Utah!

[Cynthia12]

Hello everyone. I hope everyone's birds are doing well with the extreme cold temps. One question...I noticed that my buff Orpington, barred rock and golden comet have a slight case of frostbite. They were fine until the most recent low temps. The buff has a couple of black spots on the tips of her comb and the others are white on the tips. Is this normal with these unusually low temps?

It sure can happen. Do you have pretty good ventilation? Really helps keep the moisture from getting on their combs. If you want to help, some folks dab some Vaseline on their combs and wattles. I've done that in the past, but haven't this year. I do have one, a blue, that has a little bit of dark on the top of her comb..too bad too, such a pretty comb.

 

[Cynthia12]

I've got some exciting news! I've been home from work all day because of being sick (no, that's not the exciting part) Been sleeping most of the day, and earlier this afternoon, I was half-awake and could hear one of the turkeys wandering around by my window. In my delirium, I also thought, "Is someone singing the egg song?"

Imagine my surprise when I went out to the garage a little later to feed everyone and found this in one of the cages!




Chuck Norris gave me a green egg! What an awesome surprise for when I've been feeling so down. It's sitting next to one of the small white eggs I had been finding a couple of weeks ago. It's the prettiest gray-green sea foam color. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. I was dreaming just the other night that I found an egg from her with a darker olive tone, haha.

And, here are a couple of photos from this morning when I let everyone roam during breakfast. We have to restrict where they can go in the garage - I don't want anyone to find and eat insulation or loose screws.




"Say, how'd'ya get outta this dump?"


Angel's no dummy. She knows right where to sit to soak up that lovely space heater warmth.

Ok red, two things...first of all, congrats on your new egg! They are starting to lay, even in this cold. Yaay!
And, see that big beauty of a blue girl right there at the bottom of your last Picture? Did you get her from me? Because I have one that looks just like her. Mine is the one that I have told about, that is laying a brown egg instead of a blue or green egg. Is that a rose comb I see on yours? Mine has a single. I just love the darker blue on their necks, and how it is lighter on the bodies. Oh, and this blue of mine, is the one with the really really low voice.

 

[UrbanChickensUT]

It sure can happen.  Do you have pretty good ventilation?  Really helps keep the moisture from getting on their combs.  If you want to help, some folks dab some Vaseline on their combs and wattles.   I've done that in the past, but haven't this year.  I do have one, a blue, that has a little bit of dark on the top of her comb..too bad too, such a pretty comb.

The ventilation in the coop is pretty good but I just drilled out 20 or so 1.25" holes under the eves so hopefully at will help more. They are only in the coop at night and spend the entire day in their covered run.

Very cool green egg!

 

[RedIII]

Urbanchicks, you can also put some olive oil on their combs, if you don't have Vaseline. I did that the other day for my BO, because she was having some problems with frostbite, too. It seems to help.

Cynthia, that big blue is Steve, one of the Wyandottes I got from Lisa last year

Remember the eggs that Lisa first tried her hand incubating with, and the incubator got unplugged for a while? Yep, she's one of those babies. That's her sister on the perch behind her. I remember wondering if your pretty blue could have some Wyandotte in her, since she looks similar to my girls. These two that I have are very sweet, very fluffy girls. They do have a little bit deeper voices, but not near as crackly as my Exchequer's or my RIR. I do remember that Angel had the mellowest, deepest peeping noise when she was a chick, though. Here's a picture of them after I first got them from Lisa:




Wow, time warp. That's Stevie on the left, and Angel hiding behind my BO as a chick. Love my little fuzzbutts

Except now they're big foofbutts, hehe.

Oh, I forgot to say that Chuck Norris, the pullet that laid that green egg, is my Leghorn/EE mix I got from Cynthia

Brad, I don't have heart problems in the heat, but I sure hate it. Heat makes me sick, too. I used to get bad migraines from it in junior high and high school. I'd rather bundle up in 0 degree temps than deal with heat above 75. Bleck!

 

[Sphinx]

Gorgeous egg, Red. Congrats!

Frostbite: I think my coop is well ventilated, but my legbar rooster's comb and wattles are a mess. I think part of it is that it's really big, and I think the circulation is iffy at the tips, and he's been fighting with my FBCM rooster. I was going to go buy vaseline today to smear all over his comb, but I woke up with a rotten cold and couldn't bear to go to the store. Tomorrow, hopefully.

Sundancen, that's fantastic news for your dog! I'm glad they won't have to amputate. Poor doggie.

 

[UrbanChickensUT]

Thanks Red. I'll try the olive oil.

How is everyone's egg production? This is our first winter with hens and with four hens we get 3-4 eggs per day. I'm shocked at how consistent the birds seem to lay. Thanks for all the tips and advice!

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Oooops I forgot that part.
I am in West Valley and we are leaving Friday morning and returning Sat evening.

I will place an ad on KSL, thanks for the suggestion.

That is great of you to offer chicken rides! I have some birds ordered from her, but I don't think they will be ready for a bit. Dang it.

Red, Steve and Angel are quite beautiful And congrats on your Chuck Egg today woot!

Sorry to hear about your cold Sphinx, hope you get better soon.

I have a few with frostbite, little bits, on their combs. Kind of a fleshy peach color. Other than cosmetics, and I am sure some discomfort for them, will there be long term effects? Poor girls it has been so cold. I hope it won't affect their health beyond the winter.!

Hope that lost turkey finds his home!

My dog reared his nasty head today in the chicken run. I went out to water, left the run door open, then my DH in the house let the dog out to potty. Bad coordination on our parts. The dog came out to the coop, in the door, chased chickens up and down the run, went in the henhouse, snapping and grabbing everybody he could. Lots of feathers got pulled today, chickens traumatized, I am traumatized and no voice from screaming so loud at him (he was in another land, instincts totally took over.) Results-I lost one of my polish, she went quick, but it was horrible. Another, Frisco my Blue white crested Polish is injured with a pretty good gash on her rump and she is now in the kennel in the garage trying to heal. She limps, but I think the leg injury is more minor, the big hole is the worry. I tend to think she will be ok because she is so perky and the last time I had a big wound like that on another it healed incredibly fast, this would is not as deep or big. Crossing fingers. I really really hate my dog right now. This happens every so often, we do not coordinate and someone lets him out when they should not, it is getting to be an old old story! Grrrr! The single reason I ever lose chickens is that dumb dog.

Thing was, I was SO shook up. It made me crazy how he went on auto pilot and would not even look at me, despite all the yelling and throwing dirt and feed at him, he was just in the chicken zone. I finally had to crawl under the coop and grab him out of the corner with Frisco hanging in his mouth. He was in the bathroom for the rest of the day in time out. And my Dh feels horrible. Just really bad timing.

 

[RedIII]

Awwww Lisa

Rotten dog. I'm so sorry! Which Polish did you lose? I hope Frisco's okay. She's such a character. I would have been mad, too. My mom has a Jack Russell Terrier that has been a brat all of his life, and sometimes he gets it into his head that he doesn't care if he's in trouble or not, he's going to do whatever he dang well pleases. It's easier to catch him now that he's old, but boy, I really used to fly after him when he was younger until I had him corralled and cowed. I would yell at him until my throat hurt. Because I don't have a temper

(I never hurt him, just scolded him with a spank or a squirt of water) But that is horrible that you and your hubby and your girls had to deal with that today. It happens, but that doesn't make it any more pleasant when it does. My mom's JRT will still pace up and down the fence if he's out in the mornings when I feed and act like he'd like to do some chasing. He really can't do much harm now, but I still get after him for it. I've just lost too many birds to dogs to put up with it.

 

[the-bird-man]

Urbanchicks, you can also put some olive oil on their combs, if you don't have Vaseline. I did that the other day for my BO, because she was having some problems with frostbite, too. It seems to help. Cynthia, that big blue is Steve, one of the Wyandottes I got from Lisa last year

Remember the eggs that Lisa first tried her hand incubating with, and the incubator got unplugged for a while? Yep, she's one of those babies. That's her sister on the perch behind her. I remember wondering if your pretty blue could have some Wyandotte in her, since she looks similar to my girls. These two that I have are very sweet, very fluffy girls. They do have a little bit deeper voices, but not near as crackly as my Exchequer's or my RIR. I do remember that Angel had the mellowest, deepest peeping noise when she was a chick, though. Here's a picture of them after I first got them from Lisa: Wow, time warp. That's Stevie on the left, and Angel hiding behind my BO as a chick. Love my little fuzzbutts

Except now they're big foofbutts, hehe. Oh, I forgot to say that Chuck Norris, the pullet that laid that green egg, is my Leghorn/EE mix I got from Cynthia

Brad, I don't have heart problems in the heat, but I sure hate it. Heat makes me sick, too. I used to get bad migraines from it in junior high and high school. I'd rather bundle up in 0 degree temps than deal with heat above 75. Bleck!

yeah i mostly stay in in the heat or go out at night. and i cant breath when its very cold. my body is a little picky i guess lol. lisa i am so sorry for your loss but look at it this way, it means you can get more chicks

 

[RedIII]

So, I wanted to post this here because it makes me smile when I see it. My BO got a session with the hair dryer the other day to warm her up. She ate it up. My mom termed thist a "Peach puddle".