August Hatch-A-Long

[Compost King]

I’m not a fan of winter, and dealing with frozen chicken water makes it all so much worse, but OK summers are HOT! As are Georgia and Texas summers I guess!

I hate doing the water in winter here but winter is so short here and so mild that maybe 1 or 2 non consecutive weeks of dumping hot water on the ice every morning isn't too harsh. We are rarely below freezing during the day, just at night so hot water dumped on ice in the morning solves the problem. Usually it leads to melted ice but sometimes its water on top of ice... One winter we had 10 straight days of bitter cold (for here) at night and I almost built an igloo from removing ice blocks from their water pails. I started stacking them. But that was an anomaly... usually any ice block is melted before the sun goes down.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I hate doing the water in winter here but winter is so short here and so mild that maybe 1 or 2 non consecutive weeks of dumping hot water on the ice every morning isn't too harsh. We are rarely below freezing during the day, just at night so hot water dumped on ice in the morning solves the problem. Usually it leads to melted ice but sometimes its water on top of ice... One winter we had 10 straight days of bitter cold (for here) at night and I almost built an igloo from removing ice blocks from their water pails. I started stacking them. But that was an anomaly... usually any ice block is melted before the sun goes down.

Yeah, we aren’t that cold either, but cold enough to trouble the watering situation... we came up with a system last year where we’d bring the waterer into the garage at night and put out in the AM. It’s just that one extra thing to do before I can leave for work that gets to me!

 

[aliciaplus3]

Yeah, we aren’t that cold either, but cold enough to trouble the watering situation... we came up with a system last year where we’d bring the waterer into the garage at night and put out in the AM. It’s just that one extra thing to do before I can leave for work that gets to me!

Just one waterer? Not too bad I have gone to putting stock tank deicers in mine.... I think we were running 8? Last year.... some of them were heated buckets but still.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Just one waterer? Not too bad I have gone to putting stock tank deicers in mine.... I think we were running 8? Last year.... some of them were heated buckets but still.

We currently have one duck waterer with a float hooked to the rain barrel. The rain barrel gets drained in winter, so we need to fill the duck waterer with a bucket, but that will run out by noon. If I have time, I come home at lunch and refill but often can’t do that so ducks and chickens go with a nipple waterer, which was put out in morning and hopefully didn’t freeze. Then guineas and Roos have their own waterers that were put out in morning. It’s not so bad, but doing chicken chores in AM makes it hard for me to get to work... I much prefer PM chores! Electrician gave me a quote of $1K to get electricity to coop, so hauling buckets in the morning it is! Especially as electricity wouldn’t help with the duck waterer anyway... It was a few months of this last winter.

 

[Bookworm0124]

Gosh I've been awful at updating here. Yesterday was hatch day. Got three babies. Two silkie crosses and an olive egger. Mama hasn't taken them out yet, worried about them handling the ramp now thinking I should have put her in a crate on the ground outside.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Gosh I've been awful at updating here. Yesterday was hatch day. Got three babies. Two silkie crosses and an olive egger. Mama hasn't taken them out yet, worried about them handling the ramp now thinking I should have put her in a crate on the ground outside.

Congrats!!
Depending on how steep your ramp is the hen will usually teach the chicks how to use it in my experience. I did have one hen that struggled with it and I caught her sleeping underneath the ramp with her chicks. My ramp isn't tall at all though.

 

[jolenesdad]

Any action @CluckNDoodle?

My welsummer from the Easter hatch a long is laying this week and LOOK how gorgeous the terra-cotta color is!

She has had a few spotted ones and then this. I’ve never had a welsummer that would lay the more solid color eggs!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Gosh I've been awful at updating here. Yesterday was hatch day. Got three babies. Two silkie crosses and an olive egger. Mama hasn't taken them out yet, worried about them handling the ramp now thinking I should have put her in a crate on the ground outside.

Awwww! Sweet!!! Our silkie mama still hangs out with her 3 mo old chicks!!!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Any action @CluckNDoodle?

My welsummer from the Easter hatch a long is laying this week and LOOK how gorgeous the terra-cotta color is!

She has had a few spotted ones and then this. I’ve never had a welsummer that would lay the more solid color eggs!
View attachment 1906958

Beautiful egg!!!!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Any action @CluckNDoodle?

My welsummer from the Easter hatch a long is laying this week and LOOK how gorgeous the terra-cotta color is!

She has had a few spotted ones and then this. I’ve never had a welsummer that would lay the more solid color eggs!
View attachment 1906958

Very nice egg!

The chick hatched early this morning! It's a bit bitter sweet because while broody is being attentive and accepted the chick it appears there's something wrong with it. The little one isn't very active and when I pick it up it's little head wobbles the hen is still taking crumbles and trying to break it up for the chick and cooing to her. Fingers crossed but with my bad luck lately I'm trying not to get my hopes up.