Consolidated Kansas

[lizzyGSR]

lizzy I know you get the worst of the weather out your way, but I'm thankful we didn't get what they first had predicted for here. It was colder out yesterday than it had been but today is supposed to be colder yet. I had to layer up on clothes & wear my winter coat yesterday to feed. Let us know how those horizontal nipples do, if they freeze or not. I just have heated dog bowls in almost every pen & a couple of heated bases for waterers. I use one base at the main coop where I have to use a 5 gallon waterer since there are so many birds.

So far so good on the horizontal nipples! I'll check them again tomorrow morning, when the temps are supposed to be at their worst (negative teens to -20 wind chill tonight into tomorrow morning).

I need to get some more straw (if there's anya vailable). my bale got wet and is now yucky.

 

[chicken danz]

We got enough snow to cover the ground here. I was 35 miles east yesterday afternoon and they had snow but none that covered the ground. a huge difference in no further distance than it is. I still have water with no heat in several places so I have to get out there soon and put some fresh water in. Poor birds! My calf's water was frozen late yesterday and I got her fresh water but I am sure it is rock solid today. I was going to build a solar heater for her water tank and just haven't had the time to do so yet. I hate to run a cord and a heater out there. Likewise the pigs water freezes but he would just eat the heater so there's nothing I can do about that. If he hadn't torn up his auto waterer I could have dropped a heater in the water barrel. Stupid Pig!
I had a major hatch yesterday and the day before and have way too many chicks in the house right now. I'm really dreading the first of the year when I start hatching for other people. I've hatched a bunch of Jubillee orpingtons and lots of the Icelandic chicks. I wish I could sex those Icelandics. One thing about the Icelandics is they are prolific little birds. Makes me like them even better.
It's 14 degrees here right now. Burr. I'm sure not wanting to get out there and take care of animals! An excuse to drink more coffee!

 

[lizzyGSR]

I checked the horizontal water nipples this morning, and they were still working perfectly, even at -5*F (actual temp, wind chill was -20*F)! I'm so glad that they haven't caused me any trouble! I've got the water bucket on the ground for the chicks, and I'm so glad it works for everyone. Once the chicks are bigger, I'll put the bucket back on the cinder block. For now, I'm just thrilled that I haven't had to switch the water bucket out.

My chicks are doing surprisingly well, despite the cold. I was really worried about them when this extreme cold hit, but they are doing fine. They have been out running around, despite the cold though they haven't really left the coop since this cold hit. Mama is always close by if they get chilly. I am so surprised at how well they are doing with mama hen compared to how much trouble I had with my original flock when I got them back in March. It was nowhere this cold back in March either. Letting a broody hatch chicks is definitely the way to go when it comes to increasing the flock numbers!

My adult chickens finally decided to come out of the coop this afternoon after a day and a half of being voluntarily confined. Silly birds!.

 

[chicken danz]

@lizzyGSR I'm really surprised you have water for the chickens. My buckets waterer was frozen solid. Not the nipples, but the entire bucket of water. I dumped ice yesterday as thick as 8 inches and the water was refrozen on top within 30 minutes on those that weren't heated. How is the water staying thawed?
It's super cold out there today and even the geese are huddled in, but the silly chickens are out running around. But the wind isn't blowing hard thank heavens. It was yesterday for sure.

 

[Trish44]

It's 28 degrees here now, but it was colder than that during the night. We're burning our woodstove now & it does make a big difference in how warm the house is. We have cold spots in this house where it just is colder & also places where they didn't put vents in for ducting to the furnace. I don't really understand why they did things the way they did here, it's just weird. The room we use for our livingroom/den where we spend a lot of time is one of those places with no heating or air. There are two cement walls in there due to it being underground back there but they definitely could have put vents in there & the bathroom downstairs but they didn't. The kitchen & diningroom have them though. Fortunately the woodstove is just on the other side of the wall from the livingroom so the heat comes in pretty well with the french doors all the way open. We get quite a bit of heat up in our bedroom just above the stove as well & we have a big ceiling fan that helps blow it that way.

I was gone all day yesterday due to a Dr. appt in Wichita, which turned out to be quite a big messed up event. People can't seem to do their jobs any more so it took way more time & way more driving than it should have & my DH had to take time off work in order to get the injection done in my knee that I was supposed to have earlier in the day, grrr. By the time I got back home it was almost dark & I just had enough time to feed & water my goats & sheep & the dogs & main coop. All the rest of my birds had to do without & I hate that when that happens. So now I have to get that done earlier today & it sure isn't going to be fun going out there in that cold, I'm not looking forward to it at all.

 

[lizzyGSR]

@lizzyGSR I'm really surprised you have water for the chickens. My buckets waterer was frozen solid. Not the nipples, but the entire bucket of water. I dumped ice yesterday as thick as 8 inches and the water was refrozen on top within 30 minutes on those that weren't heated. How is the water staying thawed?
It's super cold out there today and even the geese are huddled in, but the silly chickens are out running around. But the wind isn't blowing hard thank heavens. It was yesterday for sure.

Hmmm.... Thought I answered this yesterday and don't see my reply so forgive me if this is a duplicate...

I do have a heater in the bucket. It is one of those made specifically for a 5 gallon bucket. As long as the bucket stays thaw, the nipples have as well, even when it was -5*F actual temperature outside. The chickens are messy drinkers, so I keep my bucket outside (rather than in the coop) and I still have not had any issues with the nipples freezing.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

(So sorry about that guys I have NO IDEA what my phone did)

Sooo trying something I never thought I would, see my fellow chicken lover Heather moved out to her grannies old farmstead and among the items left in her brooder pen was an incubator so we plugged it in and it heated right up so we figured what the heck and ordered a replacement thermometer and hydrates (nope can't spell so hope that's close enough) and today we are filling it with 37 eggs laid by both our ladies both Chickens and Turkeys so guess on NYE we will see what new chickens and turkeys we get to join our flocks...chicken math its SUCH a thing

 

[sharol]

(So sorry about that guys I have NO IDEA what my phone did)

Sooo trying something I never thought I would, see my fellow chicken lover Heather moved out to her grannies old farmstead and among the items left in her brooder pen was an incubator so we plugged it in and it heated right up so we figured what the heck and ordered a replacement thermometer and hydrates (nope can't spell so hope that's close enough) and today we are filling it with 40 eggs laid by both our ladies both Chickens and Turkeys so guess on NYE we will see what new chickens and turkeys we get to join our flocks...chicken math its SUCH a thing

Nice edit. LOL. That has happened to me, too.

 

[chicken danz]

Hey Dani that's great. If you need any help with the incubator let me know and I'll try my best to assist you. If you have questions though, be sure and let me know what kind it is and if it has an auto turner.
@lizzyGSR I have a hanging bucket with regular nipples and those don't freeze either with a heater in the bucket. Problem is my birds don't really like using the bucket nipples for some reason. They'd much rather have a pan. I'm thinking of taking to dog water pan heaters, wiring them together to use a single cord and attaching it to the bottom of a plastic hog pan. I don't think one heater would do much but two would probably keep it thawed without as much power usage as the drop in heater.
I had to put a heater in the calf waterer yesterday cause I haven't gotten my solar heated calf tank built.
I noticed the pig seems contented to chew on ice if he's out of water. That's awesome as far as I am concerned.

 

[Trish44]

(So sorry about that guys I have NO IDEA what my phone did)

Sooo trying something I never thought I would, see my fellow chicken lover Heather moved out to her grannies old farmstead and among the items left in her brooder pen was an incubator so we plugged it in and it heated right up so we figured what the heck and ordered a replacement thermometer and hydrates (nope can't spell so hope that's close enough) and today we are filling it with 40 eggs laid by both our ladies both Chickens and Turkeys so guess on NYE we will see what new chickens and turkeys we get to join our flocks...chicken math its SUCH a thing

Good luck with your hatch, hope it goes well.

I have Isbars (they're called Silverudd's Blue now, just found that out) hatching now. They started last night & I have 5 hatched so far & 6 more eggs to go yet. I have two flipping on their backs, I haven't had that problem with chicks in a long time so I'm not sure what's going on with these. I hope they can get straightened up soon. One of those is a splash & I think the splash ones are really pretty in that breed. I also put 8 bantam Mille Fleur Cochin eggs in to see if I can get a few more pullets in those. They seem to be pretty popular so I really need some more layers in there. I'm apprehensive about putting chicks outside in the winter, I normally don't hatch at all this time of year.