Sound Rollers
155 posts
Dec 22, 2009
9:39 AM
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Ok, I'm new to this, other than good clean food and daily fresh water is there anything else I can do or should do for my birds in this cold weather? The loft is really cold, 8 inches of snow on the ground. I'm talking about maybe vitamins or anything I can do to lesson the stress of winter.
John
Last Edited by on Dec 22, 2009 9:57 AM
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rookie from ct
GOLD MEMBER
204 posts
Dec 22, 2009
11:09 AM
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How about a membership to the Spa.Those birds are from south Cal.,and those guys really pamper birds.
Last Edited by on Dec 22, 2009 11:13 AM
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rookie from ct
GOLD MEMBER
205 posts
Dec 22, 2009
11:18 AM
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John with just 4 pigeons in that new 6ft.X8ft. loft there is no stress at all to worry about. Dennis
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wannaroll
108 posts
Dec 22, 2009
11:40 AM
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You could smash a garlic clove in a gallon of water every other week and use a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (ACV)to a gallon on alternating weeks. I also worm my birds before winter. Just pay attention to their weight and make sure they don't get to thin.
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Dave - Hesperia, CA.
(San Bernardino Mountain Spinners)
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mikea
28 posts
Dec 22, 2009
3:10 PM
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sound roller give some electriclites. the birds will not
want to drink to much in the cold and dehydrate.
mikeallen
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iowarollers
217 posts
Dec 23, 2009
6:51 PM
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I live in iowa and I can not leave the water supply full enough they drink alot
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JBow
150 posts
Dec 23, 2009
10:44 PM
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sound roller make sure you are feeding the birds corn. I Don't know where you live. Here in kansas it get severly cold. I give mine popcorn and also safflower seed. Jim Bowen
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Sound Rollers
157 posts
Dec 24, 2009
2:36 PM
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JBow, is that safflower seed the kind they sell for the wild birds? and does it have the hulls on the seed.
I saved this post from earlier in the year, I guess rollers don't have a problem with the shells.
"-I have put this on other sites...go to a local wildlife office..call first...most sell 50# bags of wild bird mix which has an extreme amount of black sunflower seed plus lots of other stuff the birds like...most know flax and sunflower seed is fantastic for molt...oil for feathers. I get my 50# bags for $10. per bag. I mix as much as I need or want..and the feather quality I end up with is some of the best in the country. Just a thought...try it..."
"Black oil sunflower are small and there good for
feather"
De Oppresso Liber
John
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Canspinners
310 posts
Dec 24, 2009
4:15 PM
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John does the water freeze where you are from?
I give my birds corn medium size ...popcorn is not good for winter it is better in summer .The corn mixed with wheat keeps them in shape and warm.
I feed them in the evening as much as they want once a day, If feed in the evening it keeps them content through the cold winter nights.
i give them some black oil sun flower seed ,apple cider v ....and some vitamns ....the kind they use for chicks is good a" chick booster" of some sort has lots of vitamins. Keep the grit in the coop as well
do not leave food in the coop all day keep the small seeds away from them till breedng season 9Milo millet ,flax etc
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Sunflower
GOLD MEMBER
587 posts
Dec 24, 2009
5:30 PM
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Canspinners,
I agree with what you said about popcorn by itself not getting the job done. I use popcorn in combination with safflower, wheat and milo here in Kansas and it works very well. We routinely get subzero weather at night here and I can't rememember ever losing a healthy bird to cold weather.
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Keep em Spinning
Joe
Last Edited by on Dec 24, 2009 5:32 PM
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JMUrbon
811 posts
Dec 24, 2009
6:06 PM
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Birds and I mean all birds are very well adapted to the cold. As long as you give them a good diet high in protien they will be just fine. High heat stresses them much more than cold. High heat is usually present during breeding season when they are already stressed from raising young. As long as their waters arent frozen so they can still get a drink they will be just fine. Joe
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J.M.Urbon Lofts
A Proven Family of Spinners
http://www.freewebs.com/jmurbonlofts/
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Canspinners
311 posts
Dec 24, 2009
9:06 PM
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Sunflower what are your thoughts on barley?
A lot of homer breeders feed only barley through the winter ..they prefer barley over corn
My birds do not like it
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Sunflower
GOLD MEMBER
590 posts
Dec 25, 2009
4:54 AM
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The mix I get from the feed store has some barley in it but it is usually the last thing the birds eat if they eat it at all. I don't use it in the feed I mix myself for that reason.
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Keep em Spinning
Joe
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Sound Rollers
158 posts
Dec 25, 2009
10:50 AM
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Yes, the water freezes here.
John
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Canspinners
316 posts
Dec 27, 2009
6:39 AM
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John ,not sure what your schedules is like but what i find sucessfull is evening feeding i give the males and females their ration off food (iseperate male from female in the winter ) I give them just the right amot so none is left in the tray . then i give them fresh water some times with ACV ,or vitamins ,or you can give them some with gatorade mixed in for electorlites.
the birds are done in at max 1/2 and back on the perches I empty the water containers so waterer is left does not freezee in the container . the next day the same routine . I do this for about 80 birds in my breeding coop and never have illnes . I beleive feeding in the evening helps the birds get through the cold winternights .Again I recommend you give them corn med size and some wheat.
hope this helps john
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