The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Kassaundra]

I know! We are expecting 70's this weekend!!!!!! Although we will be back below freezing shortly!

We have had a couple of days in the 60's and tomorrow is going to be in the 70's then back to the deep freeze for us too.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Well...at least we get in the 40s the next couple days. With rain so that we can have a nice ice slick under everything once it gets cold again .

Pa (from Little House on the Prairie books) used to say that the rich got their ice cream in the summer and the poor got theirs in the winter.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

*evil grin* it's closer for some of us than others...

ROFLMAO...

 

[Gramma Chick]

I started talking to him and advancing on him, and instead of backing up, he raised his neck ruffle and he FLOGGED the water jug. I couldn't believe it. I started to try to tap him with the jug while walking at him, and he got really upset, flew up and really truly flogged the jug. I was yelling, and Buster, senior roo, came flying out of nowhere and jumped Booster and then jumped the water jug!You can guess I'm not using that jug again. I don't really know what set them off about it, its a gallon jug, round with a bale handle.

I usually use milk jugs to bring the water out....

I think they think it was a new rooster ..LOL..It also might have made a sound of some kind ..as both roosters attacked it ..
I thought you were going to say he flogged you ..

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
Can they Hear you ? Mine did that before it got really cold ...out .If they heard me anytime in the night they would Crow .
in the summer If I would walk by the coop at night & not announce " its just me " that would set them off .
They are plastic wrapped for the winter ..so I think they hear less . they have stopped it for now .

My Roos seem to crow for a reason .
My Samatra Pair - if he is separated from her he will crow for her ..
or if he cant see his flock (there are 3 Roos in this flock ).The other Samatra Roo will answer him
My older Roo will crow if his ladies arent where he wants them or if one is missing (laying a egg in the hen house ) or
Across the street or next door <- where they are not supposed to be ..

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote:

I agree with Leahs Mom

As for me, I want an earthship. Built of tires, cans bottles, ect. Catches rainwater, recycles waste, grows food, produces energy. win win win
http://earthship.org/

Thats really cool !!!

Well...at least we get in the 40s the next couple days. With rain so that we can have a nice ice slick under everything once it gets cold again .

Pa (from Little House on the Prairie books) used to say that the rich got their ice cream in the summer and the poor got theirs in the winter.

That is my favorite show !!!! And why it is very true I really am not a big ice cream person........esp when I have to shovel it

 

[lalaland]

@lalaland
Well, I finally read through the thread you posted on frostbite.

I am still of the same conclusion. I think that he may have fared better if he had not been brought in and out of the heat and cold so much. And probably what caused the extreme swelling, etc., was coming in and out of the heat and having them freeze and re-freeze over and over.

I would have liked to see how things may have been different if he had been left outside and not handled or thawed and re-frozen time after time.

Even after all that, he looks very healthy and well in the summer so that is encouraging.

Again, my conclusions are just my conclusions at this point and I definitely could change those.

I'm hoping that you will continue to take photos of your roo and document how it progresses and heals. I think that is very important so that next year when this topic comes up again we can see results of various ways that people have handled it and make a good conclusion for how to proceed in the future.

I agree that the photos are really helpful for each of us in assessing what we might choose to do. I have to say that bogtown chick's rooster was in much worse shape than Booster, she didn't bring hers inside until he stopped eating. His wattles were so swollen his beak was open, and it caused pain when he banged his wattles against the feeder. So she had to hand feed him.

I've read that if you have a rooster with severe frostbite, you should check the crop nightly to see if the rooster is eating enough. So far, Booster's wattles aren't swollen that I can see, and he is eating just fine.

I agree 100% that handling the comb so much could cause further damage, but his comb was necrotic, she said it smelled. Even so, I might have left it - just nustocked and thats it. I don't think Booster will get so bad, but technically winter hasn't even started! I'm n ot sure how he will fare when the January -29 and -30 temps start happening.

On the Minnesota thread, people are saying they have never had frostbite problems but are this winter, and I know of 3 people who say the cold killed their roosters. Not sure if I accept that as the cause or not....

 

[Leahs Mom]

Here where I am, the humidity is very high outside right now and has been throughout December. I wonder if it is more humid than it's been in Winters past and be adding to the fb problem. Not sure if that's it.

I do see that a lot of folks that are getting fb really bad on the wattles have open waterers where the wattles go into the water while drinking. I think it would help a lot to restrict the openings at least for the wattles.

 

[aoxa]

Here where I am, the humidity is very high outside right now and has been throughout December. I wonder if it is more humid than it's been in Winters past and be adding to the fb problem. Not sure if that's it.

I do see that a lot of folks that are getting fb really bad on the wattles have open waterers where the wattles go into the water while drinking. I think it would help a lot to restrict the openings at least for the wattles.

Fermented feed also creates frost bitten wattles too.. That's how the only case of frost bite on the wattles happened for me. He had FF caked on them.

 

[aoxa]

You know what? I miss the cold.. take the snow away..

53 cm in the past 3 days. 10 cm more expected tomorrow. Chickens are not allowed out until I get a good path cleared.