Consolidated Kansas

[Prairie Fleur]

I'm keeping a close eye on my girls and so far none of them are even starting to get an udder or if they are it's very minimal. I have two first fresheners and two senior does. Of course the first fresheners are due first. I need to start working on conditioning them to the milk stand but it's been so cold and everything that I haven't had the guts to get started on it.
Today it's actually in the 50s so I'm fixing to head out and enjoy the sunshine!!

 

[Trish44]

It was only 35 here today & windy, so not nearly as nice as you had Prairie. We are supposed to have some warmer days coming up. I'm watching my sheep closely as well. Neither of the ewes is really showing any signs of delivering soon, however they are getting pretty round. I have a suspicion that my Oreo, the black & white ewe may have twins. She was a twin herself & the other ewe was also but the white ewe Milk doesn't look as big as Oreo. I just hope whatever they have single or twins that it all goes well.

Hardscaper87, I don't have a barn but I do have a shelter for the sheep where they can get in out of the cold wind.

 

[chicken danz]

I just can't seem to find any energy these days. I would so love to have just a few days of sunshine and warmer temperatures. I really suffer from SADD and there just hasn't been any sun to speak of for what seems like weeks now. Consequently I'm spending more time inside and not getting anything at all done there either. My dH is on night shift right now so I can't run the sweeper or anything loud either which makes it that much worse.
I got a stock tank heater in the duck pond yesterday. It had frozen solid to about 4 inches. I don't think I've had it frozen that solid before. I leave the pump running year round which normally adds enough heat to the water to at least keep it flowing in one spot. It got to 33 here briefly and I took advantage of it and got my watering done then.
Come on Spring!

 

[sharol]

I just can't seem to find any energy these days. I would so love to have just a few days of sunshine and warmer temperatures. I really suffer from SADD and there just hasn't been any sun to speak of for what seems like weeks now. Consequently I'm spending more time inside and not getting anything at all done there either. My dH is on night shift right now so I can't run the sweeper or anything loud either which makes it that much worse.
I got a stock tank heater in the duck pond yesterday. It had frozen solid to about 4 inches. I don't think I've had it frozen that solid before. I leave the pump running year round which normally adds enough heat to the water to at least keep it flowing in one spot. It got to 33 here briefly and I took advantage of it and got my watering done then.
Come on Spring!

I don't exactly suffer from SADD, but dark, cold days do get me down. I hate being cold. I've been wrestling with when to butcher the boys, and it is just too cold to take on the job today (and if I need help, this is the only day to do it). I'm thinking Thursday since it is supposed to be a tad warmer. I'm still wrestling with keeping one of the BR boys. What should I look for when looking for the better bird to keep?

 

[chicken danz]

Of course look for the best clearest and narrowest barring. Look for an upright comb with good points. A slight U dip in his back and good tail plumage. They are still a bit young to find which one is the best. I would also look for the broadest chest and keep that one since they both looked great.
The sussex and my old sussex tried to kill each other. I put the new one in with the free rangers but he's been all over the place trying to establish himself. I just wasn't set up to put him in a cage alone for a while. I'm not sure whether he went back to the garage to sleep last night or not.
I had to remove one of my barred English Orpingtons from the pen yesterday. I have had three roosters and 2 pullets together for months and all got along fine. Suddenly 2 of the 3 boys started beating on the third one. I guess that means they are getting ready to breed. Time to start selling some extra boys here too. I just put him out with the layers as well so heaven knows where he went. I need to get out and check on everyone today but not jumping to get out there.

 

[Trish44]

I'm with you danz I'm ready for spring, although in my head I know we still have at least a month of nasty weather yet. Can't we just skip that & go on to spring? I sure wish we could, I just don't do that well with the cold any more, it makes me hurt something awful.

sharol, I kept the two BR roosters that like danz said have the nicest barring & of course don't seem at least so far to be aggressive. One if really better than the other, he has the most developed chest so I think he might be the better of the two. I butchered their daddy quite awhile ago & sold the one that I wasn't impressed with & he seemed to have the potential for being aggressive as well. These guys get so big it takes quite awhile for them to fully mature. They're so much different than hatchery BRs. I had one bird in that pen that I just wasn't sure of for quite awhile, it was confusing me. Most of the time the pullets are darker in color than the cockerels but this one I have has been lighter like the roosters & I kept watching it for characteristics of a cockerel. It has turned out to be a pullet so I guess there are exceptions.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Good evening my fellow peeps! I know, I know... it's been FOREVER since I stopped in!!

Question for you-- now that I'm moved down here in the Deep South (har, har) I had quite the surprise when my waters all froze up last week!! All of my pens are enclosed in the barn, and every one of them were sitting on my cookie tin heaters. I'm thinking my problem lies in the 40 watt bulb that are in these tins. Today, I went out and bought 60 watt bulbs. I will hope that will stop the freezing. As Trish knows, I'm also on the hunt for some supplemental heat in there too. Looking at the Sweeter Heaters and the Cozy Legs-- which is like half the price, and looks like the exact same thing with lots of Amazon reviews that say they are using it in their coop with great results. I haven't decided yet. But since I'm now at work all day long, I can't walk out hot water twice a day and check on everything during the day either. These really need to work. Sigh.

Otherwise, all is well, finished up our show season here-- even though I might be talked into going to the Norman show next month. We'll see.

 

[Trish44]

Good evening my fellow peeps! I know, I know... it's been FOREVER since I stopped in!!

Question for you-- now that I'm moved down here in the Deep South (har, har) I had quite the surprise when my waters all froze up last week!! All of my pens are enclosed in the barn, and every one of them were sitting on my cookie tin heaters. I'm thinking my problem lies in the 40 watt bulb that are in these tins. Today, I went out and bought 60 watt bulbs. I will hope that will stop the freezing. As Trish knows, I'm also on the hunt for some supplemental heat in there too. Looking at the Sweeter Heaters and the Cozy Legs-- which is like half the price, and looks like the exact same thing with lots of Amazon reviews that say they are using it in their coop with great results. I haven't decided yet. But since I'm now at work all day long, I can't walk out hot water twice a day and check on everything during the day either. These really need to work. Sigh.

Otherwise, all is well, finished up our show season here-- even though I might be talked into going to the Norman show next month. We'll see.

Hawkeye, you really need to drop in more often! My only complaint about the Cozy Legs is there is no way to hang it so since I just use them for brooders that wouldn't work for me. I also saw a lot of comments on Amazon that said unless you're right next to that it really doesn't put out much heat. I know these sweeter heaters I have seem to put out quite a bit of heat & the chicks do well with them, much better than the EcoGlows & they can be under them & not have to crowd into something with legs in the way. I guess you can be the guinea pig & get a Cozy Legs & then you can report back to us about how well it works for what you want it for.

It sounds like you're really getting into the shows, good for you!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hawkeye, you really need to drop in more often! My only complaint about the Cozy Legs is there is no way to hang it so since I just use them for brooders that wouldn't work for me. I also saw a lot of comments on Amazon that said unless you're right next to that it really doesn't put out much heat. I know these sweeter heaters I have seem to put out quite a bit of heat & the chicks do well with them, much better than the EcoGlows & they can be under them & not have to crowd into something with legs in the way. I guess you can be the guinea pig & get a Cozy Legs & then you can report back to us about how well it works for what you want it for.

It sounds like you're really getting into the shows, good for you!

Whatever I get, I want to mount it on the wall. So, I'll probably be buying brackets either way. But if you think the Sweeter Heater puts out quite a bit of heat, then maybe that is the best route. I really need HEAT. Just something they can all get up against along the wall, or bring up a bit of ambient heat in the general area of it. I'm not wanting to heat the barn, just that space. I don't want to use it as a brooder-and I don't want to hang it overhead- these are adult Silkies and they'll just try to fly and sit on top of it, which I don't want. I don't want it used as a "roost". Oh what to do, what to do. I did see a 400 watt option, but people said it got really hot. I need to go see how many watts the Sweeter Heater is using.

 

[sharol]

Whatever I get, I want to mount it on the wall. So, I'll probably be buying brackets either way. But if you think the Sweeter Heater puts out quite a bit of heat, then maybe that is the best route. I really need HEAT. Just something they can all get up against along the wall, or bring up a bit of ambient heat in the general area of it. I'm not wanting to heat the barn, just that space. I don't want to use it as a brooder-and I don't want to hang it overhead- these are adult Silkies and they'll just try to fly and sit on top of it, which I don't want. I don't want it used as a "roost". Oh what to do, what to do. I did see a 400 watt option, but people said it got really hot. I need to go see how many watts the Sweeter Heater is using.

I have two of the sweeter-heaters. I have them hanging above the roosts and they produce a fair amount of heat directly under them. The thing I like about them is that they don't try to heat the whole coop. They just keep the area directly under them warm. This is our 4th winter with them, (or maybe the 3rd, time flies when you are having fun), and they are wonderful. They aren't cheap, but they work. When the girls get cold, they line up under the heaters, and when they aren't cold (or the 3 birds that don't care for the heat) they move to a different part of the roost.