Yearly Archives: 2012

Chickens In Winter

The leaves are turning, the goats have grown thick coats, and the hens are molting. Winter is on its way. This was the time of year that flocks were thinned and all hens over two years of age were harvested and canned for winter meals. The youngest hens were kept on, as were a favorite chicken or two.

This photo shows a family in Maine. It’s telling that the portrait was taken with a rooster, a hen, and a cat. No doubt that they were all loved pets.

It looks cold, doesn’t it? But you can be sure that those chickens didn’t have an insulated barn and heat lamps and did just fine! Your hens will be fine this winter, too. Shelter them in a draft-free, dry and clean coop, and keep them busy with cabbages and greens. When there’s snow and ice on the ground, shovel what you can and spread some hay so that they can step outside for fresh air and exercise. For more about how to care for chickens in cold winter weather, read my FAQ.

Pepto-Bismol for Pip

Pip had a bellyache last night. Since a goat has four stomachs, that can be a lot of ache. The largest stomach (technically there’s only one stomach with four compartments, but everyone calls them stomachs) is the rumen. The rumen is like an expandable pouch. It’s where all of the bulky, grassy, thorny, leafy, barky things that goats eats are stored. It’s amazing the quantity of feed that can fit in there. Sometimes Pip eats so much that his left side (where the rumen is) sticks out in a lopsided way. Counterintuitively, an asymmetrical, bulky belly is a sign of a healthy goat. Bacteria in the rumen break down the tough matter. The goats regurgitate clumps of it and grind it with their teeth. That’s called chewing their cud. The goats burp. A lot. Burping is another sign of a healthy goat. Eventually it all goes back through the stomachs and on through the twists and turns of the digestive tract and comes out either as pee or as “goat berries.”

Last night Pip was not burping. He stood with his back roached (think curved like a Halloween cat.) His stomachs weren’t gurgling. He wasn’t chewing his cud. He didn’t want to eat. He looked wretched and you could tell that he felt very sorry for himself. I called the vet, who recommended dosing with an item that all goat-keepers have in their first aid boxes: Pepto-Bismol.

I gave Pip an ounce. He peed and pooped within the hour. By midnight he was chewing his cud. This morning at 5 am I heard him burp. He got another dose at 9 am. And that’s why Pip has a pink beard.

It’s hard to get Pepto-Bismol pink off of a goat’s beard. It’s rather like in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. In the book the pink spot moves on through the house, all the while getting larger and larger. In the barn the pink gets on my boots, on Caper, and on the stall door.

So, I’m leaving his beard pink. Let’s just say that he’s getting ready for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This is my first time treating goat bloat. I think that it came on because I moved the pasture fence and the boys had access to lots more greens. Perhaps there’s a toxic weed out there. At the same time, I gave him less hay in the morning, so he was eating all of those greens on an empty (for a goat) stomach(s). I provide goat minerals a couple of times a week; because of this experience I’ll finally build and put in a goat-proof mineral feeder so that he can have them free choice. Any experienced goat keepers want to chime in?

Exercise For Laying Hens

My collection of vintage poultry books and pamphlets have charming graphics, and they’re worth seeking out just for that, but they also are filled with excellent advice. Three things were consistently recommended: sunshine, greens and exercise. Even as flocks became larger, and feed was bought instead of grown on the farm, this advise still held true. In 1929 the Wirthmore Feeds company put out a booklet. You’d think they’d have a vested interest in confined birds that ate only their product, and a lot of it. But, no! The cover showed busy chickens outside on grass.

(As an aside, I so want that apron!)

Even inside the barn Wirthmore advised a system that encouraged the hens to scratch and mill about.

So, before you toss handfuls of mealworms and cracked corn to your girls, remember the advice from the Wirthmore Feeds company. What your hens need are exercise, healthy foods and fresh air. Sounds like words of wisdom that I should follow, too.

PS For a useful vintage egg record chart see this post.

 

Chicken Feed Scoop

Having cooked professionally for years, I am a firm believer in having the right tool for the job. A tool designed for the task can make work less frustrating and often yields a finished result that is of a higher quality. (Have I told you how in love I am with my stand mixer?) Sometimes the right tool is expensive, but it should last and last. Twenty years ago I spent a lot of money on a chef knife, and continue to use it daily. That said, (and having defended my buying habits) I also believe that sometimes the right tool doesn’t have to be expensive. Sometimes it doesn’t cost anything at all.

I needed a scoop for the laying hen pellets. I had just used up the last of the laundry detergent.

I took the cardboard cutting scissors and went to work.

Not hard work, though. In two minutes I’d made my scoop.

Some perfect tools, like my knives, are beautiful. My grain scoop is not. But, using it makes me feel virtuous and clever. The chickens don’t care a whit about beautiful and told me that it works just fine.

You can make my scoop, or you can construct a plastic scoop that is far more attractive. I found a Korean blog that has a multitude of clever ways to repurpose plastic cartons, including this scoop. It’s much prettier than mine, but mine holds more pellets!