Surviving Minnesota!

[ejb3810]

Ralphie, I suspect that you don't need advice from me, and I am not a Republican. I am however a very conservative Independent. The unions and especially AFSME are a force to be feared. It would be best to be very supportive of public education. In most of Minnesota public education is quite good.

Related to the chickens, mine are out free ranging daily. They are apparently much hardier in disposition than those of many ? I have no wussie chickens here. When the snow gets too deep for them to walk through they will be limited in travel but not at this point.

 

[BantyChooks]

Morning all,,,, A tad chilly here again...

I lost a bird when we hit below 20, I assume today as we go below zero, I will lose one or two more. It seems to be the extremes take the weaker ones from my flock. My old ladies are squeezing into the nest boxes to sleep. I do not like hens to sleep in the boxes, but these old girls are so large and weak, I do not think they can reach the roosts and they need the warmth of each other. I take good care of my old freeloaders.

Those old ladies are somehow much more special, huh...
I sent my oldest hen (nearly 9) to my neighbour, because she can keep her indoors all winter. I can't. I'm sure the old girl will really appreciate it, but I do miss her... sigh.

 

[holm25]

@ejb3810 i have birds out all day too. Heck my Juveniles slept outside yesterday evening and it got zero. My Guineas and turkeys are really tough and go sit on a log all day lol.

 

[duluthralphie]

Do you have a special ole hen coop? maybe something special just for them with a heat panel?

I do not add heat to any of them, I am afraid of them becoming accustomed to the heat source and them when it fails, for whatever reason, they would suffer and die.

Ralphie, I suspect that you don't need advice from me, and I am not a Republican. I am however a very conservative Independent. The unions and especially AFSME are a force to be feared. It would be best to be very supportive of public education. In most of Minnesota public education is quite good.

.

I do support public education, I was on a public school board. I believe many of the best teachers are handcuffed by the Department of Education and the unions.

However, we have to look at the test results, Public schools students do worse than Home schooled, charter and private school students on standardized tests.
Therefore, I also support the alternatives and believe parents should have the right to use whatever is best for their kids.

 

[jerryse]

Morning . Well I had the shots plus a Chiro treatment first .Felt worse after . Did not expect that . With the injections putting weight on it was worse . Guess it needs time for the injections to be absorbed . The blood draw was less than ideal . Took 3 tries . I am a difficult draw . So I am to take it easy for a few days and add heat .

 

[Cebarmlds]

I have an old girl that is staying on the roost too much and I'd like to turn the heat panel on for her but then she'd never want to get off the roost and the others would get wimpy.
(The panel is behind the roost)

 

[holm25]

@duluthralphie Yesterday I was checking out my Doms Rooster and I am really questioning on if I should use his for breeding? Frame wise he is a small bird. His pubic bones touch and he does not have much for heat girth. Although he has nice small wattles which ic something you Dom guys have been looking for...

 

[duluthralphie]

Morning . Well I had the shots plus a Chiro treatment first .Felt worse after . Did not expect that . With the injections putting weight on it was worse . Guess it needs time for the injections to be absorbed . The blood draw was less than ideal . Took 3 tries . I am a difficult draw . So I am to take it easy for a few days and add heat .

Jerry, Best wishes too you..
I have no idea what the shots your going through are like. I know when I had my knee surgery (arthroscopic) I was told it would be a breeze. I could not bear weight for a week ....

Good luck and get well!

 

[duluthralphie]

@duluthralphie Yesterday I was checking out my Doms Rooster and I am really questioning on if I should use his for breeding? Frame wise he is a small bird. His pubic bones touch and he does not have much for heat girth. Although he has nice small wattles which ic something you Dom guys have been looking for...

I am thinking it would depend on the hens. If you have a large framed hen and has good body, I would use the roo to shrink the combs. BUT you have to know it will not be a single generation fix. If you breed enough with him you could get lucky though and have the small wattles and a good body type.

I have two roosters breeding separate groups right now, in an attempt to get a prefect chick or two.

I have KnuckleHead aka Psycho breeding my PC right now. I had Weinerhead in there, but he is now in the bachelor pad.

 

[lvie]

Good Morning Chickeners . . . . brrrrrrr.
That said - the time sure does fly by.
When I first began my chicken endeavor I purchased a coop kit that would house four birds. It has since been raised up on supports and incorporated into the larger enclosed run. The three ss I have like to roost in it year round. They fit on the top roost in this small coop plus there is room for another hen. I have trained Shimmer to roost with them. Then there is another lower roost and I have been training the three old girls to roost on it. This small coop is wrapped with plastic and the drafty gaps have been blocked along with cardboard used for an insulator. That still leave five large, fluffy hens in the plastic-wrapped run on a roost huddled together. I figure that they can survive. The other coop is that 4x4 I built this past year, house wrapped and vented at the top. It seems to do very well in this weather and the five birds in it hang there on the roost. I extended a cord to it two days ago and purchased a heated waterer to plug in. So much better. Winter has arrived in Minnesota! Yipee! Isn't THIS why we live here?