Why oh why did one of our chickens decide it was a good time to moult just as the temperature plummets? Poor girl is looking ready for the oven (no, not an option) and is walking like she’s pissed. A sad sight in the snow.

Feeling so sorry for them we’ve even opened the greenhouse to give them a bit more shelter.

Tim

Feeling so sorry for them we’ve even opened the greenhouse to give them a bit more shelter

My missus has put the greenhouse heater on for them 🙂

sounds like chicken stress to me. either that or she’s recovering from a particularly mad hen night 😉

Luckily 4 of our flock are just about fully recovered from their moult. 1 is just starting poor thing – nothing quite as miserable looking as a half-plucked chuck stood in the snow on one foot. For the majority of our chickens it’ll be their first snow so they’re all a bit confused by it all – we’ve one ‘super-chicken’ who seems wholly un-bothered but the others would rather huddle together in the warmth of their house…

uplink – don’t tell the Mrs but mine had a hot bowl of museili this morning. They loved it.

Phil – don’t see how it could be stress. They are rather well looked after and I’ve never squeezed them for eggs 😮

LOL – ours are out and about. 3 all puffed up and loving it but poor old Rusty is only beginning to get feathers again so she’s late up and early to bed. She eats loads so I guess she needs the energy to sort out the new feathers.

Mine come in the cat flap and sit in the utility room during the day.

uplink – don’t tell the Mrs but mine had a hot bowl of museili this morning. They loved it.

hahaha – you and me both. We’ve an old wok that gets used for just this purpose – a couple of weetabix, handful of corn, some sultanas, some mixed oats and then pellets – about 1/2 a pint of hot water. Vanishes very quickly.

i know nothing about chickens… it was more a set up for my amazing hen night joke 😉

if it helps reassure you i wasn’t accusing you of treating your chickens badly so they’re stressed i actually had to stop myself thinking you could squeeze a chicken hard enough for eggs to come out after your post.

Ours just stay in the bottom of the house (its an A-frame with shelter underneath) and occasionally venture out when the snow lets up. Thankfully they have just finished a molt.

We’ve been giving them porridge in the mornings 😀

odd time to molt – ours do it spring time ish
Ours are out in the cold no warm museli just CTFU I say
Goats are not happy either and the wallabies look really non plusssed with the whole affair. Geese now these fella are taking it all in their stride useless and noisy but hardy

odd time to molt – ours do it spring time ish

Really? We’ve always had them moult this time of year (well, end of September through November usually). As to CTFU – agree, kind of – a they’re all finishing moulting we’ve been making sure they’re stocking up on food especially as we had 3 die in the space of about 2 weeks (old age / egg peritontis / lead poisoning (!)). My two girls were very adamant that their Dad was to put his tea down and get out in the freezing morning to look after the poor chickens!

Phil – I guessed as much. Oh, don’t squeeze chickens, they don’t like it 😈

Tree – don’t they make a mess? Ours our dirty girls on our back patio so there’s no way they’re coming in the house.

woffle – phew, thought it was just me that was a bit soft.

Creg – yep, if there’s spare then they get porridge as well. It’s a good lesson for my boy as if he doesn’t finish his food then it goes outside to the girls. He’s not keen on sharing his food so it rarely happens. I MIGHT make a bit too much when the Mrs isn’t looking being a soft touch as I am.

Junk – no idea mate. First year for us so it’s a learning curve. Our neighbour suggested putting them in the pot rather than paying for the feed over winter and then buying more in the spring :Oo

Feeling so sorry for them

But your happy to kill them and eat them?

Did I say that? I don’t think so.

I could and would but have no plans to!

Tree – don’t they make a mess? Ours our dirty girls on our back patio so there’s no way they’re coming in the house.

Yeah, but it’s a tiled floor, and only a small area, just get’s hosed down.

Tim – I saw this a while ago, still makes me smile;

So, one of my chickens is being pecked quite a bit and has lost her tail feathers as a result. I looks up solutions on t’interweb and sees “Smear tail with vaseline liberally – they dont like the texture in their beaks and will cease pecking there”.
First thing in the morning, out I goes to chicken shed, grab chicken and commence liberal smearing of vaseline to rear end, look up and see neighbour staring at me, hanging out washing. Me in dressing gown whispering “good girl, good girl”.

My half-hearted nervous response of “It’s for her own protection”
didnt go down well either. Ho hum.

davidtaylforth – Member

Feeling so sorry for them

But your happy to kill them and eat them?

Eat Uppsy Daisy, Iggle Piggle and Macca Packa? Good God no, my son would be mortified! Plus the fact, where the hell would I get fresh, free range eggs from every morning?

We’ve been giving them porridge in the morning

Porridge/mixed corn in the mornings here too 🙂

Lost two to a fox last week and replaced them the same day….. then on friday there was an ad in the local rag from a lady selling off about 50 of her free range flock (18 months old) for £2.00 each so I grabbed a couple more.
They only need to lay another 8 eggs each to have paid for themsleves!!

Fox tracks in the snow this morning but if it tries the electric netting again it’s going to [literally] get a big shock 😈

Luke – I can assume you that wasn’t me!

Still getting a few eggs here as well so they continue to pay their way.

Yeah, but it’s a tiled floor, and only a small area, just get’s hosed down.

You might want to try Garvo food too – it claims to result in less muck being produced and does actually seem to be the case. Whether this is because they actually eat less of it compared to their usual pellets I’m not sure (again, the manufacturers reckon it’s about 10% less). The chucks look good on it too and if you can find somewhere local that stocks it it’s not actually any more expensive (about £10 odd for 20kg). I’d recommend it going on experiences thus far…

Warm layer’s mash for Snap, Crackle & Pop (along with as much pelleted food as they want and lots of scraps from the house). Plus a big new roofed run (20′ x 20′), a new coop, and as much straw to keep them warm as they like.

And a (very) effective electric fence. The foxes really don’t like this…..

As we use a shed for our 4 girls and it’s a little draughty then we put in Kingspan type insulation last weekend! But I think they have been a little too cold during the day and freezing their brains as 2 of then instead of going in the shed last night at dusk, were found outside in the dark and cold! They came inside this morning, they approved of the underfloor heating. Still laying an egg each daily 🙂

beef suet for mine…

CTFU – Brilliant!

Can deff say the garvo feed reduces poop, still stinks though. None of my 5 have moulted yet, hopefully they will keep their feathers till it warms up a bit

Tim, your cold chicken problems are solved – and they’re made in Ringmer too…

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/8721869.Ringmer_chickens_strut_their_stuff_in_chikinis/