Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[LisaYolkUm]

to


Glad you're ok, the roads were bad here too.

Sgtmom52 n CrazyRay...Welcome Back!

I have been busting my butt (and back) outside today getting the coops n runs in shape for the cold. Mostly taking out nasty bedding and putting in dry. I've raked out the runs and am going to put dry straw down. My chooks will be out tomorrow, the only change I'm making is to close the windows in the coops, I've also added more bedding than I usually do. I am taking a soup break and admiring my my chooks. Hope you're all warm.

I did very much the same today as well!

cleaned out the coop and put in some nice clean dry bedding........

added a bag of leaves to the run which is so muddy right now!

I am happy to say I found some eggs in the nest box........hidden a little deeper than I would imagine..........but I have been liberal with the bedding so they have warmth.......

I don't know how long those eggs have been out there.........but the good news is that they are smaller than what I usually get so I am pretty sure one or both of my young wyandottes has started laying. The eggs are all brown.........but since they are smaller..........I think its from the young ones. My Easter Egger has not laid an egg yet.......

I cant really tell which of the two wyandottes layed them though...........

I hope that some of the air and wind might have dried some of the wet leaves.......at least the ones I had under a tarp roof.........that when there will be less water to freeze up tomorrow.

I will leave one door open for them tomorrow.........and just do so a little later in the morning..........They seem to be doing so well with the cold........

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on a separate note.........someone indicated that mareks can be carried in mealy worms.............this sounds worrisome.

I guess I have to read up more on mareks.

Also I am getting chicks in March...............what kind of advice might you all have re: vaccinations etc and medicated or non medicated chick feed?

I have not done the work of raising from chicks yet..........this will be my first time! so excited!

 

[Katt66]

I was just looking at chicks on Cackle. I sooooo want to order something with fuzzy feet and poofie butts. Cochins and Brahmas etc. I am determined to wait till warmer weather when we get the run extended and the garden worked out though. I WILL have some will power. I WILL NOT cave and order chicks. Though that box of peeping fluffy cuteness is so irresistible ^_^

 

[chippysmom327]

This may work as long as you have another source for ventilation...  local hardware stores and building supply places can often cut Plexiglas to size, 1/4" works well, measure it to fit at least 1.5" larger on all sides.  3/4 of an inch in on each corner pre-drill a hole the same size as the screws you are going to use to attach them to your coop wall with, if a larger window you may need more screws, just always pre-drill the holes . When you do attach them, don't tighten down the screws very tight or you will crack or break the Plexiglas.   It isn't as cheap as plastic or feed bags, but can provide a good alternative for foul weather protection that can be easily removed and stored for summer.

I had all the vents covered. Huge mistake. I just got home (they were closed in all day) and there were brown icicles (can anyone tell me why they were brown?) hanging, and I turned on a heat lamp for them. Their water wasn't completely frozen yet, but I brought that inside and got new, warm water. I plan on leaving the heat lamp on all night and all tomorrow. Should I? I punched holes in the feed bags I had over the windows, so now they're getting a little more ventilation. I'm SOOOOOO scared about respiratory illness. Like deathly afraid. My roo sneezed twice while I was taking care of them but I'm hoping it was just because I had the door open and the wind blew in his nose or dust.

 

[chickenboy100]

I had all the vents covered. Huge mistake. I just got home (they were closed in all day) and there were brown icicles (can anyone tell me why they were brown?) hanging, and I turned on a heat lamp for them. Their water wasn't completely frozen yet, but I brought that inside and got new, warm water. I plan on leaving the heat lamp on all night and all tomorrow. Should I? I punched holes in the feed bags I had over the windows, so now they're getting a little more ventilation. I'm SOOOOOO scared about respiratory illness. Like deathly afraid. My roo sneezed twice while I was taking care of them but I'm hoping it was just because I had the door open and the wind blew in his nose or dust.

I'd say brown because the water the ice was made out of was dirty.

 

[kalbach8]

I had all the vents covered. Huge mistake. I just got home (they were closed in all day) and there were brown icicles (can anyone tell me why they were brown?) hanging, and I turned on a heat lamp for them. Their water wasn't completely frozen yet, but I brought that inside and got new, warm water. I plan on leaving the heat lamp on all night and all tomorrow. Should I? I punched holes in the feed bags I had over the windows, so now they're getting a little more ventilation. I'm SOOOOOO scared about respiratory illness. Like deathly afraid. My roo sneezed twice while I was taking care of them but I'm hoping it was just because I had the door open and the wind blew in his nose or dust.

If the vents are up near the roof, don't close them off. The coop and chickens need ventilation, even in the cold. Just try to keep the drafts out down near the bottom.

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

If the vents are up near the roof, don't close them off. The coop and chickens need ventilation, even in the cold. Just try to keep the drafts out down near the bottom.

x's2...got to have ventilation!!

Had a bunch typed up, tried to post it..don't no what happened..Lucky You guys!!

whatever, ...hope everyone & their chooks are settled in for the night. Be careful out on the roads too, we have a lot of icy area here...

 

[chippysmom327]

I just opened the back window up, and I have a heat lamp on in there. I hope they'll be alright. I grabbed my roo and his breathing sounded fine, so hopefully he's good.

 

[kalbach8]

Just closed everyone up for the first time ever, guess we'll see how it goes. Spread extra hay and straw, put food and water in and threw a bunch of scratch in each coop(3). I don't run light or heat to the coops but they should be fine without. I have another small pen with my buckeye trio and they never go in their coop so I gathered the 3 up and into the unheated garage they went into separate cages(large rabbit pens) that we use to hold my girls chickens before the show at the Bloomsburg fair. They were not happy being separated!

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

He is too busy packing his pork,




no seriously he is vac packing the pig today, still funny...

I could go on kilt jokes but I will save that for somewhere else LOL

..Pork..wha,what?!...I wonder a lot where people go, after they have been here for awhile....it would be very nice to have them back...although keeping up with the thread would then be impossible

...

Am I the only one so happy our Sally is back?

yes...I am happy she is back. She is a treasure chest of information! and she is kinda funny too

....

**Hey Sally, got a question on the meal worm thing, you guys are taking about them having Mareks...I was wondering, do they naturally have it in them..like carriers, or is it the "pests" on them?
I am going to do some more investigation on this too...i was raising them earlier in the year, but got side tracked with the hatching chicks..i know, it happens...anyway, the deceased worms/beetles became fertilizer. I was going to start a worm farm up again, but i do not want to even mess with anything that could bring that(Mareks) down on the birds and our property.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: LMP, if you go to the Diary incubation thread and hit search "Mareks Meal worms" info and links should pop up. We have alot of great discussions and education on that thread. Its worth the read when u have time. I read and read and researched and I came to a very quick conclusion that they are carriers of mareks, I also researched if it could be passed through FREEZE DRIED and found not a single bit of info on that So if freeze drying kills it IDK. If you figure that one out let me know, not that I would know how to raise and freeze them though lol. Plus if its worth the effort. My birds are more happy to see me heading with a bowl of warm oatmeal with raisins, a can of cream corn, or even happier to see me with spagetti lol