I have 4 chickens. 3 are leghorns and one of them is a rooster. The other one is a hen, but she's a different kind. We think that she is a rock or something, but deffinetely a meat bird. We raise them as pets and really love them and I need help. Snow is on the ground now and it's getting cold. We have a hutch with a heatlamp inside, but they still go outside for excersize. It's so cold and i'm afraid about they're feet freezing, especially the rock. Are u supposed to put vaseline on the roosters cone? I did today, but what about the others? And what about they're feet? do you put it on the feet too?
Need help with my chickens plz!
I have read posts that alot of people do that. I am not as knowledgable (sp) but you could go to www.backyardchickens.com and post your question or read the past posts on the subject.
It seems very quiet here today. Good Luck!
k thnx
anymore ideas or help?
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Vermontbirdfanciersclub/ you can join this group we just went thru the whole bagbalm vs vaseline discussion and they are in VT, from what I gather you can rub it on thinly to help the chapping but doesn't prevent it and over applying can cause more damage by greasing down the feathers, read all the posts it very helpful and you don;t need to live in VT to join
All that I know of is to put the Vaseline on their combs and wattles, you can put it on their feet too, it would help. A wide perch that keeps their feet flat while they roost will help keep their feet warm by them sitting on them and warming them with their body heat..like a 2X4 on the side. The lamp is always great help too. Rocks are generally a cold hardy bird but the leghorn's combs tend to be subject to frostbite, so just keep on the vaseline. =) I'm sure they'll be fine as long as you keep an eye on them! I've never had any trouble with my chickens in the winter, but if it's an extremely cold windy day we just keep the door shut on the coop so they can't go out and stay nice and warm inside. =) We have 2 Silver laced Wyandottes, an Orpington Buff and a Black star...they're all spoiled pets, we just have them for eggs! Generally birds don't feel temperature through their feet though, and their leg's blood vessels contract in the cold so they won't lose so much heat through them! I hope this helps and if you have any other questions feel free to ask!
thnx guys, big help
ps. ours are spoiled too.......
oh, i need more help! Our rock has a really scratched up come. the back of it isn't even on her head anymore. There's blood all over her. Should i try to wipe it? or let it heal by itself
If it looks good and isn't overly warm to the touch (early sign of infection) I'd leave it alone, but try to find out how it happened to see if you can prevent further damage. If you want to put something on it, I like neosporin. An injury on the comb usually stays pretty clean, but if there is debris in a fresh or open wound, I keep a can of contact lense saline solution on hand. It's lightly pressureized so it works well for irrigating a wound and is pretty sterile.
Yes, Saline Solution works great! jylgaskin hit that one on the nose! =)
lol k thnx