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Post by violajack on Dec 1, 2020 11:43:11 GMT -6
Our door has a sensor bar and will open again if anything gets pressed against the bar. I got the omlet one that opens sideways by gear rather than up and down by wire. We got our first snow yesterday through today and the door didn't open this morning. It kept trying but would bump into snow/ice and close again. It looks like it tried every 5 minutes or so. But even after I cleared it and helped it open, the chickens took a good long time before they were willing to come out. The snow is only a few inches deep.
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Chickens!
Dec 29, 2020 15:58:09 GMT -6
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Post by niko8083 on Dec 29, 2020 15:58:09 GMT -6
Anybody ever deal with eggs freezing? I discovered one today that had froze and cracked completely open. Anything I can do to help prevent this, other than trying to collect multiple times a day?
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Post by violajack on Dec 29, 2020 18:06:56 GMT -6
We're just checking often when it stays below freezing. We had a super cold day recently and our poor rooster got some frostbite on his comb.
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Post by ovenrack on Dec 29, 2020 18:37:24 GMT -6
Anybody ever deal with eggs freezing? I discovered one today that had froze and cracked completely open. Anything I can do to help prevent this, other than trying to collect multiple times a day? On those days, I collect multiple times a day. Wait, none of my chickens are laying (we lost two to a hawk over the weekend!) but that’s what we did in winters where we had layers. But if they freeze, I just put the whole egg in a bowl in the fridge and use it within a day or so.
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milano
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Post by milano on Dec 29, 2020 19:06:35 GMT -6
We're just checking often when it stays below freezing. We had a super cold day recently and our poor rooster got some frostbite on his comb. A couple of our roosters got a bit of frostbite on their tips but it just turned black and didn't seem to bother them at all.
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tj
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Feb 20, 2021 11:36:14 GMT -6
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Post by tj on Feb 20, 2021 11:36:14 GMT -6
My kids built a chicken igloo. A chick-gloo?
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tj
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Post by tj on Feb 20, 2021 11:37:49 GMT -6
Chick-gloo: Also, chick wagon. For all your chicken transportation needs.
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rugger
Amethyst
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Post by rugger on Feb 23, 2021 21:34:28 GMT -6
Look at my cute little coop! I finished the roost and run modifications today (thank you sunny warm weather!). Just in time for it to snow tomorrow 😒
Bedding comes in next week. Once this week's snow melts, we'll open up all those bags of sand and get it spread out. The rest of the circle is prob going to be soil. Maybe grass for them to destroy lol. Maybe a small tree.
Then, we just need to seal a few gaps and I think we're ready for hens!
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tj
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Feb 24, 2021 9:37:29 GMT -6
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Post by tj on Feb 24, 2021 9:37:29 GMT -6
It’s so cute rugger! They’re gonna love it!
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rugger
Amethyst
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Post by rugger on Feb 24, 2021 10:21:56 GMT -6
It’s so cute rugger! They’re gonna love it! Thanks! I'm super excited!
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rugger
Amethyst
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Post by rugger on Mar 6, 2021 13:46:14 GMT -6
Ok, so I put the feeder in, and it takes up way more space than I expected. I'm afraid they won't have enough room now I'm thinking about making that garden bed to the right into a little covered area with the feeder and water underneath. Or, does the food and water really need to be inside the run?
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milano
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Post by milano on Mar 6, 2021 14:24:44 GMT -6
rugger that feeder does look huge- what kind is it? We always used a little round plastic feeder that we hung off the ground it was maybe a foot in diameter.
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rugger
Amethyst
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Post by rugger on Mar 6, 2021 15:33:27 GMT -6
rugger that feeder does look huge- what kind is it? We always used a little round plastic feeder that we hung off the ground it was maybe a foot in diameter. It's a Grandpa's Feeder. It works kinda like a foot controlled trashcan lid, so the chickens step on the little step, and the lid opens so they can eat the food. It's supposed to be really good about keeping mice and little birds from being able to get into the feed since they aren't heavy enough to weigh down the step.
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tj
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Mar 6, 2021 15:40:19 GMT -6
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Post by tj on Mar 6, 2021 15:40:19 GMT -6
Can birds even get in to your chicken run? It looks covered right? We keep our food and water inside and also a water outside but not good outside. I cannot imagine the chickens letting a mouse get to their food. I would think they would kill it. Mine killed a snake the other day and fought over it. Mice in the food storage bin, yes.
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rugger
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Post by rugger on Mar 6, 2021 16:17:04 GMT -6
Can birds even get in to your chicken run? It looks covered right? We keep our food and water inside and also a water outside but not good outside. I cannot imagine the chickens letting a mouse get to their food. I would think they would kill it. Mine killed a snake the other day and fought over it. Mice in the food storage bin, yes. It's covered, so it's unlikely that a bird will get in, but I'm mostly concerned with mice. I hate mice, and I don't want to give them an open invitation to chicken feed buffet.
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Speedy
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Post by Speedy on Mar 15, 2021 9:30:53 GMT -6
Any thoughts on shipping chicks long distances? I've been drooling over lavender orpingtons for like a year, but the hatchery closer to me has a bad reputation for sick chicks, and the only other one I can find is way out in BC. Unless by the time I'm ready to get them the borders are open again and I can nip down and back.
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Chickens!
Mar 15, 2021 13:05:59 GMT -6
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Post by niko8083 on Mar 15, 2021 13:05:59 GMT -6
Any thoughts on shipping chicks long distances? I've been drooling over lavender orpingtons for like a year, but the hatchery closer to me has a bad reputation for sick chicks, and the only other one I can find is way out in BC. Unless by the time I'm ready to get them the borders are open again and I can nip down and back. I know Meyer Hatchery ships chicks and has a very good reputation. This is where we purchased our chicks from (picked up, not shipped though cause we are local). I know they have the Lavender Orpintons also (I’ve eyed them before). Would be worth checking their website at least, I know they ship all over the US. They are located in Ohio.
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rugger
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Post by rugger on Mar 16, 2021 8:13:59 GMT -6
I keep pondering ways to make the coop's run area bigger, but the way our yard is laid out makes it tough. Even if we get rid of the circular border where the coop currently sits, it still doesn't seem like there's much room to expand. The permanent garden bed is in the way
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Post by niko8083 on Mar 16, 2021 12:34:34 GMT -6
I keep pondering ways to make the coop's run area bigger, but the way our yard is laid out makes it tough. Even if we get rid of the circular border where the coop currently sits, it still doesn't seem like there's much room to expand. The permanent garden bed is in the way You could think about adding a chicken tunnel or something like it. That way you could weave it in and around things and only use it when you want to. Something like this
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rugger
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Post by rugger on Mar 16, 2021 12:39:37 GMT -6
I keep pondering ways to make the coop's run area bigger, but the way our yard is laid out makes it tough. Even if we get rid of the circular border where the coop currently sits, it still doesn't seem like there's much room to expand. The permanent garden bed is in the way You could think about adding a chicken tunnel or something like it. That way you could weave it in and around things and only use it when you want to. Something like this Hmmm, that could maybe work. And it wouldn't need to be predator prep proof or level, which I feel are the biggest pain points of expanding.
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Chickens!
Mar 19, 2021 15:06:30 GMT -6
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Post by niko8083 on Mar 19, 2021 15:06:30 GMT -6
Ok ladies, anybody have to deal with mites/lice before? I think we have them. At least 4 of our 8 hens have feather loss on their back by the tail feathers or under the tail by their vent. Today we cleaned out the coop, and I treated everyone with Pure Planet Poultry spray and well as sprayed the nest boxes. The ones that are the worst we’re starting to get raw, red and bloody around the vent area. For those gals I also applied blu-kote to those areas to help prevent the others from picking (which I observed some of them doing). I’m thinking of ordering Elector psp, which I’ve read is one of the best mite/lice treatments. Over the next few days I’m going to treat the worst ones with vetricin and blu-kote and see how they get along. Any advice from anybody?
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rugger
Amethyst
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Post by rugger on Mar 19, 2021 18:23:27 GMT -6
Ok ladies, anybody have to deal with mites/lice before? I think we have them. At least 4 of our 8 hens have feather loss on their back by the tail feathers or under the tail by their vent. Today we cleaned out the coop, and I treated everyone with Pure Planet Poultry spray and well as sprayed the nest boxes. The ones that are the worst we’re starting to get raw, red and bloody around the vent area. For those gals I also applied blu-kote to those areas to help prevent the others from picking (which I observed some of them doing). I’m thinking of ordering Elector psp, which I’ve read is one of the best mite/lice treatments. Over the next few days I’m going to treat the worst ones with vetricin and blu-kote and see how they get along. Any advice from anybody? I'm on a backyard chicken FB group, and people tend to recommend dusting the area and coop with food grade DE (Diatomaceous Earth) and dusting your chickens as well.
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Chickens!
Mar 20, 2021 7:23:35 GMT -6
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Post by niko8083 on Mar 20, 2021 7:23:35 GMT -6
Ok ladies, anybody have to deal with mites/lice before? I think we have them. At least 4 of our 8 hens have feather loss on their back by the tail feathers or under the tail by their vent. Today we cleaned out the coop, and I treated everyone with Pure Planet Poultry spray and well as sprayed the nest boxes. The ones that are the worst we’re starting to get raw, red and bloody around the vent area. For those gals I also applied blu-kote to those areas to help prevent the others from picking (which I observed some of them doing). I’m thinking of ordering Elector psp, which I’ve read is one of the best mite/lice treatments. Over the next few days I’m going to treat the worst ones with vetricin and blu-kote and see how they get along. Any advice from anybody? I'm on a backyard chicken FB group, and people tend to recommend dusting the area and coop with food grade DE (Diatomaceous Earth) and dusting your chickens as well. I’ve seen this too, but also have read conflicting info. I’m guessing the important part to this is making sure it’s food grade.
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milano
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Post by milano on Mar 20, 2021 8:23:55 GMT -6
Ok ladies, anybody have to deal with mites/lice before? I think we have them. At least 4 of our 8 hens have feather loss on their back by the tail feathers or under the tail by their vent. Today we cleaned out the coop, and I treated everyone with Pure Planet Poultry spray and well as sprayed the nest boxes. The ones that are the worst we’re starting to get raw, red and bloody around the vent area. For those gals I also applied blu-kote to those areas to help prevent the others from picking (which I observed some of them doing). I’m thinking of ordering Elector psp, which I’ve read is one of the best mite/lice treatments. Over the next few days I’m going to treat the worst ones with vetricin and blu-kote and see how they get along. Any advice from anybody? We had one bird with some minor mites (she was a broody hen that wouldn't leave the nest) and we added DE to their dust bath area, sprayed down the entire coop with something (i can't remember what it was and neither can MH). They went away after that. I've heard you can coat their legs with Vaseline?
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Chickens!
Mar 23, 2021 16:31:43 GMT -6
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Post by niko8083 on Mar 23, 2021 16:31:43 GMT -6
Found one of our hens dead today. She was laying under the roosts, almost like she fell off while sleeping and broke her neck. She got buried in the flower bed with the rest of our furry pets.
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rugger
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Post by rugger on Mar 27, 2021 15:30:05 GMT -6
They're here! Meet the new ladies
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tj
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Mar 27, 2021 17:09:32 GMT -6
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Post by tj on Mar 27, 2021 17:09:32 GMT -6
Yay rugger! Are the girls so excited?
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rugger
Amethyst
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Post by rugger on Mar 27, 2021 17:22:23 GMT -6
Yay rugger! Are the girls so excited? SO excited! R's hen, "Pearl" the Silver Laced Wyandotte, is kinda flighty and pecks the others. I'm kinda regretting that one LOL
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milano
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Post by milano on Mar 27, 2021 21:10:08 GMT -6
So cute rugger! Such a great collection of names too.
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rugger
Amethyst
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Post by rugger on Mar 28, 2021 7:13:52 GMT -6
So cute rugger! Such a great collection of names too. Thanks! A originally named hers Starry Night, but decided it was hard to remember and then discovered she looks like an erupting volcano, so Volcano it is! ... Volcano is a mystery chicken. The place we got her from originally bought her as a Legbar, but as she grew was like "I don't think so" and she sent recent pics to the nursery asking for help with an ID. They said she kinda looked like an Easter Egger, but with a different comb... So we have a chicken "mutt" I think 😂 The others are a Silver Laced Wyandotte, Blue Rock, and Barred Rock.
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