Surviving Minnesota!

[BantyChooks]

x2. MORE CARBON!!!!! When we moved last fall, it was less than ideal for their winter room - tiny tiny - they were almost roosting on each other and refused to enter the frozen wasteland (outside) to scrounge around so when I started noticing some problems (mountains of poo and a not so pleasant smell  )  I told my DH and his response was "Add more carbon. Duh." (He's a cattle guy) So off to the coop with arm fulls and rubbermaid tote fulls of hay the bulls deemed "too horrible to eat" and I'll be danged if it didn't work Even this spring, when it thawed, the smell was almost non existent! Yay for carbon! (In this story - carbon refers to plants/vegetation that can absorb some of those negative effects of the chicken poo, while it decomposes, and turn it into something wonderful - compost! Not carbon the chemical element )

Me, I take smells in the coop as an indicator I am doing something wrong. Hasn't failed me yet, my birds are all healthy.

 

[holm25]

Great job on the track and field Event qualifications Layers.

Took DS to the country club. Golf match in Perham today. We'll see how he does. He keeps nipping his score lower and lower.

Made some cowboy beans for a potluck. We are going up to help get a resort open for the season. Cancer diagnosis with the owner so a little community rallying to help them get a going.

You'll only be 20 minutes from us in Perham

 

[Siggie]

Hope everyone is having a great day outside! I have a bit of an emergency so hopefully when the sun goes down someone will be on to help....

This morning my broody #2 hatched 4 eggs...but when I went into the coop I found a very small cochin laying about 4 inches from momma just crying, if you can imagine how a baby chick cries. She was dry and fuzzy but just crying and not trying to move under momma.

Well at great risk to my finger, I pushed the baby very close to momma and she started trying to get under her but then stopped and just cried. I picked her up and placed her next to broody momma #1 (thats when I got a peck to remember) well she took her and under she went. But it was very clumsy almost like she did not have the instinct to bury herself further under momma?

Well I just went out there to collect eggs and check on the chicks and I found her lying next to the feed dish and very cold. The feed dish is about 2 feet from the momma's??

I immediately picked her up and she wasn't even peeping....I ran inside and got the heat lamp out and just held it over her while she was in my hand. After about 10 minutes she started peeping. I handed her to my husband (much to his dismay LOL!) I said "Just keep her warm, I'll be back!"

I fixed up a plastic tub with shaving water and food and the heat lamp. I made sure she took a little water but she isn't swallowing normally??? It looks like when we have a sore throat and you swallow "hard" if that makes sense. I don't think she will make it, obviously the momma's must know something is wrong with her or they would have made sure she was warm right?

Is there anything else I should do for her?

UPDATE.......once she warmed up she was freaking out chirping so loud, panting and looking very stressed. I took her back outside and placed her by a momma and she calmed right down. Momma stood up and was making her momma noises, I think trying to coax the chick under her but the chick turned around and was going the other way??? I sat and watched for a while and the chick finally went towards momma, momma lifted up and the chick just laid down right next to her.? Again I am very confused...eventually the chick scooted half way under momma. I was satisfied that the hens were not abandoning the chick, I just think there is something wrong with the chick....it seems the chick cannot lift itself up on its legseither....it just scoots around, too weak maybe?

I have a feeling I will find it dead tomorrow. Poor little thing, she was tough enough to get out of her shell but I don't think she is strong enough to make it

.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Oh shoot Siggie. That's tough to see I bet. Something wrong there. And I guess that's what Mother Nature does that's cruel but ultimately makes for a healthier flock.

Do you think she's got a large chip of shaving in her crop or something like that. Hmmm weird. Maybe back in the bin with heat lamp to see if she can get past what this complication is?

I remember seeing Dixie and her one little chick was limping last spring. I was like "oh great!" Well as Dixie scratched and scraped in the woods the chick would get too close to her scratching which could be quite voracious. And I figured that Dixie had caught the chicks little leg with one of her scratches. It took a few days to resolve but thankfully it did. Like a mini sprained chick ankle or something.

I hope it's something like that Siggie but if you suspect more complicated issues then maybe it's best to let her go... ?

oh these critters make us go through hard things.

My run is 45' x 38' for 23 birds. They're mostly free range though as they hate being confined to a run, ungrateful boogers, LOL.

Mine are free ranging now too. But winter time (5 months) they're in the run. They don't care for snow so much.

Holm I took him to the suburban at our home course which took him to Perham. Lol. I should have been more specific. He liked the course. Challenging. He shot a 93 today. Very good. He was #2 for his team. He said that Fargo and some big schools were there. Excellent golf teams.

 

[Siggie]

Oh shoot Siggie. That's tough to see I bet. Something wrong there. And I guess that's what Mother Nature does that's cruel but ultimately makes for a healthier flock.

Do you think she's got a large chip of shaving in her crop or something like that. Hmmm weird. Maybe back in the bin with heat lamp to see if she can get past what this complication is?

I remember seeing Dixie and her one little chick was limping last spring. I was like "oh great!" Well as Dixie scratched and scraped in the woods the chick would get too close to her scratching which could be quite voracious. And I figured that Dixie had caught the chicks little leg with one of her scratches. It took a few days to resolve but thankfully it did. Like a mini sprained chick ankle or something.

I hope it's something like that Siggie but if you suspect more complicated issues then maybe it's best to let her go... ?

oh these critters make us go through hard things.
Mine are free ranging now too. But winter time (5 months) they're in the run. They don't care for snow so much.

Holm I took him to the suburban at our home course which took him to Perham. Lol. I should have been more specific. He liked the course. Challenging. He shot a 93 today. Very good. He was #2 for his team. He said that Fargo and some big schools were there. Excellent golf teams.

Thanks , I am letting mother nature take over. I will not interfere again. She may have gotten stepped on, who knows. She is a brand new chick hatched early this morning so maybe she came out from under momma too soon? I just put everyone to bed and she was still under momma so I will keep my fingers crossed for her to make it. Due to my ignorance of not separating them in the beginning, we have chicks that are all different ages, the difference in size from the first ones to hatch and from those that hatched this morning is amazing! The older ones are double the size! Maybe she got smooshed between the big guys?

And I can't even count how many chicks I have now...they are all over running around. I think more than 4 of my momma #2 chicks hatched....I hope to get a better count tomorrow.

Well keep your fingers crossed for the poor little thing.

On a stranger note......I think my rooster is having identity issues....

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Oh gosh he's a gorgeous boy.

Lol. Sly boy wanting to catch hens in the nest box... me thinks that's what's going on here....
Or to show a hen where to lay..? They crack me up sometimes.

 

[jerryse]

Morning . I see where BC is forecast 1-3 inches of snow .

 

[Siggie]

Morning all...

woke up to snow covered ground..... UGH!

Went out this morning to feed everyone and I think the little chick made it. There's so many in there I can't count but I believe I saw her eating with mom and 2 other really small chicks! So I am happy.

Now I have another question - momma broody #1 is getting restless under the cage I made. Since the rest of the chickens are free ranging, do you think I can leave the cage open during the day and just close them in at night so nobody gets stepped on? I think she wants to start moving around more and maybe come out of the coop.

does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Siggie]

Oh gosh he's a gorgeous boy.

Lol. Sly boy wanting to catch hens in the nest box... me thinks that's what's going on here....
Or to show a hen where to lay..? They crack me up sometimes.

LOL, that's what I was thinking because he was courting a hen outside the coop for a few minutes...I thought he was mad because I had the door closed! But then he kept calling to the hen and it seemed he was trying to show her what to do?? (as if she doesn't know already ya dumb boy!)

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Morning all...

woke up to snow covered ground..... UGH!

Went out this morning to feed everyone and I think the little chick made it.  There's so many in there I can't count but I believe I saw her eating with mom and 2 other really small chicks! So I am happy.

Now I have another question - momma broody #1 is getting restless under the cage I made.  Since the rest of the chickens are free ranging, do you think I can leave the cage open during the day and just close them in at night so nobody gets stepped on?  I think she wants to start moving around more and maybe come out of the coop. 

does anyone have any experience with this?  

It could be that she wants to poop somewhere else. Or that she wants to get to greens. I would open it up. If that's what you're seeing. Maybe after the snow though now? They'll be ok another day in there while the momma teaches the younger chicks. It may not hurt that you supervise the first free ranges though too. Just to be sure the Broodies do their protective stance against other flock members. I've seen a chicken fling a chick across the run. I don't think they knew what it was. Anyways I'm sure you get the picture.

Ed, Siggie, Jerry.... this is a bad recurrence of April Fools? I was going to get the JD lawn mower pulled out...

It's really coming down now. I think a 1/2 inch in the last 20 minutes.