Surviving Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

Welcome to our "shoot the breeze" thread ChickMom. Lots of valuable advice and a little manure sprinkled in for good measure.

I need to set up a visit with Ralphie.....we lost both toad cockerels right after we showed them at the fair. The toad girls pulled through the stress just fine....I guess that shows the stronger sex. (Sprinkle Sprinkle)

I too hope to get some Speckled Sussex from Ralphie before/if he decides to eliminate that breed.

As for mosquitos....you all must have been in the draught bans because in Central MN we never missed a rainshower and therefore every mosiquito egg that was laid hatched!

I have a lot of young SS, BUT I have to be honest and tell you I have some ugly white primaries on too many of them. They are headed to the freezer. One cannot do a "Vicki" on that many feathers without a judge wondering what happened to the wings...


We had a ton of rain, but I used a lot of dunks and really did not have that many Mosquitoes.


BTW I am getting ready to dispise the upcoming raid of Japanese or Asian beatles, what ever those mean biting ladybugs are! They are only a couple weeks away.

 

[chickmom3941]

Wow 3 pages behind, and I read it all yesterday.

On this page:

BC I am thinking of getting injectable B complex, I am thinking it might be faster working and I know they take it in. If @Bantambird can figure out Excede I should be able to work out a dosage to inject. BTW I know it says not for poultry on the label, so I will consider this off label use.

Welcome to the thread Chickmom. You are in the Banana belt, it might be the south west edge but I am sure you're in it.

Yes, SS are on the save list. I have too many years into them and they look too good, even if I do not have a decent pullet or cockerel to show this year. If Cuddles was to die I would reconsider them, but I can't get rid of Cuddles. It is just too unusual to have a rooster that wants to be held and played with.

When I open their cage 3 hens and cuddles all try to jump into my arms. Of course, when others are here they hang back just to make people think I am lying about their friendliness.

I have lots of nice looking Young SS, but they are not going to old enough to show this year, thanks to predators, both 2 and 4 legged ones.

Banana belt??? What's that?

Please, folks, don't think I made up the "heart of the lakes" slogan. If you google the town of Annandale, you'll see they call themselves that. I wasn't trying to start a debate about who has the most lakes, or anything. Obviously, MN is full of lakes, so I don't know if one area has more than the other. As far as I know, Paul Bunyan took Babe for walks around the whole state, right?

 

[duluthralphie]

Banana belt is the legendary area of the state we live in that has pineapples, coconuts and Bananas as the rest of the state struggles with 40 below temps. We are the chosen people of Minnesota...


Everyone is just spreading the manure about the lakes, I now Annandale advertizes it self as the heart of the lakes, but every town, it seems, claims to be the head of the lakes, the center of the lakes or chain of lake or some other Wall street tourist attracting slogan. I have never fished your area, but I keep thinking I might, if I ever get time to fish again. Even though you are close I have only been there a couple times, the last time through the area I saw a huge lake that was calling me and my boat.

 

[MNChickMom]

The Farmers Almanac is predicting a mild winter for MN this year. I hope they're right, but then you usually pay for a mild winter the next spring/summer with more insects. I guess it's worth some extra bugs, though, to not have a completely brutal winter.

By the way, thanks for everyone's "welcomes" - appreciate it!

I just bought the 2018 Farmers Almanac for the first time ever. My son picks it up and says, "hmmm you can cut my hair on certain days because I want it to grow fast in case you mess up."

Lot's of fun old info in that book and cheap only $6.99 for a book of wisdom. I can't wait to see if it holds true.

 

[duluthralphie]

I just bought the 2018 Farmers Almanac for the first time ever. My son picks it up and says, "hmmm you can cut my hair on certain days because I want it to grow fast in case you mess up."

Lot's of fun old info in that book and cheap only $6.99 for a book of wisdom. I can't wait to see if it holds true.

That is cheap, I sell my nuggets of wisdom at $2.98 per nugget. Or 5 nuggets for ten bucks.

 

[chickmom3941]

Banana belt is the legendary area of the state we live in that has pineapples, coconuts and Bananas as the rest of the state struggles with 40 below temps. We are the chosen people of Minnesota...


Everyone is just spreading the manure about the lakes, I now Annandale advertizes it self as the heart of the lakes, but every town, it seems, claims to be the head of the lakes, the center of the lakes or chain of lake or some other Wall street tourist attracting slogan. I have never fished your area, but I keep thinking I might, if I ever get time to fish again. Even though you are close I have only been there a couple times, the last time through the area I saw a huge lake that was calling me and my boat.

Banana belt - lol. About the closest I get to that would be a coconut-banana-pineapple colada! It's nice to dream about, though, huh? Being the chosen people of Minnesota living in a tropical climate - lol Never heard that one before!

 

[Bantambird]

Wow 3 pages behind, and I read it all yesterday.

On this page:

BC I am thinking of getting injectable B complex, I am thinking it might be faster working and I know they take it in. If @Bantambird can figure out Excede I should be able to work out a dosage to inject. BTW I know it says not for poultry on the label, so I will consider this off label use.

Welcome to the thread Chickmom. You are in the Banana belt, it might be the south west edge but I am sure you're in it.

Yes, SS are on the save list. I have too many years into them and they look too good, even if I do not have a decent pullet or cockerel to show this year. If Cuddles was to die I would reconsider them, but I can't get rid of Cuddles. It is just too unusual to have a rooster that wants to be held and played with.

When I open their cage 3 hens and cuddles all try to jump into my arms. Of course, when others are here they hang back just to make people think I am lying about their friendliness.

I have lots of nice looking Young SS, but they are not going to old enough to show this year, thanks to predators, both 2 and 4 legged ones.

Here's a good read for your local veterinarian who doesn't normally deal with birds.https://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Poultry-Medicine-Surgery-Practitioners/dp/1118335430
It's specifically written for general practitioner veterinarians and is a pretty decent reference, especially for dosing, soft tissue surgery, and diseases, pests, and what to look for in a necropsy.
Good reads!

 

[duluthralphie]

Here's a good read for your local veterinarian who doesn't normally deal with birds.https://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Poultry-Medicine-Surgery-Practitioners/dp/1118335430
It's specifically written for general practitioner veterinarians and is a pretty decent reference, especially for dosing, soft tissue surgery, and diseases, pests, and what to look for in a necropsy.
Good reads!

Ordered. I think I need this! Thanks

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Chickmom3941 banana belt was derived here on BYC when we were in a long winter delirium and somebody was bragging about 5 below instead of 25 below and claimed he had to watch out for falling coconuts.

 

[Rhetts]

Wow! Lots of things going on! Glad I took the time to catch up!!

@holm25 How is your pup doing? and beautiful bird pics!
@duluthralphie Glad to 'see' you here. You know we miss you terribly when you are gone. Seriously!
When driving through the big town by @ejb3810 We stopped in the newer Mills Fleet Farm. My first time in the new store. I must have been over dreaming its glory as I was underwhelmed with the farm supplies. Don't get me wrong they have millions more than my local 'farm' store but just well, I don't know. I do have good news too. We are getting a Tractor Supply Store right in town. WOOT WOOT. I hear you guys talk about it all the time. Can't wait to stroll the isles!