And the owl in the enclosed pen this year was a first. We have a fellow BYCer who has successfully hunted coyotes for us on the property.
Fortunately the only snake killed this year was a cottonmouth at one of the ponds.