The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Kassaundra]

I would love to able to turn the garden so that girls could enjoy it. Unfortunately I seem to have 8" of this white stuff on the top of the garden........and its frozen solid

So I guess it would be cruel to tell you about our last 3 days of 70 degree days, so I won't.

 

[aoxa]

So I guess it would be cruel to tell you about our last 3 days of 70 degree days, so I won't.

You are mean!

 

[Kassaundra]

You are mean!

You guys will get even when we are melting at 110 and you are a balmy 80.

 

[Anna6]

I would love to able to turn the garden so that girls could enjoy it. Unfortunately I seem to have 8" of this white stuff on the top of the garden........and its frozen solid

Ugh for a moment I forgot many people are still in the deep freeze. Oh I remember frozen soil. We are in socal so the weather is usually perfect.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: LOL there was a drafter of some breed or other (black and white paint) down the road named that. he was the biggest baby. he was actively breeding 10-15 years ago, but has been retired since (and gelded) living the life of luxury as a 10 year old's mount now. LOL she calls him Muffy. LOL

 

[ki4got]

well today's been an adventure. I met with someone today (not sure if she's on byc or not) and picked up a trio of Columbians (very nice IMO) bantam cochins as well as 3 buff girls and 3 split silver/buff cockerels (from buff Columbian cock over silver Columbian hens). got them home and i'm putting them into their new pen and one of the cockerels managed to get away from me and ran/flew (with several other roosters on his heels) straight into my "pond". aka large kiddie pool everyone drinks from.

of course, not being familiar with it, he went straight over the ice and into the clear center section where my tank heater lives. bloop. his head didn't go under (thankfully) but in the time it took me to get the net to get him out, he looked dead when I got back. managed to get him out of the water, and no signs of life at all... something prompted me to rush him inside, I half filled a bucket with as hot water as our tap will do (not enough to burn, but uncomfortable at first) and dunked him in and just held his head out. nope. nothing. no blink response or anything.

I propped his head over his back (typical dead chicken limp neck thing) and left him like that for a few minutes. because I heard another baby in distress (lost my day old dorking chick to half an inch of water). went back and checked on the cockerel a couple minutes later, and still nothing. but his eyes caught my attention... the pupils were constricting and dilating very slightly. still no blink response. put my hand in the water and it wasn't so hot any more, so I pulled him out, dumped it and refilled again.

while I was holding him I noticed his body was warming up but not his head so I put him back in the hot water and laid his head on one hand since he wanted to droop forward now... after a minute, he gave a gasp and started breathing! within a couple more, his eyes were closed but the inner eyelids were blinking like crazy.

at first I thought it might be death throes or something, but he continued breathing. at this point I pulled him out of the bucket because i was getting tired standing there hodling his head up, and i was afraid to get him too hot, as that's probably as dangerous (or more so) than too cold... holding him in one hand, feet hanging and dripping, head hanging forward some, he started running and flapping slightly, like a dog having puppy dreams. got him wrapped in a towel and just set him on my chair so i could go outside and finish putting everyone in their new home, etc.

maybe 10 minutes later i came back in, he hadn't moved at all. but when i picked him up, he woke up. since then, he's been sitting, lightly wrapped in his towel, kind of nestled between my belly and left arm, while i sit here and type. the whole time talking to me lightly. a quiet little bokbokbok conversation that means nothing to me, except that it's music to my ears! he keeps nibbling at my wedding band and looking around but isn't making any effort to leave his warm nest right now...

i think his name is going to be lucky. he's shivering slightly now, so time to put in in a brooder to warm up further i think...

edit: the post above was around 5pm or so... since then, he's remained alert and talkative, but his front to back balance is shot. he will scoot around if necessary but seems to prefer being in a corner and stays backed into a corner of his tote currently. we'll see what the next few days bring, but i'm still amazed he's even alive.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Wow, Karen. It will be interesting to see how he does!

 

[aoxa]

well today's been an adventure. I met with someone today (not sure if she's on byc or not) and picked up a trio of Columbians (very nice IMO) bantam cochins as well as 3 buff girls and 3 split silver/buff cockerels (from buff Columbian cock over silver Columbian hens). got them home and i'm putting them into their new pen and one of the cockerels managed to get away from me and ran/flew (with several other roosters on his heels) straight into my "pond". aka large kiddie pool everyone drinks from.

of course, not being familiar with it, he went straight over the ice and into the clear center section where my tank heater lives. bloop. his head didn't go under (thankfully) but in the time it took me to get the net to get him out, he looked dead when I got back. managed to get him out of the water, and no signs of life at all... something prompted me to rush him inside, I half filled a bucket with as hot water as our tap will do (not enough to burn, but uncomfortable at first) and dunked him in and just held his head out. nope. nothing. no blink response or anything.

I propped his head over his back (typical dead chicken limp neck thing) and left him like that for a few minutes. because I heard another baby in distress (lost my day old dorking chick to half an inch of water). went back and checked on the cockerel a couple minutes later, and still nothing. but his eyes caught my attention... the pupils were constricting and dilating very slightly. still no blink response. put my hand in the water and it wasn't so hot any more, so I pulled him out, dumped it and refilled again.

while I was holding him I noticed his body was warming up but not his head so I put him back in the hot water and laid his head on one hand since he wanted to droop forward now... after a minute, he gave a gasp and started breathing! within a couple more, his eyes were closed but the inner eyelids were blinking like crazy.

at first I thought it might be death throes or something, but he continued breathing. at this point I pulled him out of the bucket because i was getting tired standing there hodling his head up, and i was afraid to get him too hot, as that's probably as dangerous (or more so) than too cold... holding him in one hand, feet hanging and dripping, head hanging forward some, he started running and flapping slightly, like a dog having puppy dreams. got him wrapped in a towel and just set him on my chair so i could go outside and finish putting everyone in their new home, etc.

maybe 10 minutes later i came back in, he hadn't moved at all. but when i picked him up, he woke up. since then, he's been sitting, lightly wrapped in his towel, kind of nestled between my belly and left arm, while i sit here and type. the whole time talking to me lightly. a quiet little bokbokbok conversation that means nothing to me, except that it's music to my ears! he keeps nibbling at my wedding band and looking around but isn't making any effort to leave his warm nest right now...

i think his name is going to be lucky. he's shivering slightly now, so time to put in in a brooder to warm up further i think...

Oh man, what a lucky boy indeed! What an awesome story

 

[Kassaundra]

well today's been an adventure. I met with someone today (not sure if she's on byc or not) and picked up a trio of Columbians (very nice IMO) bantam cochins as well as 3 buff girls and 3 split silver/buff cockerels (from buff Columbian cock over silver Columbian hens). got them home and i'm putting them into their new pen and one of the cockerels managed to get away from me and ran/flew (with several other roosters on his heels) straight into my "pond". aka large kiddie pool everyone drinks from.

of course, not being familiar with it, he went straight over the ice and into the clear center section where my tank heater lives. bloop. his head didn't go under (thankfully) but in the time it took me to get the net to get him out, he looked dead when I got back. managed to get him out of the water, and no signs of life at all... something prompted me to rush him inside, I half filled a bucket with as hot water as our tap will do (not enough to burn, but uncomfortable at first) and dunked him in and just held his head out. nope. nothing. no blink response or anything.

I propped his head over his back (typical dead chicken limp neck thing) and left him like that for a few minutes. because I heard another baby in distress (lost my day old dorking chick to half an inch of water). went back and checked on the cockerel a couple minutes later, and still nothing. but his eyes caught my attention... the pupils were constricting and dilating very slightly. still no blink response. put my hand in the water and it wasn't so hot any more, so I pulled him out, dumped it and refilled again.

while I was holding him I noticed his body was warming up but not his head so I put him back in the hot water and laid his head on one hand since he wanted to droop forward now... after a minute, he gave a gasp and started breathing! within a couple more, his eyes were closed but the inner eyelids were blinking like crazy.

at first I thought it might be death throes or something, but he continued breathing. at this point I pulled him out of the bucket because i was getting tired standing there hodling his head up, and i was afraid to get him too hot, as that's probably as dangerous (or more so) than too cold... holding him in one hand, feet hanging and dripping, head hanging forward some, he started running and flapping slightly, like a dog having puppy dreams. got him wrapped in a towel and just set him on my chair so i could go outside and finish putting everyone in their new home, etc.

maybe 10 minutes later i came back in, he hadn't moved at all. but when i picked him up, he woke up. since then, he's been sitting, lightly wrapped in his towel, kind of nestled between my belly and left arm, while i sit here and type. the whole time talking to me lightly. a quiet little bokbokbok conversation that means nothing to me, except that it's music to my ears! he keeps nibbling at my wedding band and looking around but isn't making any effort to leave his warm nest right now...

i think his name is going to be lucky. he's shivering slightly now, so time to put in in a brooder to warm up further i think...

Glad the story has a guardedly happy ending. That proves an EMS saying "they aren't dead until they are warm and dead"

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
Me too. And they're predicting another 6-24" in the next 2 days depending on how close to Lake MI. I think we'll only get on the 4-6" range but the winds do shift sometimes and change the way it goes so we'll see.