The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

My girls are doing well this morning except for Lil'E. She's on the roost shivering even though I have the heat bulb out there. She came out this morning and went right back in. 2F right now..should start seeing better temps starting tomorrow and in to the upper 30s by weekend

see, that would worry me - the shivering.  THat means she is tooo cold and not able to provide enough heat for herself.  Can you get the heat bulb aimed at her and close enough that you can feel the warmth on her feathers?  If not, I would be seriously tempted to bring her in.  If you don't bring her in, be sure to hand feed her if necessary with warming foods. 

Let us know how she is doing!  pics?

I agree shivering is not good. Cook up some eggs for her and throw in I some garlic and basil. Give to her in small amounts all day. If it was me she & a friend would be in my garage getting many feedings throught out the day.

So my mom texted me earlier asking if she should bring her cat crates over in case we need to bring hens in the house and put them in the basement. I told her no way. It was warmer in the coop than outside and Stella had already laid her egg. No reason to bring them in when they are happily eating a big bowl of their favorite chicken crack and not really poofed up at all. Even Edie isn't puffed up & she is the smallest. Them girls are just fine I told her. I giving her an hour or two before she ventures over to see for herself. No travel ban will stop her from seeing if her girls are ok Especially her Stella lol

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: Me too. If I had one like that I'd probably bring her in too.

 

[chicalot]

The temp is rising and she's out. Seen her eat and drink. You cant tell from the pic but she has a lot of neck feathers coming in from molting. She's my only blue egg layer snd hoping for chicks in the spring. Shes in the middle between the white big girls. She just doesnt do cold well.

Theyre getting to dust bath.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Sounds good if she's out and about and eating, etc.!

She looks like my Charlie!

 

[Scott H]

I've got another one molting too but our temps have been stable....dare I say balmy. No snow on the ground and mid thirties during the day. Even some sun!
Want to move to north Idaho!!

 

[chicalot]

She does. Her sister chicken is a bigger version. Theyre the sweet talkers of the flock. Sister lays a creamy pinkish egg. They would love Charlie.

 

[lazy gardener]

yes, I know you are joking!
getting dressed...feel like a toddler. I have these windproof snow pants that are fleece lined that I got last year to go ice fishing in, and I wear them out to the coop all the time. Don't know how I lived my whole life without them, I will never be without them again. My legs are never cold. lots of layers on top and scarf and hat and hood....look like a snowwoman!

LaLa: I paid $7 for a pair of snow pants at Walmart last spring. I honestly don't know how I ever lived in Maine without them. Why is it that we buy them for kids every year, and deny ourselves the same luxury? And, I do believe that both myself and my husband spend more time outside than the kids do! Now, the feel like a toddler issue... More truth to that than you know. Add the ancient bladder issues to the snow pants, and it's deja-vu all over again... don't forget to go before you get dressed up to go... out!

15 out at noon, 35 in chickies sun room. I'm guardedly optimistic that the rest of the winter won't be as bitter as the past few weeks have been!

 

[aoxa]

Name for the wry neck survivor .... Victoria.

Had to chip the ff out of the bowls this morning...and those are on heat pads! -14 real temp today with ungodly wind chill Not opening the pop door again as there's no point. The kennel run is all drifted and they won't go out by choice anyway and I don't want any of them being bullied out. Otherwise all is well.


Aoxa - did you end up giving your girl any special food/vitamins, etc? Or do you think it was just time and warmth that healed it?

I didn't end up supplementing, though I kept saying we would. Well I did give her scrambled eggs with coconut oil... We have so many eggs I scrambled 4 dozen for the entire flock.

She was in the heated feed room all along so definitely wasn't anything to do with the cold.

 

[aoxa]

Me too. If I had one like that I'd probably bring her in too.

My goats shiver. I hate it. They seem to do it more when we are looking.. If they don't know we are watching, I don't see them doing it.

I have never wormed them, so I checked all their eyelids for nice pink colour - a-ok. Poops all hard. Tummies look round (not too round). Any goat or sheep people know what else I could check on?

They shiver the most when I give them some grain. I think they may be excited, but the manager of the feed store said he's never heard of them shivering out of excitement.

 

[TeaChick]

tea chick I would like a link to stacking nesting boxes made from children's storage.

This is it as a storage box. There are other pics of it with hay (and a cat). ;-) But this is what it will look like in the store.
Here's the link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...n-hatch-a-long-and-informational-thread/19640