My New Hampshire Roo has been taking a beating by "Old Man Winter" in Minnesota this year. Two weeks of sub zero temperatures have been very unkind.
Some background on me and the Rooster:
* I'm a Newbie. I do a ton of research on BYC. Admit to burning the midnight Oil on this computer on BYC. Top reasons for getting chickens: to make memories with my kids, and for healthy eggs from happy cage free birds. I don't want to sound helpless or whiny on here and I always try to use humility and consider every piece of advice I get. Humor gets me through.
* THE COOP: I chose not to insulate walls or heat my coop this winter. The ceiling is insulated however. Heat lamps scare me and have only recently employed one due to winter extremes in temperatures. Haybales around the base outside. There are 3 windows in the coop and the 4th wall has a door. I used recycled boards, windows, door and cast offs to build this coop. Ventilation is good with the 3 windows and because I built it, and it was my first ever construction project, it is a 'lovely' 1/2 inch off center. So there are a few board spaces. and corners of 1/2 log siding aren't mitered and winter air gets through easily. It is not drafty however. So coop is well ventilated IMHO. I also use pine shavings and poop boards in the form of linoleum that is pulled every morning and replaced in the evening at roost time, Keeping moisture I hope to a minimum. I have 4-5 inches of pine shavings in the coop. I keep a thermometer at roost level but away from the birds. Since the picture below has been taken I've built a 10x12 run with clear plastic on the North, West, & partially on the South side. Run floor is fluffed out in hay.
*THE OTHER CHICKENS: 1 bantam cochin roo, 5 EE hens, RIR hen, Wyandotte Hen, NH or Buff Orpington hen (we don't know for sure --hatchery mutt ), Black Australorp Hen. They are doing fabulous. no comb or wattle problems.
*THE WEATHER: well it goes without saying that if you live in the lower 48 of the U.S. you pretty much know the weather extremes we've had the last part of January. We have had 3 ice storms in which 30+ degree rainy moist days turned quickly to -25 Fahrenheit in a real hurry.This is when I would notice black frostbite tips on Roger's comb progress. In general however when we are cold we are a DRY cold. Two weeks ago we had 4 days where the birds stayed in the coop with no time in their run. Last Thursday night and into Friday morning we had -33F. And found Roger Friday afternoon with 1/16 inch of ice clung to his wattles. I brought him into the house to 'thaw' and his wattles were dusky and swollen first night. Comb had duskiness too but I'm less concerned about that.
Here he is watching TV that first night. Swollen and dusky.
The next day temps were into the teens and his wattles reddened up quite a bit and seemed okay circulation wise but still swollen lessening ever so slightly each day. It became clear that he still had a harder time eating-- beaking past his wattles so we have been getting some oatmeal and scrambled egg into him at least once a day.
Again this morning we had a not-so-nice -22 F-- heat lamp was turned on last night. At noon I came home for lunch and found Roger with all the lymph and fluid in his wattles frozen like ice cubes. They were not able to maintain body temp. I let him thaw today in the house in a dog kennel for 4 1/2 hours. Fed him the usual egg and oatmeal spinach routine lunch and supper time. his wattles did not swell as rigidly as they did Friday night and he seems redder on the wattles than he did last Friday. They did not feel hot or inflamed tonight. But felt like cool mini bags of water. He ate really well tonight and drank deeply from the water bowl I provided him tonight. I dried him off really well, vaselined up wattles and comb. and placed him out in the coop. It will be single digits tonight (not below zero). And placed him on a roosting spot nearer to the heat lamp.
Wattle cubes at Noon today.
Handsome boy Thawing for the afternoon in the house.
Tonight after thaw Still Overall red on wattles. Got some vaseline/dustbath combo goo on there too. but also purply frostbite.
Swelling of wattles makes him keep his beak open a bit. Not as bad as last Friday, though.
Scabs and drainage for a comb.Some of the scabs are looking like they want to slough here pretty soon. First point has already sloughed and is more rounded than it once was. Back lobe scabs are loose. Antibiotic ointment applied to this as it's little more messy.
Here he is in his Glory this summer. He's a good lookout for my Free Rangers. Watched him alert hens numerous times about aerial predators with amazing timing. Kept everybody alive in heavy predator and neighbor dog visiting neighborhood. He's not a fighter/scrapper. He's really a keeper.
I told my son about Roger's wattles tonight and he said. "Mom, you suppose he's going to have to be meat?" I told him, " I sure hope not." So many things my children are experiencing.
"Chickens are fun, Chickens are fun, Chickens are fun." I keep telling myself.
I keep telling Roger, that "Green grass and warm sun is coming."
Some background on me and the Rooster:
* I'm a Newbie. I do a ton of research on BYC. Admit to burning the midnight Oil on this computer on BYC. Top reasons for getting chickens: to make memories with my kids, and for healthy eggs from happy cage free birds. I don't want to sound helpless or whiny on here and I always try to use humility and consider every piece of advice I get. Humor gets me through.
* THE COOP: I chose not to insulate walls or heat my coop this winter. The ceiling is insulated however. Heat lamps scare me and have only recently employed one due to winter extremes in temperatures. Haybales around the base outside. There are 3 windows in the coop and the 4th wall has a door. I used recycled boards, windows, door and cast offs to build this coop. Ventilation is good with the 3 windows and because I built it, and it was my first ever construction project, it is a 'lovely' 1/2 inch off center. So there are a few board spaces. and corners of 1/2 log siding aren't mitered and winter air gets through easily. It is not drafty however. So coop is well ventilated IMHO. I also use pine shavings and poop boards in the form of linoleum that is pulled every morning and replaced in the evening at roost time, Keeping moisture I hope to a minimum. I have 4-5 inches of pine shavings in the coop. I keep a thermometer at roost level but away from the birds. Since the picture below has been taken I've built a 10x12 run with clear plastic on the North, West, & partially on the South side. Run floor is fluffed out in hay.
*THE OTHER CHICKENS: 1 bantam cochin roo, 5 EE hens, RIR hen, Wyandotte Hen, NH or Buff Orpington hen (we don't know for sure --hatchery mutt ), Black Australorp Hen. They are doing fabulous. no comb or wattle problems.
*THE WEATHER: well it goes without saying that if you live in the lower 48 of the U.S. you pretty much know the weather extremes we've had the last part of January. We have had 3 ice storms in which 30+ degree rainy moist days turned quickly to -25 Fahrenheit in a real hurry.This is when I would notice black frostbite tips on Roger's comb progress. In general however when we are cold we are a DRY cold. Two weeks ago we had 4 days where the birds stayed in the coop with no time in their run. Last Thursday night and into Friday morning we had -33F. And found Roger Friday afternoon with 1/16 inch of ice clung to his wattles. I brought him into the house to 'thaw' and his wattles were dusky and swollen first night. Comb had duskiness too but I'm less concerned about that.
Here he is watching TV that first night. Swollen and dusky.
The next day temps were into the teens and his wattles reddened up quite a bit and seemed okay circulation wise but still swollen lessening ever so slightly each day. It became clear that he still had a harder time eating-- beaking past his wattles so we have been getting some oatmeal and scrambled egg into him at least once a day.
Again this morning we had a not-so-nice -22 F-- heat lamp was turned on last night. At noon I came home for lunch and found Roger with all the lymph and fluid in his wattles frozen like ice cubes. They were not able to maintain body temp. I let him thaw today in the house in a dog kennel for 4 1/2 hours. Fed him the usual egg and oatmeal spinach routine lunch and supper time. his wattles did not swell as rigidly as they did Friday night and he seems redder on the wattles than he did last Friday. They did not feel hot or inflamed tonight. But felt like cool mini bags of water. He ate really well tonight and drank deeply from the water bowl I provided him tonight. I dried him off really well, vaselined up wattles and comb. and placed him out in the coop. It will be single digits tonight (not below zero). And placed him on a roosting spot nearer to the heat lamp.
Wattle cubes at Noon today.
Handsome boy Thawing for the afternoon in the house.
Tonight after thaw Still Overall red on wattles. Got some vaseline/dustbath combo goo on there too. but also purply frostbite.
Swelling of wattles makes him keep his beak open a bit. Not as bad as last Friday, though.
Scabs and drainage for a comb.Some of the scabs are looking like they want to slough here pretty soon. First point has already sloughed and is more rounded than it once was. Back lobe scabs are loose. Antibiotic ointment applied to this as it's little more messy.
Here he is in his Glory this summer. He's a good lookout for my Free Rangers. Watched him alert hens numerous times about aerial predators with amazing timing. Kept everybody alive in heavy predator and neighbor dog visiting neighborhood. He's not a fighter/scrapper. He's really a keeper.
I told my son about Roger's wattles tonight and he said. "Mom, you suppose he's going to have to be meat?" I told him, " I sure hope not." So many things my children are experiencing.
"Chickens are fun, Chickens are fun, Chickens are fun." I keep telling myself.
I keep telling Roger, that "Green grass and warm sun is coming."
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it dosnt look as bad as i feared. wattles looking a good colour considering and comb still pink underneath. may loose a tiny bit off top but will still be handsome and itll add character he'll always be that special boy that you went through so much with. hopefully itll scab and heal. positive thinking is a must! his to much of a fighter to be anyones dinner!!! lol i see sunny days and happy times ahead xxx
