the crooked little chicken house

“ever wonder what chickens did before they were domesticated?”

“They have an enclosed coop and a 50x50 pen, but they are rarely in the pen...they mostly sleep on top of the coop, in the trees, and a few roost in the coop. Ive noticed some black on the roosters combs, and assumed that was frostbite as well.

Judy is about to lose part of the skin that the Toms tore off, but its healing nicely. She is getting fatter and hasnt laid any eggs for a few days.”

“With yesterdays storm of 14 inches of snow, then sleet and freezing rain, it seemed like a good idea to put all the birds in the coop.

They didnt seem happy about the snow since it covered all of the ground - even their favorite under the tree areas that are normally sheltered...Judy was quite talkative, but Im not sure if thats because she was worried, excited, or what. I did manage to coax and/or catch and throw them all in. Too many of them on the one roost and it collapsed, LOL...

I have two light bulbs in heat lamps, but whatever they did to the roost took out the lights as well...

It seemed quite warm in there. I let them out this afternoon, they dont like being cooped up!

Got another egg from Judy...”

“Reminds me of my brother and our adventures in turkey rearing back in Mi. Right before a big blizzard hit, my brother tried to round up all the turkeys to lock them in a barn. It didn`t go well. I got a few handsful of their favorite field corn, and they followed me right indoors. A few days later I helped my brother cut down, section and split standing dead trees into firewood. One of the trees was loaded with big, fat beetle larvae. I brought the turkeys out, and they started ripping open the rotted wood to get those larvae. No prompting needed.”

“LOL...

There used to be some massive anthills under the spruce trees - the chickens have destroyed them.

I did try coaxing them in with popcorn balls (which they loved) I got 8 that way, but still had to catch 5 of them.”

“I think they've decided they like being inside - I let them out yesterday afternoon, and they were waiting for me last night.

Course they could have walked into the coop on their own, but I think they like it when I throw them in...

:)”

“wintering these birds is going to take some work...

Monday night I checked on the birds and there was blood everywhere...the hens had been pecking the roosters combs. My farmer stepdad tells me that they will die if their combs freeze, which makes sense since I read that the purpose of the comb is to help regulate the birds temperature.

I figured they were getting stressed from the light being on 24/7, so I lowered it. I'll probably put it back up, but turn it off at night - I thought it would help keep the place warm.

I let them out Tuesday since the temps were warmer. No new blood last night.

I went to Lowe's and bought some 1 1/2" dowels to make a sturdier roost. I went to Tractor Supply and bought some stuff to sprinkle on the combs to stop the bleeding. I have some bluing and will put some in a spray bottle in case I need it.

I put up the new roost and propped the old roosting board up as well. The roosters did not like having powder sprinkled on them and ran all around the coop, LOL. Being inside most of the time has also caused poop to build up much faster...they DO NOT like walking in their own poop, nor is it healthy for them, so I'll have to muck out the pen more often.

This am, it did not appear that the new roost had been used at all, and the old roosting board was busted in half.

sigh....”

“So...future plans for the coop...

Definately build a roof extension so they can have a sheltered area - meant to do that this year, but didn't get to it...

Put the doors in...one for the birds and one for me...(never finished that either)

Build a box for a lamp to keep water thawed...I need to do this now...I lug water most days and sometimes hot water, but it would be nice to have a winter waterer.

My mom cut up her old deck and she has some nice sections that I'm going to start lugging back to my place...

Thinking that if I get more birds next year I will need a second coop...”

“Perhaps Maine chickens aren't that tough, but ater my coop burned down, all the chickens (mostly roosters) were out in the woods for about a week, in -20F weather. Once I rounded all of them up, they were put in the garage until I could give them away. A corner of the garage was heated, but the chickens preferred to roost, so they flew up to the rafters, choosing to remain cold rather than on the garage floor. They all (9) had frozen and blackened combs and none died. Eventually the combs grew back, but definitely looked weirder than before. I had no problem with pecking, so blood was not an issue. Earlier in their troubled lives, when one was getting bullied and pecked, I used pine tar on the wounded areas and the pecking immediately subsided. Evidently chickens do not consider pine tar to be a gourmet item.

That's all I can tell you, no advice, just my little bit of experience.

Oh, yeah, I used 1 x 1's for the rust. Cheaper than dowels, more sturdy and the chickens could easily get their feet around them.

Good luck.”

“yeah I wonder if they just roll around on the dowels, LOL...

I'm thinking I will just let them come and go as they please since that's what they did all summer...maybe put some wood shavings on the snow so they can get to their favorite places.

I'm sure I worry too much...
:)”

“I always carried hot water out to my birds when I still had them, as I went to work at 5 or earlier in the morning. Might try a heated bowl for dogs to keep the water thawed. With the smaller bowl/container though, it will have to be cleaned everyday.”

“they dump their water over every day anyway...”

“I know, stupid birds. In the summer I used an automatic waterer, just had to clean that bowl everyday, but that was easy, I had a spigot right there.”

“Last night I rearranged the roost and made it more stable, and most of them roosted on it all night. yay! I'm going to modify it a bit, move the nesting boxes toward the front (so I don't have to go under the roosts to collect the eggs - yuck!) and work on a lower roost for Judy.

Poor Judy, she really wants to come in the house with me. :(”

“I really enjoy this thread. thanks.”

“You name your birds? Mine went by, deadmeat#1, deadmeat#2, etc.:)”

“:)

Yes we did!

The kids named a couple of the chickens "nugget" and something else, but that's it. Mostly we just call them "the reds" and "the blacks." When the turkeys came to us as babies, the kids put them in doll beds, wrapped them up in blankets, fed them by hand, etc...LOL...”

“Twig, you need Canuck chickens down there: www.cfagrf.com/chanteclerc_chicken.htm”

“Reds and Blacks, I've heard it all now. Chicken gangs.:)”

“what pretty birds!

Chanteclers have the distinction of being the first-ever Canadian breed, and were developed for good egg and meat production and hardiness even in the coldest of winters. Toward that end, they're on the chunky side with extra-small combs and wattles. Today they're exceedingly rare throughout North America.

LOL..."on the chunky side"”

“chicken gangs, yeah - the roosters are "blacks" but prefer to mate with the "reds"...”

“:-)”

“Sounds like a conspriracy to breed out the Reds. We better check into it.”

“Not much going on at work lately, so I've got lots of time for frivolous musings...

The last few days and nights have been in the single digits and below with the wind chill. The coop has no drafts, me and the kids diligently caulked all the seams in the fall. The top of the back wall is plastic, sealed with wooden slats. No leaks, even though we didn't finish the ridge on the roof, I had covered the roof in plastic before putting the roofing material on. No snow blows in.

We got our first frozen egg the other day, and all of yesterdays eggs were frozen. The plan is to get some heaters for the nesting boxes like we use in the lizard tank. That means moving/adding/changing/whatever the nesting boxes.

Last night the coop was a bloody mess again...amazing how much blood one comb can spew...and it gets on everything and all over the other birds as well. (a positive side to that - it covers up evidence of a mishap during the dispatching of toms that I was hoping the kids wouldn't notice). I sprinkled some more of that stuff on the rooster, or tried anyway, but decided once that runs out I'm using flour for coagulant - or maybe I won't bother with anything, since it doesn't seem to bother the roosters to bleed all over everything. Course, their "minds" are elsewhere at all times and they could probably bleed to death and not even notice as long as they have plenty of red hens to chase. On of them is looking a little worn on the back - the same one who lost her tail feathers a while back. I guess Austin was right when he saw all the feathers and said he knew what happened - mating...

I leave the front of the coop open now, but am adding another flap of plastic just for drafts. That way they can go in and out as they please like they did all summer. The new roost is working well, I'll add some more in the spring.

This morning the coop was ominously quiet...I made a special trip out to see what was going on...all was well.

So...this am my office mate tells me that her grandma had a summer coop and a winter coop...I can understand why...However, our next coop/pen will be for ducks (we LOVE duck meat) and the current coop will just have to be adjusted for the seasonal changes.

In closing, (LOL) as I was watching the parakeets this am, watching them play with sticks and rope and such, I wondered if perhaps the chickens would like similar toys...maybe that would alleviate some of their stress from being "cooped up."

:):):)”

“Our turkeys played games. Alas, their favorite was to sit on top of my car, flap their wings, then slide down the windshield and hood, cutting through the paint with their talons. That didn't last long. They loved to chase after pine cones, too. Especially if they still had seeds in them.”

“pfffft!

some #&%!$ decided my turkey was cold and kept her inside overnight...by some #&%!$ I mean my "dogs are people too" neighbor who I called to question after I spent a good couple of hours traipsing around in the dark in knee deep snow with a flashlight, trilling like an idiot when I discovered Judy was missing from the flock...stupid #&%!$...”

“Reminds me of my daughter. After the Poultry Palace fire, she 'rescued' 3 hens and a rooster and keeps them safe and secure from everything. It's been a year and now she doesn't even eat chicken.”

“Plucking with someone's turkey is very fowl.”

“Once my neighbors grandkids wanted some of the cut off feet from my meat birds that I was butchering. Grandma was fixing their beds the next day and there they lay on the night stand.:)”

“LOL...

I have lots of skulls, bones, feathers, feet, claws, etc. - not of my meat birds, but I once collected the teeth from a cow skull intending to string a necklace for Halloween...people were horrified...

:)”

“I picked up some cougar teeth on a bp trip to the Marble Mt. Wilderness in N. CA. They had been sawn out of the jaw I guess. When I got home I threw them out, my luck a game warden would find out and I would have a hard time explaining them.”

“hmmmm...well, turns out Judy disappeared again last night, but was back this am...wonder what that charming little chickee is up to? Perhaps she found some new boys?? and where are her eggs or is she done for the season?

She would absolutely NOT go in to the coop this am...I tried to entice her with a popcorn ball, and she would eat it as long as she was outside, but stopped once it was inside...but she does seem to shiver...she might just end up in the cellar after all, who knows (or the freezer)...LOL....

the chickens are fine and happy! :)”

“I like baybe chikkens perty good. I like to kerry them aroun in my mouf but they usely get ded by assadent in less my daddy says "get them baybe chikkens OUT of yer mouf be for they get ded!" firts.”

“I would lose a rooster once in awhile due to a swift kick to the body or raccoons/dogs. A source I had for roosters gave me a South America wild fowl one time. Talk about being all wild. I had to clip his wings twice as he was used to roosting wherever, then if he failed to get back in the pen, over the 6' high fence I had to catch him and put him back in. Talk about screaming blood murder when I had him in my grasp, you'd think I was eating him a bite at a time. It took awhile for him to get the idea that the hens were inside the pen, not outside and that was his place.”

“Judy disappeared again last night

Hussy!”

“Or the beginning of the end....

Ariana woke up the morning of the 25th, looked out the bathroom window and saw a fox eating one of the roosters...

I went outside, but the neighbors dog had run the fox off. However, the fox clipped a hen on his way through and deposited the carcass on the neighbors lawn...this is how I discovered where Judy has been off to at night - she sleeps under the neighbors deck. I don't see that it provides much shelter, but it's grassy and she's away from the chickens I guess. She's beat a path...wonder what the neighbors think, LOL...I saw them feeding her cheetos one day, that's probably why she likes it there.

The first bird lost his head and some chest meat - I wish the fox had at least eaten all of it or lugged it off for supper later on. The second one was in tact and warm. I wasn't sure what damage the fox had done, so I plucked and gutted her...there was a large hard ball which turned out to be an egg...then a handful of yolks that went from normal size to pea size and smaller - a nice science lesson for the kids. Also, they hadn't seen the bag of rocks in the gizzard, so we did that. Quite a skinny chicken once dressed, but we won't be eating her - she did have bite marks from the fox, and I wouldn't trust it.

I expect that the fox will continue to come back and pick off the birds...I am shutting them in at night (Judy does NOT like it one bit and pulls my hair while I am closing up the wire) but I doubt that will help, since the attack we witnessed was at 7:30am. I'm going to google for fox predators, and see if I can buy some scent to try and keep them away.

There is also a red hen missing, not sure what happened to her...perhaps she found a better place to spend her time.

Judy's eggs are getting bigger.

Another thing - boiled fresh eggs are a major pita to peel!”

“A good fox repellent comes in .22 caliber.”

“true - but I'd need to be there when it attacks, have the gun ready, etc...(not an option in a house with kidlets)...plus I'm sure there will always be another fox/coyote/hawk, and I'm not entirely sure it's legal for me to be shooting a .22 from my bathroom window, and considering where I live, I can really only shoot in one direction...LOL...also, I might need a license to shoot a fox (or not, I don't know)...

The poor rooster that got killed must have been protecting his flock...the others were all lined up by the trees clucking away, cheering him on...we kept his beautiful tail feathers.”

“A pump up pellet gun works well for varmits (with a head shot), and are legal in most towns in the South. I don't know about Maine.

I used one for Opossums eating my cat's food off my deck.”

“Hey Stovie! How was your holiday?!

I do have a pellet gun. I likely need a higher ffp though, since it hasn't fazed other critters that I've shot in the head...and still, I'd need to be there at the appropriate moment...”

“maybe an attack moose?”

“I meant fps, ffp is a work thing, LOL...

attack moose would be awesome! I love moose...

My stepfather offered me a spring goose - won't help me now though...

I know the wildlife rehab place has strobe lights, but I'd have a constant migraine.”

“Hey babelicious! Very nice, thank you.

Another thing to try is a live trap. Check to see if your local animal control has a live trap you could borrow.
You could buy one, but they will cost about $100 for one big enought for a fox.”

“a fox in a have a heart trap...hmmmm...

the varmint hasn't been back, but I know it's just a matter of time.

I wonder if I could aim the potato gun good enough, LOL...”

“I wonder if I could aim the potato gun good enough, LOL...”
twigeater
9:22:41 AM
12/29/09

Now, that I would love to see. You'd have to youtube it.”

“Maybe the kaboom! would scare it's hide off...”

“Just don't do what one of my friends in college did and use asetileen in place of hairspray. The kaboom caused him to lose his hearing for about an hour.”

“acetylene?”

“oops. Damn spell check failed me on that one.

Yes, acetylene. I should note that beer was not involved.
last edited: 12/29/09 7:42:16 AM”

“I wondered what that word was... :)

The potato gun is great fun! Monkeyboy made it for us when we were visiting them recently...”