What did you do with your flock today?

[BarnyardChaos]

I do. There is a metal rod like thing that sets in the middle of the feeder, it came with it on, and I seen her do it and the RIR or New Hampshire Red (not sure which she is) has it has well. But the other girls don’t have it. I’m wondering if when that metal gets hot, it’s causing it to almost like burn it. I did take it off today, went right out of the coop. I honestly don’t even know what the purpose of it is.

The rod spins to keep chickens from scratching in the feed, sitting on top of it and pooping in the feed.

Those feeder troughs are made of galvanized metal to prevent rust, which contains zinc, lead and cadmium --- and I wonder if THAT might be causing the black spots on his comb??? I'm reminded of warnings I've read to wash your hands with soap and water after handling galvanized metal - due to the risk of skin reactions. Some people are allergic to it. (Chickens too?)

Galvanized metal, at normal temperatures (below 392-deg-F), is safe for contact with non-acidic food and water. And it occurs to me that MANY of us use ACV (apple cider vinegar) in their birds' drinking water. And touching all that hardware cloth covering our runs! NEW hardware cloth should be washed in vinegar, rinsed, and coated in linseed oil before exposure to birds. Really???

Uh oh.

https://onehappylemon.com/is-galvanized-steel-toxic/
https://galvanizeit.org/knowledgeba...r-food-to-be-in-contact-with-galvanized-steel
https://www.bucket-outlet.com/Is-Galvanized-Steel-Toxic.htm
http://www.atc-mechanical.com/wp-co...sds-allied-mechanical-galvanized-products.pdf

 

[FBMcrazy8]

I think the idea is that it keeps them from standing in trough and pooping in food cuz it twirls around...but even my chicks manage to poop in it still lol.

Well I thought that too, but like you sometimes I find poop in it. At this point I don’t care if they poop in it, I will clean it out. I got the ducks a round plastic bowl for their food and I may go to something like that for the chickens. I would just have to get a couple of them because of how many they are. I got this one because of how many and they all eat in their just fine (as far as space) and if they scratch it out onto the ground, they will. And they will eat it. I’m still thinking about the bowl thing though. I really want to see how well this goes.

I also considered the buckets but if any of them develop big combs it might be a problem. Right now my cockerel is a pea comb so he won’t be an issue but my French Black Maran boy I have that is only 3 weeks old will more than likely have problems. I use a bucket for water and they do great with that but a different concept.

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Well I thought that too, but like you sometimes I find poop in it. At this point I don’t care if they poop in it, I will clean it out. I got the ducks a round plastic bowl for their food and I may go to something like that for the chickens. I would just have to get a couple of them because of how many they are. I got this one because of how many and they all eat in their just fine (as far as space) and if they scratch it out onto the ground, they will. And they will eat it. I’m still thinking about the bowl thing though. I really want to see how well this goes.

I also considered the buckets but if any of them develop big combs it might be a problem. Right now my cockerel is a pea comb so he won’t be an issue but my French Black Maran boy I have that is only 3 weeks old will more than likely have problems. I use a bucket for water and they do great with that but a different concept.

I have several type feeders...some for poultry and some not!
I think I like this one in their coop the most!
And it's home decor from hobby lobby!!!
They don't poop in it and I hadn't found hardly any in coop outside of it from scratching or turning over either!
Well crud they don't have it anymore.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Yall got a dillema...I leave for a week early in morning. Neighbor is gonna check my babies each morning and evening.
Yall know I had moved Joey to a bachelor coop but I've been letting him back in with others off and on and monitoring him.
It seems like Bluey is as much a problem for the girls as Joey has been for the smaller babies.
Would yall leave Joey in with the others so he can deal with Bluey rather than let Bluey have full run and all my babies? He definitely got a burst of hormones while Joey was not in the run cuz he crowed for first time! Since Joey has been back in he hasn't been crowing.

d9f0a56cbbcdad108590ec52634df0bc.mp4

• Gammas Bearded Babies
• Aug 12, 2022

You can see Bluey in lower lefthand corner pulling Lizzy's head feathers...he's doing this quite frequently to both Lizzy and Daisy (hatchmates).

Poor baby's ready to mate and doesn't know how to woo the ladies yet...lol. Teenagers!
I'd leave them altogether at this point unless the ladies are getting injured. Both the boys will figure it out and the ladies will too. Like you said...the boys will help keep each other in check.

I'm in love with you and @TropicalBabies chicken cams! We have them on our doors...but those are boring! I'm also in love with your coop dresser. That is so adorable !

Hope your trip goes well and delightful!

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Poor baby's ready to mate and doesn't know how to woo the ladies yet...lol. Teenagers!
I'd leave them altogether at this point unless the ladies are getting injured. Both the boys will figure it out and the ladies will too. Like you said...the boys will help keep each other in check.

I'm in love with you and @TropicalBabies chicken cams! We have them on our doors...but those are boring! I'm also in love with your coop dresser. That is so adorable !

Hope your trip goes well and delightful!

Thank you!
My DH has definitely spoiled me and my babies!!!
The girls aren't getting hurt...sounds like they are dieing but nothing more than a feather every now and then.
Bluey sounds the same whenever Joey comes up to him!
My poor neighbors!

 

[ChicksnMore]

We have a feral tomcat that likes to hangout at our house. He's been hanging around for a couple of years now. Well, he showed up yesterday evening doing his usual yowling til I answered and brought him some food. He looks like he's been in a huge fight...his whole head is slightly swollen, he's lost about half his weight and there's red seepage all around one eye. He's a nervous, twitchy guy that lets me near but doesn't really like to be touched. Luckily yesterday he let me pick him up...he even purred for me. So I set up a huge parrot cage for him, put some terramycin in his eye and some tetracycline in his water.

So today I have to decide if I'm going to take him to a vet or find a cat rescue that will give him the vet care he needs.

I'm awfully fond of him. I've been calling him Heiny...he's a stout guy the color of beer foam...so Heineken. Heiny for short. He likes to sleep in my greenhouse and yowls at me when he's hungry. He's super talkative and while he doesn't like to be touched, he loves to talk with me. He yowls and I meow back at him which he just loves. It took forever to make friends with him. He'll eat from my hands and follow me around and just yak at me. We already have four cats though and hubby doesn't want to do a vet for him.

Send good thoughts his way! The poor baby needs them.

He does look a little better this morning...his eyes still a little weepy but the seepage doesn't look like blood this morning and his head looks less puffy.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

We have a feral tomcat that likes to hangout at our house.

Likewise - ours is called "Sammy" since he's a siamese. Been hanging around for about 3 years now. I believe he's not truly feral, but was dumped off for being a tomcat. It took months before he let me pick him up and hold him. Now he comes "home" 2-3 times a week for his bowl of milk, food, and a long session of loving and cuddling on my shoulder. Purrs like a freight train. I talk to him and sing - and he loves it. Probably mimics purring in his ears. Spends the rest of his time up the road at the neighbor's, with his herd of farmcats. We have three indoor cats already, and I do NOT want a tom in the house. I want to get him neutered - hubby says NO more cats in the house, and believes he'll survive better in the wild with his hormones intact.

At times he'll show up all beat up, chunks of flesh and fur missing, wounds on his head or leg or both, looks like he's starving. I doctor him up, love him up, feed him up, and keep him locked in the garage until he's all healed up.

He won't let anyone else near him, just me and hubby. And hubby has only recently been able to touch him and pick him up.

 

[Cookiee]

Beautiful rooster if I was that handsome I would want to show off on Zoom also

 

[ChicksnMore]

@BarnyardChaos
That's my thinking on the neutering too. I've thought about catching him and taking him in for this free spay neuter program they have for feral cats. They fix them then give them back to be released where you caught them. But with all the hungry coyotes etc here I worry he'd lose his edge and get eaten. I think he started coming around for a safe place to sleep. Then he discovered he could get food too .

He's looking and acting a lot better this morning though so I might just keep treating him myself. I'll call a rescue place though and see what they think. I worked at a wildlife rescue place for a while and I've never seen a rescue that doesn't have a space issue that makes taking newcomers hard. Where feasible, we'd give free advice and let the finder do the care.

 

[ChicksnMore]

@pennyJo1960
I've been seeing all these pics of gorgeous garden fresh tomatoes and just craving one so bad!
Shame on that rat and I hope you get him fast!