Storms and chickens

[emu]

DH is very anxious to bring our girls in for the night to the outbuilding instead of eglu outdoors- would you recommend this or would it disturb them?

Our chooks are gorgeous they seem to get on so nicely- Basmati(Mattie)is the matriarch chook and she gave me the beady eye this morning when I let them out at 8am they came out to feed virtually straight away! Plus the local cockerel was crowing away and they seem to like that!

We are absolutely thrilled to bits with them and they have quite an appetite - how much feed should they be having per chook per day?

[theherd123]

Firstly congratulations on being a chook keeper - its fab isnt it?!!

 

I wouldnt worry too much about the chooks being cold as the eglu is designed to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer and the chooks come with their own feathery duvet

 

As for the food just leave the grub full with pellets and gritt and at the end of each day the chooks should have a full crop. They will eat throughout the day and scratch around for bugs etc.

[robskyd]

I'd leave the chickens where they are, mainly because, well they're chickens and have lived for thousands of years outside with no real detriment to their well being! (Predators Excluded!!)

 

As for food.... We were told, when we picked ours up, that they will eat untill they are full so as long as you make sure there is food out for them they should be ok.

[Olly]

Trouble is, we have had cold nights and then mild nights - you could be doing the chicken hokey-cokey! They are designed - by nature - to live outdoors and carry a lovely winterweight duvet on their backs (real down, no synthetic stuff!) They will be cosy in their Eglu, as they huddle up together.

 

Twice this week the Glugs have been frozen solid, but my chickens have been absolutely fine.

[Snowy]

They will be nice and snug in the eglu - try lifting the egg port off very briefly and poke your hand in, gets nice and warm!

 

I read somewhere that the chickens natural body temperature is a couple of degrees higher than ours, so what feels cold to us will not feel as cold to them. The other evening is was quite frosty here and Ruby was trying to roost outside the cube on the ladder! Did not appreciate me putting her back in

[CatsCube]

I dont even shut the door at night, and my girls are all fine. I only shut it if its gonna be a hard frost, and even then I havent sometimes.

[Jules.]

Ethan was snuggling in my bed this morning- we are up early because he was sick (again) last night. Good job we have laminate floors...

Anyway, I was telling him that my quilt is made from feathers, and how lovely & warm it keeps us- just like the chicken's feathers!

 

We talked about the parts of our chickens that don't have feathers- beaks & legs, & then I told him that some chickens do have feathers on their legs

I didn't know that before I saw it on this forum

[Richard]

  Jules H said:

& then I told him that some chickens do have feathers on their legs

I didn't know that before I saw it on this forum

 

My Daisy (North Holland Blue) has feathers on her legs; not a lot but a few. There are people on the forum with Cochins and their legs are well feathered.

 

As regards the cold - the girls don't even notice it. They are made to manage the temperature. They'll have a lot more trouble in the heat - 'cos they can't take their coats off.

[emu]

Left the darlings in their new eglu home- they are real characters already bless them.

Our windowcleaner came and went over to meet them-they were in the eglu at the time and as our windowcleaner said hello out popped matti with Tilda and Bunty seconds later! Our girls are polite and gave out a few clucks of how do you do too.

Going to bring them in for some tlc vaseline rubbing and homemade chook porridge tomorrow.

Bunty is a darling loves being stroked and coos quietly in appreciation.Tilda is not so keen on contact (atypical maran trait?) and Matti is a handsome lady very alert but gentle and she doesnt mind either.

Bunty flaps her wings a few times each morning to try and take off- a very friendly farmer has volunteered to wing clip them soon for us whcih is great as didnt want to do them without being shown properly.

Yes quite right really we left them in their eglu overnight.

Mind you the eglu is very cosy for a winter home now the babes are in their 'cot' - I am already saving up for their cube when they 'grow up' probably by summer- I think the orpie and maran(the rate she's chomping those pellets!) will have trouble going thro that door!

[Richard]

  emu said:

Going to bring them in for some tlc vaseline rubbing and homemade chook porridge tomorrow.

 

Don't tell my lot - they don't get spoilt, sorry, taken care of like this!

[emu]

Too much wine and Too Much chook talk er hem drives one loopy! Well thats my excuse taken care of er hem!!

Coming back to the vaseline - gonna bring them out of run one by one to do their combs and wattles.Does anyone do their legs at all? Just wondering...

[chickenlass]

Oohhh you are a caring Chicken Mummy!! Sounds as if they are spoilt rotten. LOL [and why not]

[Richard]

  emu said:

Coming back to the vaseline - gonna bring them out of run one by one to do their combs and wattles.Does anyone do their legs at all? Just wondering...

 

You what Victor Meldrew moment - I just don't believe it!

[Egluntyne]

Erm no......

 

I read that their combs don't need vaseline unless the temperature gets below minus 10.

 

Can't remember where I read it though.

[Richard]

  Richard said:

  emu said:

Coming back to the vaseline - gonna bring them out of run one by one to do their combs and wattles.Does anyone do their legs at all? Just wondering...

 

You what Victor Meldrew moment - I just don't believe it!

 

Sorry; this was a very rude posting of mine - too much vin rouge last night!

I was just a bit surprised at the suggestion of vaseline on their legs - made me think of Tour de France cyclists!

 

the rationale for vaselining the combs is, I understand, because they are very vascular, friable tissue and so will loose heat easily and have a possible tendancy to frostbite in extreme cold. Why vaseline helps I dont' know, but apparently it does.

 

their legs are a bit different - not vascular and covered in scales, so I wouldn't think that vaseline was necessary unless your chickens have some interesting perversions and are turned on by greased legs

 

However, it is far better to be too kind to your girls than to neglect them.

[emu]

Vaseline tmi

Now a friendly(perverse?) farmer actually mentioned it to me as being beneficial-when i stumble upon him again i will definitely ask him why.

He could have been erm pulling my leg?? But it was earlier this week he mentioned it.

[Richard]

  emu said:

Vaseline tmi

Now a friendly(perverse?) farmer actually mentioned it to me as being beneficial-when i stumble upon him again i will definitely ask him why.

He could have been erm pulling my leg?? But it was earlier this week he mentioned it.

 

Are you sure it wasn't an early April 1st?

[feemcg]

I think Vaseline can be used on the legs if the chooks have scaley leg mite.

[Richard]

  emu said:

Vaseline tmi

:

 

what's vaseling tmi? is it a special type? I don't know what tmi means - sorry

[Guest]

too much information?

[ali-s]

Confession time

 

I forgot to shut the Eglu doors last night

 

As I posted in another thread yesterday, it was -5oc at 5pm yesterday and got steadily colder during the evening. It feels a little warmer this morning, still well below freezing I expect.

 

Five Bantams in one Eglu and four in the other. No vaseline on any of the combs. They are all up and out now and happily (thankgoodness) scratching about.

 

The glugs were frozen solid and had to be defrosted with hot water.

[superjules]

They are tougher than we give them credit for!

 

Lisa33 and I went to a talk at our local chook place who said you don't need to vaseline their combs unless they are very big combs (eg. cockerel size). If hens feel it's too cold they will put their head under their wing.

 

He said if you warm up their housing you can force them into a moult at the wrong time of year and you need to be careful you don't block the ventilation if you are covering their housing with anything to insulate it.

 

So no hot water bottles required!!!

[Guest]

  superjules said:

They are tougher than we give them credit for!

 

Lisa33 and I went to a talk at our local chook place who said you don't need to vaseline their combs unless they are very big combs (eg. cockerel size). If hens feel it's too cold they will put their head under their wing.

 

He said if you warm up their housing you can force them into a moult at the wrong time of year and you need to be careful you don't block the ventilation if you are covering their housing with anything to insulate it.

 

So no hot water bottles required!!!

 

that's very useful info, cheers

[superjules]

Although if your ex batts are still looking a bit threadbare I'm sure they'd appreciate a nice wooly jumper!

[Richard]

  ali-s said:

Confession time

 

I forgot to shut the Eglu doors last night

 

.

 

Happens to me quite often. If I go away for a couple or three days I just don't bother and leave them to sort themselves. I actually think they like it as when I do come back I often find them roosting with the Orps heads poking out of the door. they are quite upset when I close it on them!