The Old Folks Home

[ChickenCanoe]

I live in a cold climate and I do not use bag balm or vaseline unless the combs dry out and crack/bleed. We get a small bit of frostbite here but no major permanent damage. Get rid of the heat lamp (makes it more damp and more likely to get frostbite) and increase the open windows/vents in the coop if possible. I let my birds out every single day unless it's actively snowing. We get relatively little frostbite on the combs up here. I can't imagine how fertility is linked to comb frostbite... their reproductive parts are all internal and kept warm and last time I disemboweled some roosters there was no direct internal connection between the comb and the testes. Just my thoughts, can't figure out how they're linked.

I never use heat unless I have the ability to keep all the roosters in one building and keep it above freezing. That worked last year.

Trouble is, our ambient humidity is 50-90% all the time. Summer through winter.
It was 5F in the coop the other night with 82% humidity. I don't know how to bring that down if it is higher outside.

I believe it was someone on the heritage thread that said frostbite can affect a roosters fertility some how.

My gut feeling, until I see the research, is that the roosters don't feel good enough to breed. That IMO is the reason for claim of fertility issues.

I just ordered my first heritage chickens. A trio of Buckeys from the President of the American Buckeye Poultry Club. I can hardly wait I get to pick them up this summer he lives about 3 1/2 hours from us. I am very excited!

I almost started raising Buckeyes a few years ago. There's a lady in western MO with show quality Buckeyes but I never bought them.
I can give you the contact if you want.

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Wow...I lose internet for a few hours and this thread explodes!!

5 pages to read!!

At least we didn't lose power. But all we had was antenna tv


Chickens cannot go to their run for now. The whole bird net cover is down. And I wasn't able to get pictures, at least of it snow covered.
I tried to let them out to free range, from the people door to the outside. They would have none of that white stuff out there on the ground. Well, the lady hens ventured out for the scratch....just outside the door. The big ol' bad roosters?.....no. Big Chickens

I ended up just putting them back in to their coop. At least the ones in the chicken tractors had some bare ground to play with. The one pair was begging to be let out every time I went out there. Nobody gets to free range till tomorrow....maybe......after noon. We'll see.

 

[chickadoodles]

I never use heat unless I have the ability to keep all the roosters in one building and keep it above freezing. That worked last year.

Trouble is, our ambient humidity is 50-90% all the time. Summer through winter.
It was 5F in the coop the other night with 82% humidity. I don't know how to bring that down if it is higher outside.

My gut feeling, until I see the research, is that the roosters don't feel good enough to breed. That IMO is the reason for claim of fertility issues.


I almost started raising Buckeyes a few years ago. There's a lady in western MO with show quality Buckeyes but I never bought them.
I can give you the contact if you want.

I put the heat lamp in the coop because all the birds are in there together and a couple already had some frostbite starting.
We do have vents all around the top of the coop to that are open.
I have not seen a problem with the roosters breeding or not, I was curious about what I had read on the heritage thread.
On the Heritage thread there are several breeders that highly recommended one breeder and she was sold out for the year already so I contacted the President of the Buckeye club and he has Duane Urch's birds who comes very highly recommended for his birds quality. I am getting a trio from him in June or July for a good price and he is in the same state as I am. So we can drive up and get them. But thanks for offering. I have been lurking on the heritage thread trying to learn as much as I can from all the old timers.

The Dragon Lady on the heritage thread suggests to some to get a dehumidifier to bring down the humidity in coops. Just a suggestion.

 

[pickitfarm]

DH shared these pictures of Johnston, SC. He said roads cleared up this afternoon but will most likely refreeze tonight. He lost electricity and ended up going in town (Aiken) to stay. Loads of down wires and trees in Aiken. SC. Orchestrated a rescue of someone who got her car in a ditch trying to circumvent tree branches in the road. The bad news is we have been incubating eggs at his work and they lost electric last night and we do not know for how long and we had wheaton and blue wheaton ameraucanas............. They have been in there for close to a week and we lost them.

Will we ever own a blue egg layer....this is our second attempt at hatching ameraucanas. I am on the hunt for chicks now.

Now as far as our chickens, they did not go out yesterday during the brunt of the storm....they are not dumb. Today they went out in their pen for awhile but no free ranging.




Above is 2013 tomato crop. There was so much rain, alot of them became chicken treats. Now this mess. One good thing is that this should have culled some of the plant eating bugs but then again that does not make for happy chickens. He did check the beehive and they are fine.

 

[pickitfarm]

Here you go Oz

Emphatic YES!

 

[pickitfarm]

It has to get better!

On Sunday a lady from our church died--heart attack after spinal neck surgery. We found out yesterday that the Worship Pastor that my DW is on the team with is going in tomorrow for removal of a lung tumor. He is a 3 year survivor of Melanoma skin cancer.

At least we can enjoy the chickens!

I must stop complaining about this weather....

 

[pickitfarm]

ChickenCanoe, DH was laid off over a year ago, there hasn't really been much call for 63 year old heavy equipment mechanics, so he took early retirement as well. Some days he gets really restless, other days he seems content to look after the chickens, for which I am grateful. Same thing as you - lots of jobs if he wants to be hundreds of miles from home, which he does not. Today we scheduled his cataract surgeries (once for each eye) - any tips from those who have had it, or have family members who have?

DH lost job in 2010 just after we purchase our last piece of property in SC. So he decided while looking for a job he would work on the property to get it ready for farming the following summer. He ended up getting a minimum wage job to sustain himself while there because jobs were really really scarce at the time. Went to his current job - part time position with more pay Still applying for full time while working part time and working on farm. He is 4 states away from me so I understand how it is. I work with someone whose husband was in Colorado for over a year while her and her children were living here - Mid-Atlantic. Not a great way to have to live. If we had children it would never work. As it is we only see each other maybe 6 times a year but talk everyday.

My Dad had cataract surgery for both his eyes last year. It's not comfortable but he did not complain much. My grandmother had it done but they did hers on two consecutive days due to her age (she was in her late 80's). From my laser eye surgery, my best advice is to get him home and send him straight to bed. It will feel like he had sand thrown in his eyes. Once you are asleep and wake up for after 4 or 6 hours they will be sensitive and most likely watering but livable. Typically by the first 24 hours it won't be a bother at all. I wish him my best.

 

[mrballance]

DH lost job in 2010 just after we purchase our last piece of property in SC. So he decided while looking for a job he would work on the property to get it ready for farming the following summer. He ended up getting a minimum wage job to sustain himself while there because jobs were really really scarce at the time. Went to his current job - part time position with more pay Still applying for full time while working part time and working on farm. He is 4 states away from me so I understand how it is. I work with someone whose husband was in Colorado for over a year while her and her children were living here - Mid-Atlantic. Not a great way to have to live. If we had children it would never work. As it is we only see each other maybe 6 times a year but talk everyday.

My Dad had cataract surgery for both his eyes last year. It's not comfortable but he did not complain much. My grandmother had it done but they did hers on two consecutive days due to her age (she was in her late 80's). From my laser eye surgery, my best advice is to get him home and send him straight to bed. It will feel like he had sand thrown in his eyes. Once you are asleep and wake up for after 4 or 6 hours they will be sensitive and most likely watering but livable. Typically by the first 24 hours it won't be a bother at all. I wish him my best.

Well Bless you all !!!

 

[Cynthia12]

Cynthia:
You are in my thoughts and prayers.
My comments were in no way meant to downplay the issues you and your family are going through.

Oh I know that oz..I didn't even think of it that way.

DH came home with good news. Dr. didn't even think they needed to taken off. He had a nice long name for the type of moles they were. No problem though.
Just the wait on our son's test. I think it will turn out as well as our daughters. Caught early.

 

[getaclue]

This was at the Florida State Fair. I thought it was interesting, and decided to share.