Crazy Chicken Owner Sets up Spare room for Shivering Floridian flock

[welasharon]

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I'm in North Fl half way between Tallahassee and Panama City. So far we haven't had a hurricane so I am not sure what I will do...most likely bring them in! I put a lot of money in these things! I thought about those heaters or a sweeter heater ( or is it sweater heater? Not sure) but my mom had a light on some biddies when I was a child and something happened and we lost our house and barely managed to crawl out the windows....so I am a fire freak! I think it would be cheaper too for me to bring them inside. I am going to see how the seramas act early in the morning. We are supposed to only have the one night this cold....40's and 50's the rest of the week and back near 70 by Saturday so I am thinking the brevity of the cold will not be too bad. I'll let you know if I have serama-sicles in the morning!
sharon

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

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Well said. Being due east of you I completely understand. Temps like we are going to be having tonight is a rogue cold front that not even people are adjusted to. I lost one four wk. old chick when a cold front came through. I guess she just got piled on and was smothered. The thing I'm dreading is when agriculture turns on its pumps to protect the crops, people in sparsely populated areas loose power. Happened more times than I care to remember. That's something they don't tell you in the news....... it would be bad PR.

 

[JP101010]

Quote:
I'm in North Fl half way between Tallahassee and Panama City. So far we haven't had a hurricane so I am not sure what I will do...most likely bring them in! I put a lot of money in these things! I thought about those heaters or a sweeter heater ( or is it sweater heater? Not sure) but my mom had a light on some biddies when I was a child and something happened and we lost our house and barely managed to crawl out the windows....so I am a fire freak! I think it would be cheaper too for me to bring them inside. I am going to see how the seramas act early in the morning. We are supposed to only have the one night this cold....40's and 50's the rest of the week and back near 70 by Saturday so I am thinking the brevity of the cold will not be too bad. I'll let you know if I have serama-sicles in the morning!
sharon

not being on the coast is great , flooding is not a huge concern. and i hear you about the fire hazard of heat bulbs , we had a house fire from deep frying in 09 and barely made it out , lost a a few much loved pets , and injured others. I am also a fire freak.

I cant wait for this icy weather to pass. i am letting the faucet trickle to keep the water from freezing....
lol serama-sicles.
I worry most about my frizzles who have skin showing on a non windy day. one in particular , millie , has been found standing in the pouring rain , 4 feet from an open dry barn , dripping and shivering. Shes not the smartest chicken in the bunch

 

[GA_in_GA]

Quote:
I'm in North Fl half way between Tallahassee and Panama City. So far we haven't had a hurricane so I am not sure what I will do...most likely bring them in! I put a lot of money in these things! I thought about those heaters or a sweeter heater ( or is it sweater heater? Not sure) but my mom had a light on some biddies when I was a child and something happened and we lost our house and barely managed to crawl out the windows....so I am a fire freak! I think it would be cheaper too for me to bring them inside. I am going to see how the seramas act early in the morning. We are supposed to only have the one night this cold....40's and 50's the rest of the week and back near 70 by Saturday so I am thinking the brevity of the cold will not be too bad. I'll let you know if I have serama-sicles in the morning!
sharon

I'm about 100 miles NW of you. Looking at a low of 22 here. The 3 silkies are piled in their basket & 2 BCMs huddled on their roost in the big 3 sided coop, and the 3 8-week old Ameraucanas are piled in their mini-coop. Also have 12 6 week olds in a brooder with a heat lamp at one end. Put a movers quilt over most of the brooder, which is on my back porch. Last night was 30, and everyone seemed fine this morning. I don't think that 22 is that much of a difference, though everyone went to 'bed' early this evening.

 

[maggiec1951]

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I'm your neighbor here in the Tampa Bay Area and I feel your pain - really, it hurts me, RA. I am concerned for my girls too. DH wanted to take my heating pad and put in the coop. Their coop is very protected - totally fenced on 3 sides so I think they will be ok. Ventilated but not drafty. Think I will go out now and ask them how they are doing. My girls free range most days but with the wind and cold today they didn't even want to come out of the coop and when they did they would run underneath it.

JodyJo, the chickens that live in an area where they have a "normal" winter do adjust to it. At the end of summer, you have fall, it cools off then it gets cooler and even cold and that is called winter and if you live in an area that gets lots of that weird white unliquid precipitation during the winter the chickens get used to it and put on extra feathers. We live on the west coast of Florida really close to that huge body of water called the gulf of Mexico and our winter typically consists of low temps in the 60's. Yes LOW temps in the 60's. That means we have to wear a t shirt over our swim suits or maybe break out our one pair of long pants. We are having an arctic front move through and temps will dip down to around 25 or less. Our chickens have not had the opportunity to acclimate because until yesterday it was up in the 80's. A 50 degree drop in less than 48 hours can be serious for our little tropical babies but in 2 days time it will probably be back up into the 70's at least.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

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Good idea but put it inside one of those metal dog cages inside the coop or something similar. Also dust it frequently.

 

[JP101010]

Maggiec : hello neighbor! nice to see some of my Florida Homies chime in

Chickensaresweet: Great idea about housing it in a metal kennel so that the birds dont melt to it

You think Floridian Chickens hate this coldfront you should see our Hairless Chinese Cresteds... Trying to get them to go out and potty is like trying to put an adult cat in running water...aint happenin!

 

[LisaAnnW]

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South Florida chickens aren't used to the cold! We brought some of ours into the garage and house, and the others have a heat lamp...cost about $20, so cheaper than a heater but still very cozy.

 

[mandelyn]

This is what worries me about moving south. You adapt to the climate and then *BAM* it's like you never left.