The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[RedRidge]

My house

The coop

Wow. The great thing is all that snow makes great insulation. ;-)
We broke a record low here in the last few hours. Out here in the barn the thermometer says 14. As soon as I'm finished milking I'm heading to the house, warm fire and hot coffee - the rest of the livestock can wait. Lol

 

[vpatt]

Wow. The great thing is all that snow makes great insulation. ;-)
We broke a record low here in the last few hours. Out here in the barn the thermometer says 14. As soon as I'm finished milking I'm heading to the house, warm fire and hot coffee - the rest of the livestock can wait. Lol

Stay warm! Chilly here in VA too....supposed to start warming up tomorrow, I think.

 

[lalaland]

wow! I'm sorry for the challenges y'all are facing with this winter blast. It isn't often that I read winter stories on this thread that aren't mine!
thats a heck of a lot of snow, AFL

. glad you were safe even though off the road. And Sue, bet you are really glad they are in the barn now. My partner is from Tennessee and she agreed with Redridge that 14 is pretty cold.

Here, its snowing again but just a few inches. The wind has been kicking up though, and windchills have been nasty. The hens are spending a lot of time in the coop. The new pullets stay outside but they aren't molting....I can tell the 8 year old and his next door friend who shared the chickens spent a lot of time with them. These birds don't care the least if you pick them up - they don't move away at all. And, if you call them, they come running. Makes it easy to care for them.

Stay warm and safe everyone!

 

[lalaland]

This is Angelina, my problem hen. She is of unknown breed but possibly icelandic, and was hatched in spring 2013 by that woman who totally messed up the hatching order and gave me all kinds of chicks that I couldn't identify but mostly what I didn't order. I did order icelandic, but....they come in quite the variety so no telling what the heck she is.




She does lay, is a loner because she is picked on, was scalped as a chick, is blind in one eye, has crooked wings, and very poor feathering. Even her feathers are crooked, and if you make the photos bigger, you can see how scanty the feathers are. She is very small. Before her molt, she had hardly any white feathers, and you can see, she has a lot of white now. Poor babe.

Probably 2 or 3 times a week, I pick her up and hand feed her when I'm giving the flocks treats to make sure she gets some. She isn't fond of being held, but settles down and eats from my hand.

This week, though, twice, when I have picked her up she has screamed, and is very upset. I think it is causing her pain. She is at the tail end of a molt, doesn't have pin feathers that I can tell except around her head.....is eating fine. Not laying yet after her molt. She seems to behave normally otherwise.

 

[ronott1]

This is Angelina, my problem hen. She is of unknown breed but possibly icelandic, and was hatched in spring 2013 by that woman who totally messed up the hatching order and gave me all kinds of chicks that I couldn't identify but mostly what I didn't order. I did order icelandic, but....they come in quite the variety so no telling what the heck she is.




She does lay, is a loner because she is picked on, was scalped as a chick, is blind in one eye, has crooked wings, and very poor feathering. Even her feathers are crooked, and if you make the photos bigger, you can see how scanty the feathers are. She is very small. Before her molt, she had hardly any white feathers, and you can see, she has a lot of white now. Poor babe.

Probably 2 or 3 times a week, I pick her up and hand feed her when I'm giving the flocks treats to make sure she gets some. She isn't fond of being held, but settles down and eats from my hand.

This week, though, twice, when I have picked her up she has screamed, and is very upset. I think it is causing her pain. She is at the tail end of a molt, doesn't have pin feathers that I can tell except around her head.....is eating fine. Not laying yet after her molt. She seems to behave normally otherwise.

They get that way when they molt. I would not worry. Sometimes they like you to pop those pin feathers though. It must feel good to them.

Her comb looks nice and bright and her good eye looks clear.

 

[LindaB220]

11F and windy this morning. My FF froze last week so I am back to dry.

Yesterday my girls came out first thing in the morning, but they went back into the coop at lunch time and did not come back out. So cold this morning even the heated waterer can't keep the water from freezing. But the girls still came out when I opened the pop door. The good news is I got my first layer about a week ago and she has been giving me 2 eggs every 3 days. Silver lining!

Fermented feed is so terrific for the birds, but sometimes, you just have to be realistic about the temps. I'm in the deep south so mine won't freeze a lot but it still got to 26 last night and I'll have to take it inside for a while. Now might be a good time to take a break from FF while the winter rages on. Try a little ACV in their waterer or give some yogurt.

 

[LindaB220]

I have no vehicle so they will need to Pick me up to get me into work. The funny part is Monday theor calling for temps in the 50s so we have a,flood warning also lol.

That is unbelievable after looking at the photos. It's 56 now and my DD has the front door open. Air out the house before it gets too cold. Stay safe.

 

[lalaland]

They get that way when they molt. I would not worry. Sometimes they like you to pop those pin feathers though. It must feel good to them.

Her comb looks nice and bright and her good eye looks clear.

Lol, I've never had a hen scream. I avoid picking them up when they are molting because I know it can bother them, but if needed, they get picked up.

Her feathering is a first for me. I think it must be genetic since she is on the same feed as everyone else. I've just never seen such airy feathers.
When you say pop the pin feathers, you mean loosen the sheath covering them?

 

[ronott1]

Yes, pop the sheath. They seem to like it.

She could have some cochin or maybe leaning towards frizzled.

 

[vpatt]

Yes, pop the sheath. They seem to like it.

She could have some cochin or maybe leaning towards frizzled.

Be careful how you pop the pin feathers. I used to do that with my Sunday conure and he liked it unless I accidently pulled too hard.....that did not make him happy lol.