Montana

[DuginMT]

Thanks MontanaChicks. Yes, I also plan to perch my heater base on a 2" thick concrete cinder block, to protect the vinyl and to help keep the trough clean on the waterer. At only 100 Watts though, I can't imagine the metal getting very hot. The thermostat is a great feature, and should save quite a bit of juice this winter!

 

[Danishennies]

Ok I have a question? Keeping in mind I am still learning what I can about chickens. I have a girl that is pulling all her feathers out if her chest. What dies that mean? Is she brooding? If so she wont let my RooRoo near her

 

[Azriel]

Good Morning MT peeps, hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. I have a couple of small fencing projects to do this weekend. I got one finished and another started yesterday, and hope to finish today while its cooler. Its been hot,hot,hot up here in the Bulls, so the little touch of cooler weather today is a welcome relief.
I hate the thought of winter just around the corner, I wish we could stretch fall out a few more months. With the talk of water heaters, what I have found works real well for the small flocks are the heated dog dishes. I think the one I have is a 5 quart and will last a flock of 10-12 two days. I also use the heated 2 gal buckets for my larger flock and I fill it daily. They are so much eaisier to keep clean over the winter than the metal founts. Swish them out with a little bleach water and they are ready to go.
Also a word of warning for the new chicken owners, hawks have started their fall migration. If they find an easy meal in your chicken yard they will stay around till all your chickens are gone. If you free range make sure you have plenty of cover for your chickens to get under. If you have an uncovered pen, string twine across the top, to the hawks its looks like a solid barrier. If you get a persistent hawk family you may have to keep your chickens locked up for a few day before the hawks will give up and move on.

 

[Azriel]

Good Morning MT peeps, hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. I have a couple of small fencing projects to do this weekend. I got one finished and another started yesterday, and hope to finish today while its cooler. Its been hot,hot,hot up here in the Bulls, so the little touch of cooler weather today is a welcome relief.
I hate the thought of winter just around the corner, I wish we could stretch fall out a few more months. With the talk of water heaters, what I have found works real well for the small flocks are the heated dog dishes. I think the one I have is a 5 quart and will last a flock of 10-12 two days. I also use the heated 2 gal buckets for my larger flock and I fill it daily. They are so much eaisier to keep clean over the winter than the metal founts. Swish them out with a little bleach water and they are ready to go.
Also a word of warning for the new chicken owners, hawks have started their fall migration. If they find an easy meal in your chicken yard they will stay around till all your chickens are gone. If you free range make sure you have plenty of cover for your chickens to get under. If you have an uncovered pen, string twine across the top, to the hawks its looks like a solid barrier. If you get a persistent hawk family you may have to keep your chickens locked up for a few day before the hawks will give up and move on.

 

[Chickies4fun]

I'm in Bozeman and I'm new to the site! Looking forward to talking chicken/duck/turkey

 

[Danishennies]

I'm in Bozeman and I'm new to the site! Looking forward to talking chicken/duck/turkey

Welcome!

 

[montanachicks]

Hope everyone is having a great weekend -- for those who work the daily grind, it's nice to have 3 days off.

Don't know if anyone can help with this: my sister in Texas (Dallas/Ft Worth area) is thinking of raising some chickens next spring. She's a newbie, and I pretty much have her talked into giving it a try.

I don't know anything about the heat tolerance of chickens, so if any of you out there have any ideas?? She wants large fowl, not bantams, lots of eggs (not one of those that lay only twice a week from the get-go).

 

[ReptileMom]

Welcome, Chicks4fun! Glad to have another onboard!

 

[Groovynatureguy]

I'm in Bozeman and I'm new to the site! Looking forward to talking chicken/duck/turkey

A Big...

 

[FlySammyJ]

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy has a helpful chart that compares heritage breeds by characteristics like rate of lay, temperament, and egg size:
http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/chicken-chart

Lots more good info in their general poultry pages:
http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/poultry-breeds

I used this resource extensively when I was picking out my breed (Wyandottes!) The list adds comments for cold-hardy breeds, and those are the ones I would avoid in a very hot environment. Chickens are descended from Red Jungle Fowl, so are adapted to hot climates unless they've been bred for cold climates.


PS - forgot to hit quote instead of reply, this is in response to MontanaChicks