-2F (-19C) and the ducks are out + pics

Brrrr! It is cold at your house! I love snow but am glad it doesn't get that cold here. I complain if it gets down to 30 with the wind blowing! I really don't mind cold if the wind isn't helping it along.
I can't wait to see my ducks in the snow. My chickens barely get out in it. they stay to the dirt next to the barn and will not go out and hunt for anything. The ducks I expect to be more adventurous.

Really neat shelter with the hay bales. I know they appreciate it.

I do hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving. We won't be eating turkey but we did take out our extra Silver Appleyard drake and I will make an apple/walnut dressing to go with him. He didn't dress out very big because I let him run with the flock up until butchering. Next year I will put my drakes up.

Oh, I do take all my extra eggs to the local food pantry/soup kitchen every week. They did not have it today (odd since it is a holiday and I thought needed) but then I had very few eggs to give this week with everyone buying me out. We have been giving every week for several years.
I am thankful I have the health to care for all my chickens and ducks. And I am thankful I see the beauty in the work and the fun of watching the boogers!

 

Yowzer...-2 is cooold. I was complaining about our 6 that I woke up to. I caved in last night and put the ducks in my insulated coop. I know I slept better...I hope they did too! I was not sure how the chickens were going to react. The ducks have never been in the coop before. Everyone seemed to get along just fine. I did let the ducks out this morning. I don't think they would be happy "cooped up" all day. It only forecast to reach 18 today, but they have a straw fill hut to get the out of the wind and off the snow and ice (should they actually choose to go in it). I can already tell that this winter is going to be quite a learning experience. I also have a question...what are your thoughts about using a black light in a coop? I bought several for Halloween a few years back. They get dang hot, but would not put off much light as to disturb my hens. All opinions are welcome. And I too would like to wish you all a very safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday. I have much to be thankful for. And I think I'm going make the birdies a special thanksgiving feast. Baked pumpkin and squash, corn, peas, tomatoes...and maybe just a little turkey. I'm not sure how I feel about that though...seems just a little weird. So they might just get mealworms instead

 

Was -6 here this morning. Ducks came out and took a bath right away - they like the frosted look.


This is the first year they will be sharing the coop at night with the chickens, do to a GHO who has been hunting them. Until now, our ducks lived like our geese - out in the open - even down to -29. I just spread hay on top of the ground/snow behind their wind-break and break their ice a couple times a day.

 

I would think they are miserable too. But they have always had insulated dog houses, dog igloos and crates to go into. They never have on their own. Even the coop is a nightly herd in driven by me.

The geese who refuse all large houses also – at least until breeding season - but still have access to them, leave a body shape melted into the snow/ice if they do not lay on the hay. Goose down is incredibly warm.

I believe they acclimate to the temperature just like their wild counter parts – course unlike their wild brethren, my fowl eat much better and very often during the winter.

Our fowl bathe all year long. I break and pitchfork out the ice in the pools morning/night and dump them once a day – usually at noonish. I throw the ice over the fence into the garden – the year that I did not do that, I ended up with a run filled with knee high ice piles (I kept hoping it would warm enough to melt them but it did not). Clean feathers keep a bird warmer.

 

During warmer months I use a small LED 5 watt nightlight that's on a photocell. It gives just enough light for them to see the roosting bars. My coop is fully insulated...doors, walls, roof, floor, even the window. Lots of nice warm bedding. I only have 5 hens and the coop is 4'x6'x5' tall. I thought for sure it would be pleanty warm, but last night their water froze. Its a 3 gal hanging waterer. I brought it in and cleaned it out (it was not frozen solid) and ran it under hot water to warm up the steel a little. I filled it with warmish water and hung it back up. I also wiped the dust off the reflector and replaced the night light with a 100 watt bulb for a little heat. Its not going to get warm enough today for the coop to store any heat, so I will use artificial means. I don't want to leave the 100 watt bulb in all night...after all, who wants to sleep with the lights on. I do have a red 250 watt bulb that I used in the brooder (and the socket is rated for well over that) but that's a little extreme I think. I have the 60 watt black light bulbs and they put off about as much heat as the 100 soft white that's in there now (but using much less power than the 100 or 250 watt...and no annoying bright light). Yeah this winter is going to be quite a learning experience. Lots of trial and error...ugh