Surviving Minnesota!

[MNChickMom]

Congrats Layers!

We are frantically getting ready for our county fair next week. Anybody have suggestions for cleaning (and keeping clean) the white toads. They free range all day now and only come back to the shed for night time lock up.....

Ralphie~ I am sorry to hear that you will not be competing but your health comes first. Get well quickly ..... but not too quickly that you end up back in bed!

 

[duluthralphie]

A decent soap and a glycerin rinse. Careful how much bleach you use. Yellow is not pretty on toads.

 

[duluthralphie]

oh and Vet RX to the combs and legs.

 

[destiny_56085]

A few secrets from the silkie people in getting those whites brilliant white.... Bathe first in the blue Dawn dish soap. Make sure they are totally soaked through and then use the bluing shampoo. Biolage make a good one for those silver haired old ladies, there's a horse one called Quic Silver, or even laundry bluing. But make sure your bird is completely sopping wet or you will end up with purple tinted feathers. You can also substitute Tide with Bleach alternative, but it gets pretty caustic and takes the sheen off the birds from what I've found. Then after those are done, rinse VERY well again and put a splash of vinegar in the final rinse water. It will take all soap scum off those feathers. Put them in a super clean pen and keep a layer of thick shavings in there to absorb any crap. An then when your birds are dry, a quick mist of horse Absorbine ShowSheen will put a nice shine on them and keep the stains off them. Make sure you trim beaks and days before you do all this because a bloody nail will make a huge mess of white feathers. Day of the show, go over beaks again with a nail buffer, grease up combs and legs, and smooth feathers with a silk rag.

 

[destiny_56085]

Congrats Layers!!!! Love that blue gal. The black male isn't bad, but could use more width in skull and needs more time to develop through cushion.

 

[destiny_56085]

Ralphie I've had cats in the past at our farm. We had the same nice ones for many years and no problems. About 3-4 years ago some dingbat I work with dropped off 20+ adult cats that he trapped and thought my farm was a good drop off place. Cats that haven't been raised around poultry tend to view them as dinner and we had a huge problem with them for a while there. I just now got a few kittens again from another poultry friend. So far so good....

 

[I Love Layers]

Thanks everyone!

Congrats Layers!!!! Love that blue gal. The black male isn't bad, but could use more width in skull and needs more time to develop through cushion.

He honestly looks so bad in all the pictures
He is only 9 months so he's got a while for the cushion. As for the skull that's a work in progress. I added a blue hen today to my breeding she has a very wide skull so hopefully she starts laying again..

 

[duluthralphie]

I just got a call from a friend. He was telling me his Dad just found an article or plan by the DNR.....

You chicken people down in the southern part of the state will love this.............


The DNR is going to trap and relocate wolves from the northern part of the state to the Minnesota River Valley..Psst @destiny_56085 That's you.....To help combat and remove the coyotes that are causing problem there now....



You have to wonder if this is true. What the GPA of the person thinking this one up was.,...Maybe they are moving mink there to feed the wolves after the coyotes are gone..

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I bet the wolves will get all sorts of coyotes. And calves. And Yorkies, labradors, shepherds, and domestic dogs of all sorts in back yards. GPA for sure lacking. I wonder if they'll be beefing up their staff for all the calls. Stupid. It's not good for the wolves either...

 

[holm25]

I just got a call from a friend. He was telling me his Dad just found an article or plan by the DNR.....

You chicken people down in the southern part of the state will love this.............


The DNR is going to trap and relocate wolves from the northern part of the state to the Minnesota River Valley..Psst @destiny_56085 That's you.....To help combat and remove the coyotes that are causing problem there now....



You have to wonder if this is true. What the GPA of the person thinking this one up was.,...Maybe they are moving mink there to feed the wolves after the coyotes are gone..

They sure thought that out. I would take Coyotes over wolves any day. I saw a huge Yote the other day and he was just minding his own business....

We already have the occasional wolf up here and I saw a heck of a black bear the other day.... So we don't need anymore predators...