The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Sally8]

I have had what I would call extreme in a hamburg hen. She lost her entire comb from what I can tell. (This was last year). It's never grown back and she's fine. I watched it but didn't do anything as she is so very flighty. It was a little bloody for a day or two and i'm sure it probably hurt but she was a bugger to catch, even in the coop. She stayed outside and we couldn't find her. My BCM roo seems to have dark tips a lot when it's quite cold. In the last few weeks nights get down in the teens and a few in the single digits. Mine must have forgotten what snow is as no one wants to go out, scratch or not. I'm not against treating for anything but like to be sure on what I'm doing. That's why I read here, to get others thoughts and learned experiences. I've never had any problem with moisture in the coop but I think I do now. I've been making adjustments but it's been quite windy too.

 

[lazy gardener]

LaLa, I was thinking of using the box to help contain body heat, and also to keep the hay from getting spread out too much, that way if it is a pain to clean up, it will be concentrated in one area. Perhaps what i'll do is put the big box with hay, and put some hay in one of the 2 nest boxes, that way if the low girl gets left out of the box, she can go in the nest box. I only have one girl laying now. (I'm so proud of her!) I don't like to use hay b/c of concern about mites, but right now, I think that heat is the most important thing.

 

[lalaland]

Just sent you a pm but wondering how you define "extreme". Do you have any photos of what yours has looked like? Right now I'm leaning toward just leaving it alone but don't want to neglect it if I should do something.

this thread has good pics of extreme frostbite problems: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/742274/freezer-camp-in-our-minnesota-coop-frozen-wattles-on-roo

 

[lalaland]

LaLa, I was thinking of using the box to help contain body heat, and also to keep the hay from getting spread out too much, that way if it is a pain to clean up, it will be concentrated in one area. Perhaps what i'll do is put the big box with hay, and put some hay in one of the 2 nest boxes, that way if the low girl gets left out of the box, she can go in the nest box. I only have one girl laying now. (I'm so proud of her!) I don't like to use hay b/c of concern about mites, but right now, I think that heat is the most important thing.

that makes sense, to put hay in a nest box too forher.

 

[ki4got]

LaLa, I was thinking of using the box to help contain body heat, and also to keep the hay from getting spread out too much, that way if it is a pain to clean up, it will be concentrated in one area. Perhaps what i'll do is put the big box with hay, and put some hay in one of the 2 nest boxes, that way if the low girl gets left out of the box, she can go in the nest box. I only have one girl laying now. (I'm so proud of her!) I don't like to use hay b/c of concern about mites, but right now, I think that heat is the most important thing.

even when I was in maine, the birds all insisted on roosting. nobody would huddle in a box or hay. they just snuggled up on the roost side by side... never lost one to cold, and it sure was plenty of that LOL.

 

[lalaland]

lala- sounds like a good theory but in my situation, the mean ones would occupy both boxes and still keep the lowers out. Very frustrating.

While it's been cold I finally caught the 16 wk olds and locked them in the brooding area of the shed so they stay inside. I do have a separated place outside with a dog house that they can go in but the cold and wind chill was too low for me to be happy with that scenario. Temps are supposed to rise later this week and I'll let them out again. But they'll likely stay outside in their "safe" place the whole day which is frustrating to me.

I know, this has been such a tough winter already and it hasn't even started. I was thinking, no box, hay everywhere, but that might not work for everyone. I notice how mine have been nestling in the hay during the day when snow or windchill keeps them in, which has been just about continuously for 3 weeks now.

 

[RedRidge]

So I would be curious to know what sort of temperatures cause this sort of frost bite and what sort of shelter they were in.
I have never had a frost bite problem but we have been unusually cold already so it makes me a little nervous as I am getting ready to put my breeders in pens and they have nothing but wind breaks really.
So how cold for how long is too cold

 

[CoopChick719]

It's supposed to get down to - 18F tonight. I have put a 100W flower pot heater in the 4 x 8 x 3.5 ft. loft coop for my 5 girls, one of which is going into heavy molt, an other one finally feathering out. I'm tempted to remove the heater, and replace it with a cardboard box upside down stuffed with hay for the girls to snuggle in, in a couple of days when the temps moderate just a bit. The only reason I haven't done so before is that one of the girls is at the VERY bottom of the pecking order, to the point that I'm worried that the dominant B**** RIR won't let her into the box and she'll be left alone out in the cold. Any thoughts about the use of hay in this type of set up? Will I end up with a completely frozen block of poo laden hay? How much will hay increase the moisture in their loft? They've been sleeping in the shaving lined nest boxes some and only occasionally leave a poo in there!

LaLa, I was thinking of using the box to help contain body heat, and also to keep the hay from getting spread out too much, that way if it is a pain to clean up, it will be concentrated in one area. Perhaps what i'll do is put the big box with hay, and put some hay in one of the 2 nest boxes, that way if the low girl gets left out of the box, she can go in the nest box. I only have one girl laying now. (I'm so proud of her!) I don't like to use hay b/c of concern about mites, but right now, I think that heat is the most important thing.

Hey LG, For your 100W flower pot heater did you just turn the pot upside down & run the lightbulb through the drain hole? That's what I've been thinking about doing. I've been stuffing the nesting boxes w/shredded newspaper & shavings in case anyone gets bumped off the roost. I found one of my Sizzles in a box last night. I was going to put her on the roost but she was cozy & warm so I stuff some extra shavings around her and let her be.

 

[Kassaundra]

Is this because you haven't had a roo with frostbite or that you just leave them alone? My BCM gets a little every year but I've never done anything about it. Seems to workout. BUT, it's never been extreme either. Just as with any other animal, I won't let my chickens suffer.

Never had one w/ frostbite, it would be exceptional where I live in eastern central Oklahoma.

 

[TeaChick]

TeaChick, I went through a similar situation like Lala's. After much supportive care, meds, you name it I tried it, we had to cull my sweet Maran. The act itself was difficult but I knew in my heart it was the best thing for her. I sent her & 2 others to our State Univ. Animal Health Lab for necropsy. She had worms & cocci even though I had treated for both.

Lala, I was thinking NuStock might help. And I see that Delisha has weighed in on the NuStock too! Best wishes on the doctoring!

Thank you. I'm giving her 24 hours at a time. If she's better, then she's winning the fight; if she's worse, I'm not going to make her suffer. KWIM?
I hope that she doesn't have worms. IDK what cocci is, but I hope she doesn't have that either. How would I know? What would I do for it?