Lights, Winter and egg laying

[blueseal]

Quote:
mine are laying here in maine no extra light 2-10 eggs aday if u do use light you only need 14 hrs of light aday im getting about 9 hrs of light aday and there laying every day also depends om what you feed them mine get layer mash 13 hens 2 roosters buff orps delawares nh. reds white rock rhode island red

 

[vtchickenlady]

I'm giving them layer feed. They also get a warm breakfast every morning. They haven't been interested in coming out of the coop for the last 5 days. All the snow we got threw them for a loop (about 30" in the last 3 days). Their productivity went way down as soon as the temps started dipping below freezing. They like their red light. They also have 2 large windows for sunlight. I'm just going to let them do what they want to do. Extra light for eggs is not priority for me.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
Put a layer of hay in your run, they'll come out. The snow on their feet is cold, mine wouldn't come out until I started putting hay in the run for them to pick in and stand on. Now they're out for half an hour at a time, I also throw some corn down for them out there to hunt for. Now that I have this bag of crappy Organic feed i'll be throwing that out as scratch too.

 

[vtchickenlady]

We've made them a bunker about 5 feet from the pop door and it has straw on the ground. They also get extra food scraps in there. Four of them will come out at times but the others say "no way". OMG, do chickens talk, lol? Maybe I should put hay on the path too.

 

[roosmom]

12-23-08 18 eggs

12-24-08 22 eggs

12-25-08 29 eggs

12-26-08 16 eggs

I have a small white flood light out in the run. It is hooked to the same timer as the lights in the coop. The timer gives them 13 and a half hours of light a day. The light in the run allows them to party til they go in. As you can see, they dont mind snow

This hen wants to be picked up

I do not know if it matters what they are getting fed. Mine get layers crumbles, corn and fresh vegies.

 

[roosmom]

12-27-08 13 eggs

12-28-08 26 eggs (one frozen)

12-29-08 29 eggs

12-30-08 14 eggs

12-31-08 28 eggs (two broke)

 

[roosmom]

I am very proud of the fact that my chickens (Buff Orpingtons) Have handled the cold. BUT........when I am greeted by this, I will put a heat light in the coop. I believe this is a cumulative thing. One, two, three days of cold (below zero) should not hurt your chickens. But when your temps dropped to -18 for three days, after the cold previously then it is time to hook up the heat light. Oh, and that is not a temperature based on wind chill. That is straight temp.
This is Ralph, the black is the frostbite

this is ROO with his frostbite

Bob had frostbite too on his tips of his points, but he wont hold still enough for a pic. Both of those pics are taken after they had Triple Antibiotic Ointment rubbed on them. The TAO seems to work better (in combination with the light in the coop) than the vaseline. Here is a pic of ROO after the frostbite healed up

No I am not Dubbing my roosters. It is a personal choice. I would if it was bad enough, but I am glad I didnt or ROO would have gotten a lot cut off and he healed fine with out dubbing.

 

[digitS']

Interesting about their ability to heal from frostbite, Roosmom.

I had a Hamburg who ended up with a nearly smooth comb. I had thought that a rose comb would be safer but at ten below and lower, nothing much is safe outdoors. I didn't know to treat him at the time - lesson learned

.

Steve

 

[roosmom]

LOL, in all the background we did on the breed of chicken we should get the Buff Orpington stood out as the one who would have the least problems with the cold. We didnt know about the combs then, but we do now. I would have thought that the rose comb would also be good. Guess not. sorry.

 

[vtchickenlady]

My roo has frostbite but seems to be ok with it. How do you know when they're in pain?