Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[cuties]

I think the deep litter method is gross. Especially if you have ducks. Who wants to sleep in all of the other birds' poop all winter? I clean my coop multiple times during the winter and put a deep bed of straw down.

Do you house the ducks and chickens together?

 

[Hens and Roos]

Chilly afternoon

everyone, we ended up with about 1.5 inches of snow here. DH left around 5 am this morning to do snow removal- got to use all the new equipment(had to replace the tractor and blower at the beginning of this year) and we ended up replacing our truck in Oct and so a plow was added to it as well to help with some of the apartment parking lots we are responsible for too,

he hasn't stopped smiling since.

Kids and I went to the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison today, our 4-H club was given a behind the scenes tour- it was very cool to see the new vet building and new animal exhibit that will open summer of 2015. We also got to tour a few other buildings- giraffes and rhino. The rhino is the oldest animal at the zoo- 40 years old!

DD has a dinner to go to- she worked the fall season at a farm nearby and they always get together for a dinner after the season- should be fun for her.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

Do you house the ducks and chickens together?

Yes. 18 ducks and 25 chickens in the big coop.

 

[cuties]

Yes. 18 ducks and 25 chickens in the big coop.

I ask because I wonder how you work the water. Our ducks spill so much that the bedding gets frozen and a mess! It is impossible to keep it up.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I don't keep the water in the coop. Its in the covered runs. I change it twice a day.

 

[FrenchToast]

Yep that's true about the scovies. My first scovies drake got sever frost bite and ET put him out of his misery. So we'll see if scovie crosses inherited the instinct or not. I have a bunch of crosses. My luck half will and half won't.
Wilds am how far are you from Rhinelander? The spay clinic travels and the ho to several towns every week. I just volunteer when they are in Crandon because it is only 7 miles from here. If they are in dire need for a volunteer I will go to Rhinelander or Antigo but 30+ miles one way is to much traveling for my old cars to do on a regular basis. Not to mention I was not born rich but beautiful....LOL in my next life it will be the other way around! LOL
Speaking of $$$ I have the 15gb plan on att because I use my smart phone for Internet now. I kept seeing the commercials for the 30gb plan for same price. Called up...sure enough they have a special that might end tomorrow for the 30gb...exact same price !
I barely was under the limit of 15 !
So I'm a happy camper now with the 30gb. I still think it costs to much but watch a gonna do if you live in the boonies and you can't even get del from your local phone company !

 

[Cindlady]

Hi All!

Nothing really new here. Have to get feed today (to you reading now). I found a nice fatty ham shank for the chickens... they need it now!

Night All!

 

[cuties]

I have also been keeping ours outside. But we do not have covered runs. They will not come off the porch. And the porch is so small that if we kept the water up there I would not beable to open the coop door. I wonder if I can get hubby to build them a leanto over the coop door....
all is well here.nlots of running. Syd stayed at a friends for the weekend. I missed her. But she had fun.nwe took blake to dinner and a movie so he didn't feel so left o ut. Hed our 4-h thanksgiving meeting last night. P/t this week. And some 12's.

 

[wildsam]

Jim, I was told (and read it a few times too) that for deep litter to work you need ground, concrete or wood. We have wood but have it covered in a thicker plastic sheeting for easy cleaning. And I'm not sure SO would get the handle on it either....

We keep our ducks and chickens together in the newly build barn/shed. This way they're covered, out of the most of the wind and the body heat keeps the still molting chickens a bit warmer. No attacks on each other have been witnessed, not even in spring.

FT, rhinelander is quite a stretch! Wausau already would be a 3 hour drive one way from me. So yea, I am the poster girl for "living in the boonies". Besides sclark, she even lives a ways down from a decent road! Lol

This morning of all day, SO decided to not let the birds out and take care of them this morning as he usually does. He even did it the entire weekend! No clue what ride him there, but then he could at least have gotten some firewood in. Grrr would really like to slap him hard sometimes....

But all is taken care of now, ducks, geese and chickens happy with feed and water (we put our buckets in plastic tubs to keep the spilling at bay and refill a couple of times a day). Dogs even got the royal treatment and are passed out on an old kids matress on the floor so get them off the icy (non-insulated) floors. A couple of loads of wood in and stove filled.

Now a glass of milk (aka my cup of poison) and a bit of relaxing before putting the warm battery back in the car and heading to town for a few days again. So looking forward to some people interaction and being able to stay draft free indoors to chill. Just gonna miss my duckies
Later all, as I don't wanna hog the posts all to my lonesome here...

 

[Terri O]

Good freezing morning to all--just wanted to pop in and say hit. Frenchie--looks pretty wintery where you are for sure! I helped at the Spay Me clinic in Madison a few times...it is a whirlwind job. Very rewarding for sure!
Five here this morning--but the sun seems to be shining! I am headed out now; cant procrastinate any longer. I am hoping the Mamas kept those little babies warm...dumb chickens like to hatch in late October! The last ones I set are nicely feathered by now but there are 3 moms that have tiny ones yet.

OK--putting on the coveralls now! Have a good one! TerriO