Chickens Arctic Conditions Prolonged Period

[Hokum Coco]

My Golden Comets are still faring well. It is 5F with a wind chill of -13. No heat; No light; Poop is frozen; No frostbite; No problems. I got 3 eggs from my 6 hens today. Eggs are nice and clean even if it is laid on the poop board. The egg drops less than 31/2 inches and the poop is harder than marble so no mess on my egg either. Life is good so far

 

[Hokum Coco]

It is 0F January 26 with a wind chill of -16F. No heat; No light; Poop is frozen on my poop board I cleaned that off yesterday; No ammonia smell; On the lower level the poop is frozen in solid pancakes I can just pick up and put in my compost bin I usually wait until the pancake is substantial enough to pick up easily about 10 inches around or in length. The temperature inside my coop is for all general purposes the same as the ambient air outside. I have to do a variation on the deep litter method because of my raised coop floor and litter are so cold that the droppings do not get a chance to decompose it practically freezes on contact. I will be going out soon to check on my birds. I am not too worried about them. They are a healthy flock. I have been keeping my ventilation ports closed as of late and will not be opening until this deep freeze relents. I have been watching the coop to see if there is any signs of vapour however there has been none to date. The humidity is 66% in the ambient air. My water will be frozen harder than a brick. I will bring out fresh warm water and they all will congregate and enjoy their drink first thing.

 

[Hokum Coco]

 

[Ridgerunner]

I use the black rubebr tubs for water in the winter. I know I don't have your temperatures so usually once in the morning is enough for me, but some days I may do this two or three times. It helps to be retired and able to be around to do this.

Those black rubber tubs don't break, I just turn them over on the ground and stomp the ice out of them or bang them on the ground or something solid. If the sun is shining and hits them, They will stay thawed pretty well even in freezing temperatures. The sun does not always shine here, but it often does when it is really cold.

I'm enjoying reading this journal.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I am retired also Ridgerunner and of all the jobs I have had it is the one I enjoy most. I use the rubber buckets as well the wife came across them. Mine are white but they work the same way They only hold about 2 quarts they are a bit on the small side.

I thought I would post my daily trails over this cold snap so our members will realize just how hearty some breeds of chickens are. You have to be alert to moisture and ammonia and if my coop was not raised I most likely would have to keep ventilating to insure the health of my birds.

Right now any manure is frozen solid in my coop. I just change the water again for the birds about an hour ago. Then hens had a peck whole in the ice and so did the pheasants but two water bowls for my pigeons were frozen with a crust of ice. They are forecasting rain on Wednesday this up coming week. However I seen a rain forecast turn into a heavy snow fall warning many times on the east cost of Canada.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Jan 27, 2013 the temperature is a little warmer today 4F with a wind chill of -12F the humidity is 67%.

I will be going out directly to check on my flocks of birds.

I do not supply extra light or heat to my coop like some BYC members. That is why I have my poop board so close to my roost less than 3 1/2 inches to be exact. In the early morning hours before day light is when the chickens are most likely to lay using this method. When this happens my poop board is there to save the day.

I look at my birds a little differently than some. They are pets that I provide the necessities of life for a time line of 5 to 6 years. I think it is natures way of letting the bird have a bit of a sabbatical by having the shortened days.

By letting the elements dictate the conditions I think it insures the survival of the fittest gene in the hens. Therefore I just go with what ever nature forecast. I do not get offended if I have to buy a dozen eggs at the supper market. Just for the record I never had an issue to date with a prolapsed hen (now that I made that statement I will probably have two hens with that condition tomorrow). If so I am sure they will still taste good with dumplings.

Some of you may look at my post as garbage because it may contradict what a lot of knowledgeable BYC members agree on. I do not post my experience to say that they are wrong. I post to say what works or does not work for me in my situation in my coop with all it air leaks and imperfections in Canada a county know for harsh winters.

I am just glad to have a place I can share my experiences in raising birds with people (unlike my family) who do not glaze over as soon as I say feather little own bird.

I just got back from watering & checking on my birds 0916hrs. One egg in the nest box. Things are doing great may open the pop door today for the hens where it is a bit warmer than usual.

I had a 30 to 40lb coyote is my guess around the buildings last night. Guessing this by the size of the track and they way it busted through the crust on the snow. We Canadians will probably be used as templates for the gun regulations people in the US will be facing in the near future. I will have my Winchester at the ready over head in my man cave (loft of my garage) for mister coyote should he be brave enough to show his face in the daylight hours. I have no idea how many gun rules I will be breaking by doing this I do know it is a bunch.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I got a total of 3 eggs from my Golden Comets today. Let my shack happy homers out as well. The hens stuck their head out of the pop door that was enough for them. The doves flew for about 1/2 hour.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have no idea what your rules and regulations are about the gun. You'll get no criticism from me on taking care of a problem as long as you match the weapon with the intended target and give appropriate thought to your surroundings. A kid in our Scout troop had his knee blown away because of a riccochet while on a hunting trip with his father. In the right environment, that Winchester sounds appropriate. And you sound like you have common sense.

There is a saying on here, SSS. Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up. That may be appropriate for you.

Coyotes can be tough. I occasionally see them during the day but they are mostly nighttime critters. Good luck!

 

[Hokum Coco]

I have seen this one on a few occasions it is almost white. It is some what bigger than most coyotes I have encounter (coyotes not much bigger than red fox as a rule) This one will tip the scales at about 40lbs I am thinking (hard to gauge with so much coat). It is very fast and never stops moving.

It never gave me an opportunity to draw aim as I only basically have one shooting lane available to me. Like you have mention it is best to error on the side of caution. The coyote enjoyed 3 of my Muscovy ducks this year that went out onto the ice and would not come back to the coop when I went out to tend them.

I do not blame a predator for doing what it is designed for. Trouble is predators have a slight advantage on me now that I do not have a dog. I have just about every predator you want to name in my area. My buildings are secure at night.

I would imagine the US is about to find out about gun regulation. Most likely they will use our country as a template for legislation that will be brought into effect by your President.

If predators come around in the day time they usually do not leave my property. I like the SSS idea. I was in possession of my guns long before regulation came into Canada and I did not register any of my weapons. When I lock my doors at night it is for the invaders protection not mine. Laws are made for a fraction of the public that are Evil. Laws are not need for the responsible majority of the public.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don’t know for sure what will happen with the gun regulations. I expect the better background checks are going to happen. Over 90% of the population agrees with that, including most gun owners, though it will be interesting to see how they work out those details. I think the only other one with any kind of chance is to limit the size of the magazines and I’m not sure that one will pass. I don’t think any of the others have any chance at all, not even the assault weapons ban. But I’ve been surprised before.

To me, the advantage of having certain laws on the books is so you can punish the bad guys. If the laws are not on the books, you can’t do that. But it becomes a slippery slope. You have to find a way to actually put it in writing on how you punish the bad guys without hurting the good guys.

I heard a cute one the other day. I don’t necessarily agree with it based in what is happening in Syria, but if some people with assault rifles want to overthrow the US government, I’ll take the 2nd Infantry Division (the one I was in) and give the points.