North to Alaska!

[Eggsakly]

I used a heat lamp for my coop this past winter, but my coop is within a shop/out-building on my property. It's a one-room cabin, actually, that is not heated but it does have electricity. My coop has tons of ventilation, including one large space covered in hardware cloth that could be either a door or a window if the coop were outside, but for now it's just a screened opening. The heat lamp is outside of the window/door and shines onto the water and kept it thawed most of the winter, all but those coldest -23F days we had earlier this year. This is a photo I took during construction, and the "barn" hasn't been tidied up yet, but you can see it here.







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Yes, there is a risk here, and I plan on doing better next year, but . . . my pullets began laying right at the winter solstice and I have been overflowing with eggs ever since. No one, including my rooster, has frostbite. I see a LOT of frostbitten chickens in Alaska, and I find that sad. I only lost a couple of eggs to freezing, even during the coldest days - my nest boxes are inside the coop, not outside. And . . . maybe this is most important of all . . . I sure was a lot more comfortable this past winter being out there visiting, tending to, cleaning up after, and otherwise keeping chickens! It probably cost an extra $50 - $60 a month in electricity, which, along with safety is why I'll do better next winter, but a little heat in the coop added to quality of life for both me and the chickens in multiple ways, in my opinion.

 

[Eggsakly]

A general shipping and specific hatching eggs rant . . .

Okay, I've lived in Alaska for almost 30 years, and I am familiar with the life-long frustration associated with ordering items to be shipped (otherwise known as "mail order") to Mars, I mean, Alaska. I have been perusing the hatching eggs on ebay for months, and almost universally the sellers say they do not ship outside of the lower 48 states. Hawaii has restrictions on poultry that are different than other states, but Alaska does not. And, we receive flat-rate Priority Mail just like the lower 48 states do, at no extra cost.

I contacted one seller and asked if he would ship to Alaska. He did a Google search on "restrictions on shipping poultry" to Alaska, and he found state regulations that convinced him he cannot ship hatching eggs to Alaska. I pointed out that if you do a Google search on "restrictions on shipping poultry" to any state you will pull up the same kind of information, and I provided examples from the states of Washington and Idaho with links. They had almost identical regulations, word for word, that Alaska has. Somehow this didn't sway the seller of the hatching eggs. Too much information, I guess.

Arrggghhhhh!

 

[Alaskan]

IDK, but I have bought many eggs from ebay, and had them shipped here.

You can also buy eggs from BYC.

 

[Alaskan]

I used a heat lamp for my coop this past winter, but my coop is within a shop/out-building on my property. It's a one-room cabin, actually, that is not heated but it does have electricity. My coop has tons of ventilation, including one large space covered in hardware cloth that could be either a door or a window if the coop were outside, but for now it's just a screened opening. The heat lamp is outside of the window/door and shines onto the water and kept it thawed most of the winter, all but those coldest -23F days we had earlier this year. This is a photo I took during construction, and the "barn" hasn't been tidied up yet, but you can see it here. . Yes, there is a risk here, and I plan on doing better next year, but . . . my pullets began laying right at the winter solstice and I have been overflowing with eggs ever since. No one, including my rooster, has frostbite. I see a LOT of frostbitten chickens in Alaska, and I find that sad. I only lost a couple of eggs to freezing, even during the coldest days - my nest boxes are inside the coop, not outside. And . . . maybe this is most important of all . . . I sure was a lot more comfortable this past winter being out there visiting, tending to, cleaning up after, and otherwise keeping chickens! It probably cost an extra $50 - $60 a month in electricity, which, along with safety is why I'll do better next winter, but a little heat in the coop added to quality of life for both me and the chickens in multiple ways, in my opinion.

I guess that many of the frostbite cases are lack of ventilation. Many of the coops that I see up here are tight boxes with close to zero venting. Also the perch width in a number of coops is much too skinny. With that said... I am really only talking Matsu and further south. Fairbanks cold...I would think that you have to heat.

 

[Eggsakly]

I will certainly keep trying to find people who ship here, and I was successful in one instance recently, however my hatch was a dismal almost-total failure, entirely due to my inexperience and my lackluster incubator. BYC doesn't have nearly the variety of breeds that ebay has in connection with bantam breeds, which is my focus, although I read the ads here frequently. As far as your general satisfaction in connection with this issue, I'm pleased for you, but that hasn't been my experience since I've been shopping for the breeds I'm interested in.

 

[Alaskan]

I will certainly keep trying to find people who ship here, and I was successful in one instance recently, however my hatch was a dismal almost-total failure, entirely due to my inexperience and my lackluster incubator.   BYC doesn't have nearly the variety of breeds that ebay has in connection with bantam breeds, which is my focus, although I read the ads here frequently.   As far as your general satisfaction in connection with this issue, I'm pleased for you, but that hasn't been my experience since I've been shopping for the breeds I'm interested in.     

What bantams are you looking for?

 

[Eggsakly]

"With that said... I am really only talking Matsu and further south. Fairbanks cold...I would think that you have to heat."


Not sure what you mean. Are you referring to some specific guideline re heating coops? I wrote about what I did this past winter, and I used a heat lamp, and I gave the specific context - i.e. placed outside the coop but still providing warmth - which I think matters when we talk about these things. I don't necessarily advise that people do or do not use them. That's a much longer conversation.

I live in the Mat-Su and it can get very cold here. Get the least bit away from the mitigating effects of the ocean (Knik Arm), and temperatures can get down to -50F all over the Mat-Su in the winter. The past several years, especially since 2012, have been relatively mild, but this year temps were again -25F at my house for several days. At those temps I added even more heat for the chickens. They appreciated it, I know.

This used to be the norm, that we experienced at least four to six weeks a year of -20F or colder temps every winter, but that hasn't happened for several years, and I don't expect a return to the climate of the 90s and earlier. The coldest I ever saw it at my house was in the mid-90s and daily lows were between about -33F to -38F for six weeks. The "high" for those days was -20F at the most. They said that more than 16,000 auto transmissions in the valley were broken by that cold snap, and I believe it; mine was one of them and it took over six weeks to get an appointment at an auto shop.

Re my bantam breeds; I am interested in heritage breed bantams that are traditionally considered "dual purpose" breeds and are also considered good layers, not the game fowl or silkies or cochins or (even though some cochins are good little layers) the other more honestly "ornamental" breeds like Sebrights, etc. The breeds I want are actually pretty easy to come by from hatcheries like Cackle, etc. I recently purchased bantam Speckled Sussex eggs from a seller who originally stated she would not ship to Alaska, but after consulting her post office agreed to ship some eggs. I may contact her for more eggs, but the truth is that initial hatching experience was so sad I plan on hatching some of my own bantam Brahma eggs before I buy more . . . just to be sure.

I am looking at bantam Orpingtons and maybe bantam Dominiques or Barred Rocks to add to my barn. Dick Horstman would ship bantam BR eggs, I know, and he is very reasonable as well as having wonderful birds. I may do that later this spring. He is out of his Buff Brahma eggs, but he has Dark Brahma hatching eggs available. He states that his Brahmas are "very good" layers of a "large bantam egg," and I believe it. That is certainly true of my bantam Brahmas.

 

[Eggsakly]

Another breed I am looking at is bantam Wyandottes, for the same reasons I am interested in the other birds - these bantams are very good layers of nice sized eggs! There's bantams and there's bantams, and the bantam versions of the traditional heritage breeds are awesome little birds that are a fraction the size of their big girl counterparts, but they are reliable layers of very respectably sized eggs. I just love that. I think it's terribly cool.

 

[Alaskan]

My heating/not-heating comment was in reference to your comment about Alaskan birds getting frostbite.


As to bantams: I know someone in the state has bantam Dominiques...can't remember who right off hand.

On the Facebook Alaskan Flock Talk page you can find GregnShiela Riesinger (sp?), they are somewhere near Soldotna and hatch out bunches of black bantam Wyandottes. She has I think two other bantams...don't remember what.


On that same Facebook page is Christina Partridge who sells bantam EEs and Bantam wheaten Ameraucanas.

Also, if you go to the Facebook Brown Leghorn page you can find Fred Zillich who sells the nicest bantam white Leghorns I have ever seen. He also sells (I think), bantam Brahmas. He ships eggs to Alaska, reasonable prices.

 

[Eggsakly]

Thanks, Alaskan. Yes, I have seen many frostbitten chickens in Wasilla and Palmer, and most especially, of course, single comb roosters.

Thanks for the pointers. I had one bantam EE, and she was so sweet and friendly. Not the greatest layer, but a really nice pet. They can be wonderful little birds. Many people say their Wyandottes are very friendly and sweet, but not all. They Wyandottes come in so many beautiful plumage patterns, as well as being nice birds that frequently lay ridiculously large eggs for a bantam chicken.

There was an article in the ADN recently about how the number of chickens shipped into Alaska last year was triple what it was two years earlier. A LOT more people in Alaska are getting chickens. I thought that was interesting. Our options are growing, that's for sure. Someone in Chugiak is selling some rare breed chicks, including blue Isbars.