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freezing weather

cath
edited January 2011 in Feeding & Health Care
well guys how're ye getting on with yer animals...i still let mine out evry day and they seem fine..... theducks have stopped layin though and wont go into the house provided,,,still prefer to sleep out in the snow.. is this normal for them to stop layin......the hens have stopped altogether but gettin the odd egg from a marron pullet..i use a heat lamp in the shed at night and turn it off early morn then wait few hours till they become accustomed to the cold and let em out for few hours.....

Comments

  • Susan Mc
    edited November -1
    Most of mine doing just fine, the large fowl are coming and going mostly as usual, the three out of four layers that were laying are still laying. The bantams are spending more time indoors than before but I've moved their food and water either inside their houses or right outside the pophole.
    Only problem I'm having is my silver sebright pullet, who I didn't see out much on Saturday, when I checked more closely on Sunday I realised she isn't walking properly. I pulled her and her cock out of the house and put her in the shed in a cage with a heatlamp. She moves about a bit and is eating but doesn't seem to have good balance. I was hoping she was just feeling the cold, but considering the breed, I suspect it might be Marek's. Time will tell I suppose.
    I'm giving all my birds warm water in the morning, and yesterday I gave them double their mixed corn snack, served up in dishes with warm water. They devoured it completely!
  • cath
    edited November -1
    god roll on the spring when its not freezing....i've young marron that lays every day and the odd hybrid egg...... still no sign of the ducks layin again,,,,,,,,, on the other side of things the kids're havin great time off school and generally freezin their hands ,toes, toushes off all in the name of fuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnn yyeeeeaaaa!!ll
  • marty
    edited November -1
    mine seem to be doing ok, coming in and out, the blackrocks are running through it!! seem to be having great time :lol: I have been giving them warm food & water in mornings and evenings.. they love the porridge mix I give them.. no electric near coup for any form of light/heat so just hope they do ok, still getting the odd egg too. ;)
  • MARIA
    edited November -1
    Hi all
    We havent got a duck egg in weeks and the only hens that are laying are the bluebelles. The ducks spend most of the time outside sitting in the snow, the hens come out for a while and then spend most of the day in their shed. They get warm water several times a day and warm porridge mix in the morning, which doesnt last long. There has been another five inches of snow here tonight so tomorrow should be interesting. My son is highly disgusted because they havent had a day off school yet. Our biggest problem at the minute is having no water for the house or sheds, so it means bucketing water everywhere. The snow is beautiful but the sooner it goes the better.
  • Susan Mc
    edited November -1
    "MARIA" said:
    Our biggest problem at the minute is having no water for the house or sheds, so it means bucketing water everywhere. The snow is beautiful but the sooner it goes the better.
    Hi Maria, not that you asked ;) , but I would recommend large watering cans for hauling water instead of open buckets. I have a 6litre plastic garden watering can that I'm using for the hens, takes 2 trips but I don't slosh the water everywhere, or down my pantleg, and it is a controlled pour as well! Maybe hard to find this time of year, but definitely something I find handy!
  • MARIA
    edited November -1
    Hi Susan
    Thanks for the advice. Had a look in the green house and found a watering can. Its so much better then the bucket. Thanks again.
    Maria.
  • Susan Mc
    edited November -1
    No frozen water dishes this morning!! Hurray! :D
    Snow predicted for Tuesday again though. :roll:
  • cath
    edited November -1
    ah thank god its green again,,,,,,, tis so early to be gettin the snow and low temps though...still no eggs from the ducks........ i'm woderin if they have mites cause i see them grooming a lot ir would they be moulting this latein the season??
  • MARIA
    edited November -1
    Hi Cath
    We still didnt get any duck eggs yet its been nearly two months now. Are you giving the ducks plenty of water to bathe in. Ours spend alot of time grooming too when i dont get time to fill their bath but i fill it now every second day with warm water and they have a good wash. They love it. Thanks again Susan for the advice about the watering can. Now with this snow and ice again i seem to be always on the go with my watering can full of warm water for the hens, ducks, broilers, rabbits and pot bellied pigs.
    Maria
  • marty
    edited November -1
    well the mild weather didnt last long!! :roll: We have had about 5inches of snow lying on ground since last thur night..up here in Donegal..And some really low temps has not really got above -4.5 during the day :shock: So been busy keeping fresh water etc from freezing.. Got a bag of barley (20kg-€4.50)so been mixing it up with what ever else is about.. One of my blackrocks started lying like a trooper.. so getting a steady 2 eggs a day as my reliable brown still laying :) The rest look like they are still a good bit from starting to lay.. and showing not a notion in this weather :lol: been trying to keep pen a bit cleared, and put a shelter in and some sand down so they can have a good scratch around.. So all fun and games :D
  • cath
    edited November -1
    hi ye all,,,,,,,,, thank god te weathers better and days gettin longer. my hens laying better now but still no duck eggs any words of wisdom ??????
  • MARIA
    edited November -1
    Hi Cath
    We are only getting 1 duck egg a day from 10 ducks. We are going to have to be patient. When the weather gets milder and there is more hours of day light then we wont know what to do with all the eggs. Our hens are laying well but only the younger ones ( 6 months old). The weather is really mild at the moment but i think there is bad frost forecast for the weekend. Hope you get some duck eggs soon.
    Maria.
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