Winter is Coming! Checklists, tips, advice for a newbie

[bigmrg74]

The Pallet table I built last week for my girls. It gives them a whole lot more room in their run. All I really did was cut down a pallet a little bit, got some 2x4's at about 44 inches for the legs, and some 1x3's to brace the legs with. I angled the legs out a little bit to give it a wider base.


Mmmmm... Flock block!


In the cheapo container there I stuffed the ends of the cords in it and added a thermal cube as well. I don't currently have a shot of it right now, but the container is now currently bungeed to one of the table legs to keep it out of the way. Having the waterer up on the table keeps them from kicking straw into the waterer and making a mess.

 

[Alaskan]

looks really nice!!

 

[bigmrg74]

looks really nice!!

Thanks! I almost wish now that I had left the whole pallet together instead of cutting it down some, but I probably wouldn't have been able to get the table in the door then. It was a tight fit as it was. Maybe in the spring when I go back to using it as a tractor, I'll take that table out and just chain up another pallet to be a hanging ledge perhaps.

 

[K Epp]

I had a accidental breeding in my rabbits. I found 5 kits on the wire in a fur nest last night. Unfortunately I didn't find them soon enough and they had all died.I had given a rabbit to a girl I work with. I told her to check her rabbit. It was pulling hair. She gave it a next box. Neither of us are used to bunnies in the winter. What special precautions need to be made. Its dropping down in the 20's at night and some times in the teens here. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

She has 3 babies. They have put Mama and babies in a large fish tank with a heat lamp. I'm thinking that will be to hot with the glass and all. they are in a non heated in closed porch

 

[aart]

I had a accidental breeding in my rabbits. I found 5 kits on the wire in a fur nest last night. Unfortunately I didn't find them soon enough and they had all died.I had given a rabbit to a girl I work with. I told her to check her rabbit. It was pulling hair. She gave it a next box. Neither of us are used to bunnies in the winter. What special precautions need to be made. Its dropping down in the 20's at night and some times in the teens here. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

She has 3 babies. They have put Mama and babies in a large fish tank with a heat lamp. I'm thinking that will be to hot with the glass and all. they are in a non heated in closed porch

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/rabbits/

 

[K Epp]

I posted there too. Thanks.

 

[Amberjem]

I had a accidental breeding in my rabbits. I found 5 kits on the wire in a fur nest last night. Unfortunately I didn't find them soon enough and they had all died.I had given a rabbit to a girl I work with. I told her to check her rabbit. It was pulling hair. She gave it a next box. Neither of us are used to bunnies in the winter. What special precautions need to be made. Its dropping down in the 20's at night and some times in the teens here. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

She has 3 babies. They have put Mama and babies in a large fish tank with a heat lamp. I'm thinking that will be to hot with the glass and all. they are in a non heated in closed porch

so long as mama has plucked hair and nestled them with the fur they should be ok some new moms can be a lil thin with the furr you can gather more or gently pluck (from under her belly, hormones cause the hair to loosen so it's usually easy to pluck a bit if needed)to put more around the babies... I use to keep a small bag with extra fur that was sealed n set up for such but as long as she doesnt kick them out of the box or sit n crush any they should be fine...unless your some kind of crazy artic conditions long as they are draft free and snuggled up in their furrball nest they should be fine...otherwise those furballs around the babys will keep em nice n snug...you should feel the warmth of them radiating off in the furr..they wont be chilled in the least... I have rescued a few babys that got kicked out and were on the wire and pretty darn cold that managed to survive n thrive once renested back into the furrball nest

 

[K Epp]

I came home to two live wiggly kits in a nest. I'm pretty sure another for is going to deliver. Not sure about the other 3... Stupid mistake I will not make again. Anyone want a few Lionheads?

 

[hennible]

Wish I could take you up on that.

 

[LadyCluck77]

I think we've had five significant snow-storms in the past 12 days up here!
The first one was categorized as a "true blizzard". It was a strange storm- the snow flew in sideways and every inch of space got snowdrifts- it even came in on our covered porch- any possible opening got hammered. It lasted for two days, with extremely cold temperatures. What happened to my covered run, was that the snow swirled in and blew all around and I wound up with almost a foot of snow inside my covered run!
Here is how things looked the morning after the first big storm of January.


Wish I had gotten a picture of the inside. Snow even came into the coop from the vents! Not just a little sprinkle either.

The birds were having none of it- wouldn't go out in the run at all. Roosting all day and not even eating.

I shoveled it as best as I could- but the "look" of it was still worrisome to the chickens and they refused to leave the little coop.

So I got down on my hands and knees and put down a whole bale of hay, spread all around, and now they're going outside again. For now.
It gives them enough to step on without burying their feet in snow anyhow.

Most of my gals are still molting- I expected the ones who went through molt in the late fall to take about 3-4 months to finish- some still look terrible.One red sex link in particular.
I have one leghorn who still hasn't molted yet. It's usually around -10 F in the mornings, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

Hope everyone and their flock is faring well in this weather!