The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[mlowen]

By last report, the baby is in the barn and the birth went well. They're gone for milk replacer. Calf is 5 days old. Said my cow apparently laid down on a log and got her back going downhill and couldn't get back up.

I'm so glad y'all got the baby in. Will cows raise twins? Do they even ever have twins? Sometimes you can "scent" the orphan to match the mother and/or other baby and a ewe will think she has two and take care of both. My daddy used to spray a teeny bit of Lysol on the butts of orphans or lambs the ewe was not taking to and the nose of the ewe and she'd be fooled.

 

[chicalot]

We had twins last year. One was a little stunted due to mama not giving enough milk and trying to wean it young. We "beefed" it up as much as possible. We use to have a real good cow that would take any orphan but she got too old and down. They won't all do that. She was great.

twins don't happen often.

Baby took to the bottle real good.

 

[Amberjem]

 

[vpatt]

Cows had a bad night last night and my cow died. We also lost a calf. Don't know if coyotes took it dead or caused it. We also have one calving now. Hubs is trying to catch the orphan calf but that'll take 2 tons of luck. Apparently my cow fell over a log. When it snows it pours! We're getting a Jenny in the spring. I hope she hates coyotes. Send good vibes.

So sorry for that......I'm glad the calf is inside and hope things go well from here on.

I am worried.....part of my chickens went outside this morning and are under the porch as usual.....but I wonder as we get more ice and snow if they will go inside this evening or stay under the porch. I don't think it would hurt them except for the chance of predators. I guess I'll have to wait and see. They are not lap birds and there is little chance I could catch them and put them up.....plus I can only fit under part of the porch. Have to wait and see what happens. They love being outside and I have never got them to go inside except when they are ready to.

 

[lazy gardener]

My flock will follow me any where at the sound of some scratch shaking in a can. Have you tried that?

 

[chicalot]

@vpatt, how'd they do. Hope they made it in.

i have a NH red that has gone rogue. I don't blame her since they have been cooped for days with the snow. I'm guessing she's roosting in the barn. All i can do is wish her luck. She's probably better off than the rest of the flock.

I went to get my silkie out of the coop at lock up tonight cause i thought she was dead. Turns out she was sitting on eggs. What is that chicken thinking. This is the worse weather we've had in 10 years or more!

We've brought another calf to the barn, but he's teetering on the edge. Wish me luck cause if thing work out I'm going to try tube feeding for the first time ever. So stressed.

 

[lalaland]

chicalot, keeping my fingers crossed for you. tubing doesn't look like fun....do you ever watch dr pol? (series on a rural vet practice).

vpat, lazy gardner's point about the can shaking is a good one. it is always easier to have trained the flock to come for treats so when needed, you can get them to come or go where you want. All my animals know the treat call and it makes like just easier.

I know! One of the pullets that hatched last spring is broody. I break her of it and a few days later she is back at it, growling away.

bitter cold this morning , maybe 15-20 below ( I can't bear to look), and no one left the coop. maybe when the sun warms it up a bit. I knew it was coming, so yesterday when it was 5 above zero, I cleaned out the ice poop clods and put fresh mounds of hay up on the shelves where half the flock roosts. I wish they would roost on a, well, on a roost where they weren't laying in droppings, but with this cold I have to agree that nesting in hay is warmer than sitting on a cold board.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Earlier this winter when we had the cold snap the gave frostbite to the wattles of some of my boys, my oldest hen didn't want to come out of her coop in the morning. When I went in to check on her, she was holding her feet (one at a time) up against her belly to warm them up. So I picked her up and held her for a while with her feet in my hands. Her feet were quite cold. So after warming them up for her, I got a piece of plywood and screwed it to their perch. It's probably about 8" wide now instead of 1-1/2 and I think they like it. At least none of them have had cold feet so far, but then we've warmed up quite a bit since that experience. Wood does warm up but hay to sleep in would be much better with those kinds of temperatures.

 

[vpatt]

I ended up with six eggs yesterday in the midst of the storm.

All the birds did try to get to the coop yesterday evening. I was trying to shovel out a path so of course they went around the path...lol. Three of the hens were floundering in the snow and I carried them to the coop. One chick did not want to follow mama and I had to carry it to her. The chicks are a month old now. They are tough little things.

They do come when I am feeding them.....I guess maybe they would follow me to the coop....I was just very anxious yesterday as I have never cared for them thru weather like this. A tin can would be louder than the plastic tub I am using.

Shoveling snow in the storm was an experience. It is above 40°F right now. How strange is that? The temps were going up all thru the storm. Everything g is dripping now.

I dont understand about bantams. I set four eggs in November ....I got the eggs from a neighbor who has a mixed flock and they were regular size eggs. The three that hatched are bantams. So I am wondering why the eggs weren't small?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Been busy around here. -18 on...was it Friday...in the morning when I went out w/water and feed. They would walk around a bit then hunker down on the floor which is covered with dirt, wood shavings, and hay. This is inside the barn. I can't even get the sliding door open at this point due to the deep snow.

Went up to almost 30 yesterday but the forecast is back down to the single digits next week.

The barn has been making things much easier this winter but I'll sure be glad for spring.