Homestead Poultry and Livestock

3 yrs

It's a good time of the year to calibrate timers. Since we're just a few days past the vernal equinox, we have about 12 hours of daylight now. I like to note what time it becomes light in the morning, then adjust the timer to turn the light on just about 2 hours before then. The goal is a steady 14 hours of light the year around. The light should always be set to come on early in the morning rather than stay on late in the evening. In this way the birds will go to roost with the natural daylight, but start their days early when the light suddenly comes on. If the light were to go off suddenly in the evening, there would be some birds left on the floor in the dark. The timer light is all about the needed length of day for proper stimulation of the internals of egg-laying. Length of day changes by about 30 minutes per month. At the end of April and May, set the time to come on later. At the summer solstice, we'll be on 14 hours or a little more of daylight, so no timer light is needed. During June and July The timer can be unplugged. When August comes around, as the days begin to get shorter, decide when it's time in your area to begin lengthening the time of artificial lighting again. September 23 is the autumnal equinox. By then there should be approximately 90-120 minutes of extra light from the timer again.

3 yrs

The very hardest thing about this freeze, power outages, ice, snow, frozen water tanks, etc. that we've been experiencing here in TX the last 5 days, with large animals has been getting water to them. We are so far South, that I'm not sure getting trough water heaters that I'm only going to be using once every 10 years, or less, is the right thing to do. A friend suggested running a hose from the washing machine hot water line, or even from the water heater, to the trough and letting it continually drip into the trough to prevent it from freezing. Hmmmm. That may work for the smaller troughs but the 100 gallon tank would never get enough heat, I don't think, to battle the ice. Any suggestions from you guys who live where you deal with these kinds of winters every year? I totally respect your ability to deal with real winter. It has not snowed here since 2012, and we have not had a prolonged hard freeze like this here since 1983, when the whole bay froze over in the Corpus Christi area!

3 yrs

When adding bedding, it really should be dry, clean straw, dry wood shavings, or dry pine straw. Hay should always be avoided for bedding because it molds so easily when it becomes even slightly damp. A primary purpose of the bedding is to absorb moisture from droppings, so using hay for bedding will always bring the secondary problem of mold. A large percentage of droppings will happen during the night when birds are on the roost, so when adding bedding, be sure to put plenty under the roost area. When you clean the building, you might leave a 'dry corner' or two, but always clean carefully under the roosts for this reason. Henhouses and runs need to be as dry as possible as much of the time as possible. Inside the house, bedding that doesn't crackle any more will need to be changed soon. If your birds are confined, the only way for all that water they're drinking to escape is through egg production, respiration, and droppings. There must be carefully controlled air flow at all times to help draw off moisture and gasses. Lingering moisture brings respiratory ailments that are a bane to our domesticated birds.

3 yrs

Another storm is coming out of New Mexico and Texas headed for the Ohio Valley. Batten down the hatches! Snuggle them in now. We may have some relief in another week. Let's hope.

3 yrs

We have a serious cold snap coming. Clean and put in dry bedding! Make sure ventilation is adjusted properly. Apply vaseline to rooster combs. Safely add a little heat to the building if needed. Reduce or eliminate drafts. Put in lots of bedding to keep feet and floors warm. Keep birds out of the wind and inside if possible where they can stay dry and huddle up for warmth. At another place today I saw an Ameraucana pullet resting under the elevated fountain platform to take advantage of the warmth from the fountain heaters. After dark and when everyone is on the roost, sprinkle barley, oats, or other high protein grain in the bedding so that when the light comes on in the morning, the birds have a foraging activity to get them working. That will help them start and stay active and warm up the building. Check them early in the morning. Take warm water to fill fountains. Collect eggs often to prevent freezing. Good luck!