Winter Warning - Blizzard of 2011 Has Arrived!

HelloooOOOOoooo Frenz!  Miss Lizzy here - Reporting to you from the Freezing State of Michigan!  We bring to you the concerns of poultry flocks everywhere.  oooOOOOoooo!  Just look at things here, at the home-front, as they were this morning, bright and early! 

Our Humble Home, before eatin' time

The Heated Water Bowl....buried, but still operative

"ATTENTION, LADIES!  MS. LIZZY wishes to SPEAK!"

Miss Lizzy Braves the Blizzard (the others are too CHICKEN...)

Refueling with Cracked Corn

One of the Barnevelder Sisters, warming up inside the Coop

Miss Llizzy

And now -  Miss Lizzy would like to extol upon you the importance of taking proper frostbite prevention with your flocks.  When temps drop, Miss Lizzy suggests shutting up the doors of the hen house and installing a small wattage lightbulb to add a slight amount of warmth to the room - just enough to assist the flock's body heat.  No big heat lamps or electric heaters, please.  Those can contribute to an overabundance of moisture, which can cause additional health problems.  (They also might could cause a fire - chickens do NOT care for flames or anything remotely connected with flames...reminds one of a SPIT or a POT put on to BOIL - not good, not good, NOT GOOD!  oooOOOOOooooo! )

If a hen should develop frostbite, one would notice blackened areas on the comb or wattle or feet first.  The hen would assume a sorrowful position with tail tucked down, head and neck scrunched up, and a general "I do not FEEL WELL" will appear in her overall countenance.  Bring her inside and let her warm up GRADUALLY (no heat blowers or hair dryers, please!).  A warm towel inside of a box would be plenty when she's brought in from the cold.  Massage her comb, wattle and feet with petroleum jelly.  Petroleum Jelly is NOT a prevention, but it can assist in holding body heat into these exposed regions.  (It will also make your hen feel and look like she's been at a spa.  oooOOOOOooo!)  When she is perking up and eating and drinking once again, she can be returned to the coop with the rest of her flock-mates.  Do NOT pick off blackened areas on comb and wattles, and do NOT remove blackened toes.  They will come off by themselves as the flesh dries and dies.  "Picking" only calls attention to the injuries, and flock-mates will attack and sometimes kill the frostbitten bird.  If they are overly interested in the injured bird, isolate the hen until it is completely healed, no opened wounds.  Your bird will thank you for your tender loving care!

Till NEXT TIME - 

Yours Truly - Miss Lizzy

Q&A: Dear Lizzy:

 Dear Lizzy:
I have a question for you...any suggestions on how to get a hen to stop pecking the head of her rooster to death? I have two polish and he is truly hen-pecked. His poor little head sometimes bleeds. I need help Lizzie!! 
Signed,
Anxious

Dear Anxious,
The beautiful Polish Breed is one of the most picked on of all breeds of chickens.  Most probably because the other hens are so jealous of the fancy top hats they display - so amazing!  (And that's where the HUMAN saying "hen pecked" comes from, don'tchaknow?!)  Chickens tend to pick on other chickens for such reasons as age differences (getting rid of the younger competition!) or because one breed is a different color than what the main flock is used to being with...or, a different and intriguing style of head-dress, such as your Polish Rooster.  I will try to address this concern to others who may have Chicken troubles with large flocks as well.  Read on.
  Ms. Lizzy's advice here would be to remove the Roo from that offending Hen (or flock, as the case may be) for a time, and treat his wounds with Scarlet Oil, found at local feed mills or perhaps your Tractor Supply Store (Click HERE for information of the product and where to find the TSC nearest you!).  You can also apply a medium coating of Petroleum Jelly on the injury with good results, but Scarlet Oil is something Ms.Lizzy highly recommends...it covers the scent of blood and helps disguise it from the flock once the bird is returned to the group after about a week, depending on the depth of damage.  Chickens cannot resist the smell of blood and will often continue pecking to the death of the injured bird.  The mere thought makes Lizzy SHUDDER!!!
  You do not state the age or size of your Roo - that makes a difference in the PECKING ORDER of the flock.  Mature Girls perfer a Mature Roo, or one that is the same size or a tad bit smaller than the rest of the flock.  BEWARE!  Any bird too young should not be introduced to a mature group of chickens - that could be a cause of many a life lost!
  Are there other Roos picking on him as well?  One Roo to a flock of 10 Girls, please!  Otherwise fights may ensue for breeding rights!  And one parting note:  Ms. Lizzy will offer that there could be a chance your Roo may never be able to be turned loose with the rest of the gang for long periods of time without strict supervision.  For his own safety, he may have to be kept in a Bachelor Pad away from the Girls, unless you desire baby chicks, then allow him access to only the most docile of the Group for courtship!
Hoping this Helps -
Ms. Lizzy 

Q&A: Injection How - To's

Dear Lizzy:
In the previous post I read how one of your flock members was ill and needed a shot.  Just HOW do you give a chicken a shot, and how does a person know what the correct dosage of medicine would be for a hen?
Frightened of Shots

Dear Frightened:
You think YOU'RE frightened of shots - try being poor ROBYN!!!  She was totally unprepared for what was coming up the first time around!  But, to answer your question, Penicillin is injected under the skin, in a thick muscle, such as the upper leg or thigh on a chicken.  Robyn is way too thin to take an injection into her breast - she's lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time, and there's no "meat" there to put the needle into.  The first thing you have to do is CATCH the hen!  (No problem with Robyn - she is ill and easily tricked.)  Next, pick up the bird and place it carefully onto its back, stroking her from neck to breast for a few moments to relax her.  The last step is to hold a leg out from the body, and after locating a meaty area, part the feathers down to the skin, push the needle in, aspirate it back (to be sure there's no blood in the needle), and if all is well, release the medicine into the leg muscle.  Easy Peasy!  The first time or two it might be easiest to have an assistant.
  As for dosage, the Chicken Wrangler phoned the vet.  1/4 cc was the amount he recommended, 2 to 3 times a day for 5 - 7 days.  We are hoping it works its magic for Robyn this week.  Thanks for all of the well wishes - Robyn was happy to hear of your concerns for her well-being.
Signed -
Lizzy

Lizzy's Book Reviews

ooooOOOOoooo!  ANOTHER e-mail in my nest in-box!  GOOOooooOOD Day!

Dear Lizzy,
Since you work in a Library, can you suggest a good book for me to read?
-Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,
I'm a working girl, all right!  And I do have a library at my disposal for times when one of the other girls is taking too long on the THRONE of PREFERENCE - the favorite nest box!  (We DO have 6 next boxes, but we all want the same ONE.  At the same TIME.) Reading helps pass the time, you know, while we're standing there with legs crossed, trying not to loose an egg!

Image found at Amazon.com, so DON'T click to look inside!

I certainly can suggest an EGG-celent book for you to read!  It is called:
"KEEP CHICKENS! TENDING SMALL FLOCKS IN CITIES, SUBURBS & OTHER SMALL SPACES " written by Barbara Kilarski.  A very good little book, only 150 pages, but covers most of the "ins and outs" of keeping a few hens in the country or the burbs.  It's entertaining, telling of the authors personal hens and how she transformed her yard from a concrete patio to a haven of relaxation and enjoyment!  Great EGG recipes, too!

Another fun and VINTAGE book I'd suggest is "The Egg and I" by Betty MacDonald - a hilarious read about a new bride, her husband, and their new business venture raising chickens back in the day.  Heard of Ma and Pa Kettle?  Well, Betty actually meets them back in the hills, with their zoo - including kids AND critters!  Good for some hearty laughs!

Two of my favorite reads, and NO YOLKS about it!

Cluckin' Good Day 2 You!
Queen Lizzy!

In the Library with Lizzy

"I've got MAIL!"

OooooOOOOOooooo!  GOOD day! - Lizzy here!  An e-mail forwarded to me was Egg-zactly what pecked my day up! 

Some Chick wanted to check out the ChickenWrangler's recipe for Roma Tomato Jam.  Us WORKING girls don't cook, you know, but we shore do love to peck at anything that smacks of TOMATO!  And, if there's "leavings", the ChickenWrangler delivers them right to our doorstep!  And so, to tempt your palate and treat your tastebuds, here's the recipe from my Library:

Roma Tomato Jam

5 lbs Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom
salt/pepper to taste

Combine spices, balsamic vinegar, honey, and tomatoes in a large sauce pan with a heavy bottom. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until it reaches a jam-like consistency, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool completely before serving.

Have a CACKLIN' Great Day!