Blue Andalusian Chickens in Ohio?

[Luckyduck2]

I am really interested in getting some Blue Andalusian Chickens but don't know if they would make it through Ohio's winter. Anybody in the northern states that raises them? (New member, don't know how to use this very well.)

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/290822/blue-andalusian-thread/680
you can follow along here if needed

My Andalusians haven't arrived yet and so I can't tell you anything about them.

 

[Luckyduck2]

Thanks!

 

[Luckyduck2]

By the way, it sounds like you might live in a climate similiar to ours, (unless, that is, if you live on the coastline.) What do you plan to do with your chickens over the winter (if you do have freezing winters)? Do you think that locking them up and rubbing petroleum jelly on their combs will help them to make it through the winter?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

By the way, it sounds like you might live in a climate similiar to ours, (unless, that is, if you live on the coastline.) What do you plan to do with your chickens over the winter (if you do have freezing winters)? Do you think that locking them up and rubbing petroleum jelly on their combs will help them to make it through the winter?

I live in a maritime climate and don't get much snow at all. We get down to 10 degrees (20 is the usual) for at most a couple of weeks, then back to 30-50 degrees all winter.

My plans are not to use vaseline...have never tried that. I won't lock them up either. I was just going to give them a light bulb or two (100 watts each, that is until I run out of them, can't buy them anymore- will have to switch to heat lamp) in the coop for when it goes under about 30 degrees. This is what I do every year for our chickens as we have a very nasty wet freezing fog with wind at times. It is so bad that your clothes get soaked if you go outside. I have seen a hummingbird get its feet frozen to the feeder and it was stuck for a minute or so. So the wet damp cold is such that a person can actually freeze to death here even when it is technically over freezing temperatures, just from the dampness. I am fully expecting some frostbite damage to the combs but am going to do what I can, which is the light bulbs. They will be inside a shed and can hang out in there all day if they want to. Of course they can also go out into the large pen.

The light bulbs help to dry out the coop a bit.

I don't know how to advise you if you get huge drifts of snow- I haven't dealt with that.

 

[Luckyduck2]

Around here the temperature can sometimes reach subzero. Last winter we did not get too much snow, it was just really cold. The winter before that was kind of odd considering we hardly got any snow. I could imagine it being wet and humid in the NW, considering that's were north america's only temperate rain forrest is. Our chickens do fine with the snow, they're usually the only ones out in it. I just read that the Andalusians were heat hardy, so I was wondering if they would do fine here. They would probably do fine, just with more intensive care. Vaseline does work well to keep frostbite off the combs and to let any frostbitten combs heal. Go ahead and try it.

 

[Luckyduck2]

You'll have to let me know what happens if you decide to use the petroleum jelly. I'm interested to see if the moisture in your area will affect it or not. I wouldn't imagine it would...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

You'll have to let me know what happens if you decide to use the petroleum jelly. I'm interested to see if the moisture in your area will affect it or not. I wouldn't imagine it would...

I received my chicks today from McMurray and they are just so adorable! I will probably not remember to update this thread if I try the vaseline, but I sure will try to remember.

 

[Luckyduck2]

I'll have to order mine ASAP. Any pictures of the chicks? Hope the vaseline works out for ya!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I'll have to order mine ASAP. Any pictures of the chicks? Hope the vaseline works out for ya!

Hmmm maybe I'll run out now and take some pics before the sun sets. They were rejected by my broody (who already had some chicks) and so now they are in a hutch under lights.