Pipd's Peeps!

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Did I really check in just a week ago last time? It feels like it's been months since my last check in!!

School obviously is running me through the ringer (see the mini-rant in my last post in response to Tink for a small snippet of the many, many frustrations from this past week), but I'm determined that they won't get rid of me that easily.

The chickens are thriving through this cold snap and snowstorm! They're very tired of being snowed in, however, and I'm seeing some definite signs of cabin fever among the flock. Me, too, girls! Me, too! I did put down some extra bedding for them before this cold snap, just to keep their little feet cozy against the cold. They, of course, responded with a dramatic explosion of cackling and flapping because fresh bedding is apparently the scariest thing in the world until it's fully spread out and not moving around anymore.

Vivi is still with us despite that I was sure she would be gone by now. I brought her in to a hospital pen and, while she's still not in great shape, she did start drinking on her own today. Not sure what to do with her at this point. If she's got the will to keep going, I suppose we'll keep going.

Just a few pictures from this week. Here's Tash and Johnnycakes giving me some pretty stern looks last Thursday, just before the cold snap we got.

Chicha gently reminding me that Sumatra is a tropical island, not a winter tundra

Thursday afternoon the birds were pretty stir-crazy, so, despite the gusting wind we had, I opened their door up to their run. Pretty much the entire flock joyfully evacuated out into the wind and cold

Pudding, Poly, and one of the Cochins had the bright idea to start up a dust bath in the frigid cold Whatever makes them happy, I suppose!

Yesterday morning, we woke up at just below 0 degree temps (on the Fahrenheit scale, of course). The birds were not amused. Here's a frosty-bearded Flint with a frosty glare from Johnnycakes next to her

Findlay, meanwhile, was ready for breakfast Such a good sport, she is!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Fingers crossed for continued solid eggs from Ivy!!

She's on break now. She laid 3 and that was it.

Sounds like she's drinking a lot with those types of droppings If she's acting fine, I'm not sure there's anything to do for it, though.

I actually figured out that it's Ivy's droppings and I do see her drinking a lot lately. I've got some probiotics in the water, so not sure if that's why or it's the egg issue. But, also, I decided to put her in the section with Cheddar and Lemon so that I can keep a better eye on her eating. Plus, there is a small coop in there and they all have been huddled in it during this cold blast during the days. She acts fine otherwise. Of course, I go back and forth on whether or not to confine her in a warmer area. I just think they do better with the flock than without and since she's eating and obviously drinking and acting normal, I let her stay with the flock.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Pudding, Poly, and one of the Cochins had the bright idea to start up a dust bath in the frigid cold Whatever makes them happy, I suppose!

Ivy also made a dust bath behind the smaller coop in the bantam section.
What is the basket/cage set up? - integration? Broody breaker?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

She's on break now. She laid 3 and that was it.

I actually figured out that it's Ivy's droppings and I do see her drinking a lot lately. I've got some probiotics in the water, so not sure if that's why or it's the egg issue. But, also, I decided to put her in the section with Cheddar and Lemon so that I can keep a better eye on her eating. Plus, there is a small coop in there and they all have been huddled in it during this cold blast during the days. She acts fine otherwise. Of course, I go back and forth on whether or not to confine her in a warmer area. I just think they do better with the flock than without and since she's eating and obviously drinking and acting normal, I let her stay with the flock.

Glad she's taking another break so that she doesn't have that additional stress on her body. I agree with you that they definitely do better when they at least have a buddy or two with them, if not their flock. Hopefully all is still well with her despite this nasty cold weather we've been having?

What is the basket/cage set up? - integration? Broody breaker?

I slapped that together years and years ago, though it's been so long I'm not sure what the original purpose was for it. I know it was used briefly as a hospital pen (with cardboard taped up the sides to keep shavings in it and not all over the carpet), then used for a chick integration or two. I'm pretty sure it's been sitting in that exact spot unused for the last 4 or 5 years, though, because I have better cages for separation / integration now.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Not much to report on this week, honestly! It's been busy! Things are starting to feel a bit less frustrating with classes, and I finally have my typodont stand so I feel like I can prepare better for my competencies, the first of which I've now passed with a 100% satisfactory rating.

We did lose Vivienne after all, just the day after I posted last. Sometimes they rally, and her increased interest in drinking by herself had my hopes up a little, but I think she was too far gone at that point. She was my very last Marans, an artist of an egg layer with spectacularly speckled eggs, and would have been 8 years old in about a month's time.

Man, all that green in that picture has me longing for the spring and summer...

Not much as far as pictures of the chickens this week. All I have is one of the younger bachelor pen boys debating on whether it was worth it to stretch their wings if they had to come out in all this snow

This one's sort of chicken related, too. My trudging trail through the snow out to the outer coop.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Yikes that's quite the trek. I thought I had a long way to go. You got me beat!

Sorry to hear about Vivienne. She had a good life.

Ivy is eating and drinking. I still think she's still drinking too much, but it has slowed down. She's still in the smaller section with the cochins. She's being a brat like normal.

Pearl has laid a few eggs in the nest box - during the day (not dropping them at night like she has been). I couldn't tell with the first two (because of being frozen and one broken), but the third one that I found this morning had a very thin shell. It's a little progress. However, the eggs seem huge to me. So large that I thought maybe one of the australorps laid them. They haven't laid in a long time and their eggs are generally not that large. But, I saw her come out and when I checked, there was an egg. It had froze a little, but I could see the shell. I'm sure if it weren't so cold this morning, the egg most likely would have broke.

I will be glad when we are out of this arctic blast. There's a "warm" up on the way, so not long before spring is here.