Surviving Minnesota!

[Cluckies]

Aaaahhhh, It's that time of year again, Time for Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...

 

[KlopKlop]

Wow klop, thats impressive. I don't give the girls heat or additional light during winter unless a long period of subzero temperatures. I have people waiting for eggs and i have to tell them that my girls are on strike. It is what it is.....

I have had lights on timers ever since the first of september to keep the girls from going out of laying. Our customers are always hungry for our eggs! We sold all summer long at the farmers market, but that ended in October so we have been working hard to keep the business up now that we are in the 'off season'. We even started our own facebook business page! Check us out if you are curious - search for 'Whistling Dixie Farms'. We have been trying to share flock and chicken stuff at least weekly. In fact I just posted this week's #MeetAChickenMonday

we arent getting rich from it, but it does pay the feed bill. We really enjoy our chickens so that is just a fun bonus activity. Sitting down at the farmers market is a blast and we like telling people about our girls and educating them about chickens.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

A Good productive day today! Outside of getting laundry done, I installed a Fasttrack rail and utility hooks in the chicken run, opposite my storage shelf to store my greenhouse panels when they are not in use. Also, hung the extension cord for my soon to be mounted webcam, just need to order an acrylic sphere to put it in, and get it up there. And since no one is laying right now (last egg was 4 days ago) I boarded up 2 nesting boxes, leaving 1 open (a middle one) that they can share when they start laying again. This will help keep the heat in the main henhouse area better, as my boxes hang off of the henhouse. Also did some general house cleaning.
Say, does anyone grow meal worms on here? I'd like to put some in the fridge, save them for use later this winter. So do you put them in wheat bran? or just throw them in a container with nothing? I assume wheat bran...

i have a bin of mealies. They are going on their 4th year of I don't know how many cycles. LOL. Wheat bran is what you use for food. And then they need to drink too. So you need to place an apple slice or berry on a piece of thin cardboard or something and then they'll crawl out for a drink. Which reminds me I need to get a small piece of apple in my bin.

I didn't take care of it like I should have and just recently cleaned them out and found a few surviving larvae and decided to start over with them and let them got to beetles and keep working my supply up and up.

Aaaahhhh, It's that time of year again, Time for Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...

Good movie. "Those ARENT PILLOWS!"

 

[SleepyOwl]

Quote: @SleepyOwl I was thinking about this some more, I really don't understand what you mean by hot plate, like a hot plate for cooking? I would advise against that if it is. that is way to hot. If they get burned they could get infection, if it is hot enough to burn their wings, the wings could start on fire and burn them and also start the whole works on fire. Please take the hot plate out and put in a heating pad or a heating lamp well anchored and away from them so that they can get in and out of it as need be.

If you need a heating pad, this is a good one, it does not have an auto shut off Sunbeam heating pad
Thanks Cluckies! It is made for chicks. This is what I have. http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=135875&cat_id=173
I thought it was a bit hot when I got it, emailed the company, and they responded that it was normal. Tomorrow I will try to figure out something different, either put some fabric on it, or raise it up high enough so they can't touch it. I do also have a heating pad in there, on the floor. I was worried that if I made the fake mother with a heating pad, they would get themselves squashed. I think they are probably old enough now not to worry about it.... hmmm...

I think she's talking about the premier brand of chick Warmers which don't use light. Another brand of those is brinseas Eco-Glo .

I read a review on the premier that it sometimes got a bit too warm. Like it would be stable at first but then have fluctuations or something. It's too bad because I think the brinseas is quite a jump in price and it would be nice if there was a quality equivalent at a nice price.

Yep. It was hot when I got it though, and emailed the company. I can't keep my hands on it for more than 3-4 seconds. They said that was normal. I just figured chicks had feathers. It wasn't a problem until the last week when it has gotten so cold, so thinking chicks are spending more time trying to warm up? I'll figure something out.

At risk of sounding like I'm bragging I sold a dozen dozen eggs today. Our girls are laying strong. About 3 - 3.5 dozen a day out of 50 hens
We have a few ba girls and all the leghorns on heavy molt so no white eggs really

Nice! Wish you lived near by. I am getting one egg a day, same hen. The other 5 are slacking.

A Good productive day today! Outside of getting laundry done, I installed a Fasttrack rail and utility hooks in the chicken run, opposite my storage shelf to store my greenhouse panels when they are not in use. Also, hung the extension cord for my soon to be mounted webcam, just need to order an acrylic sphere to put it in, and get it up there. And since no one is laying right now (last egg was 4 days ago) I boarded up 2 nesting boxes, leaving 1 open (a middle one) that they can share when they start laying again. This will help keep the heat in the main henhouse area better, as my boxes hang off of the henhouse. Also did some general house cleaning.
Say, does anyone grow meal worms on here? I'd like to put some in the fridge, save them for use later this winter. So do you put them in wheat bran? or just throw them in a container with nothing? I assume wheat bran...

Way to get stuff done!

 

[Cluckies]

Quote: I know right? hilarious!

Yeah, I've been growing meal worms for a year now, but want to take some out of the bin and put in the fridge to "save for later" for the girls, as I have alot of worms, and soon they'll all turn into beatles again. I'll bet I can search on it. I don't know why I always forget that option on here! lol

 

[Cluckies]

Oh good, I was worried. I'd hate to see the birds get on fire, or your chicken coop

 

[KlopKlop]

I know right? hilarious!

Yeah, I've been growing meal worms for a year now, but want to take some out of the bin and put in the fridge to "save for later" for the girls, as I have alot of worms, and soon they'll all turn into beatles again. I'll bet I can search on it. I don't know why I always forget that option on here! lol

I have read several tutorials on it and watched several youtubes about it but haven't tried. I feel like it might be too much work to be worth it for 50 hens. thoughts?

 

[The BlanchRanch]

I am with you Klop. But I only have 5 chickens.

 

[Cluckies]

Hmmm, I don't do much work with mine, add apple slices every 2 to 3 days, add more wheat bran every few weeks. I've only totally cleaned out the aquarium once at about 8 months. Mine is just n a 10 gallon aquarium. I do not separate the beatles, pupae, or larvae like some do. Basically just go in and grab worms to give to the girls. I don't usually give them the worms in summer, want it mainly for fall (molting) and winter months. I followed this guys instructions:

How to raise meal worms

Last winter I didn't get much action, it was too cold in my house, but this spring they really took off. I'm thinking of putting a seedling mat under the aquarium to keep them cycling faster.

They are chicken crack, lol


edited to say weeks, not months, lol

 

[Cluckies]

oh, and when I have a sick hen that won't eat anything, she will eat a live meal worm...