deep freeze - brilliant :(

[technodoll]

We're in an unseasonable, deep freeze for the next week or so - it's gonna be a looong winter

The coop froze for the first time this winter.

All 3 water dishes (one per pen) turned to ice, thick frost on the inside windows, stuck at 95% humidity, 14F (-10C) inside with my poor birds cold, thirsty and screaming at me to let them out for a dust bath in the other coop but I can't keep the main coop door open, it's -8F (-23C) outside, add the windchill and humidity and it's -22F (-30C).

And the 175W heat lamp has been on 24/7 for weeks.

I had to deworm the flock yesterday so I have to toss out 100+ eggs the next two weeks.

I'm gonna cry

 

[HEChicken]

I feel your pain. I'm not nearly as far north as you are but am already *SO* looking forward to Spring and its not even officially winter yet. We're expecting 50 today but it follows two weeks of sub-freezing temps - down to 0 on more than one occasion and many days where the high for the day was only in the teens. Not only is it less pleasant to be outside on those days but I have to spend *more* time outside making sure the birds have constant access to fresh unfrozen water. Good luck for the next week!

 

[technodoll]

thanks... it's me and the hot water bucket digging a path to and from the chicken coop nonstop now!

happy holidays? LOL

 

[jafo]

It was -2 below 0 this morning here. Windy for a -10--15 chill. I don't have the freezing problem, got a small coop 6x8x6 with a pan heater and a heat lamp inside. I know they wanna come out, but i left 'em in. It's like 23 degrees in there.

 

[technodoll]

I broke out the heated dog bowl for the main flock, hope it works...

The babies have to make do with plastic containers that I refill with hot water every few hours to melt the ice, I only have one warming bowl

Guess what they're getting for christmas!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Negative temperatures? Ummmmm, no thanks. I'd become a human popsicle.

And what a bummer to have to throw all those eggs out.

 

[technodoll]

yeah... it's gonna be a long three weeks.

I threw out the first eggs today, 7 big perfect ones.

 

[Overeasyplz]

we are actually in a kind of thaw! It's almost 40 degrees here! I can bucket the water out of the outdoor faucet to the chickens and the rabbits' bottles are not frozen solid for the first time in a couple weeks! I hate to run bottles inside every few hours but what are ya gonna do? It was so freezing cold! It is supposed to get really cold again Christmas Eve!

 

[ducks4you]

This is The FIRST month this WHOLE year that we're kinda....DRY!! My gate post in the front of the barn stopped sticking, along with that ole' cupboard door in the kitchen. I can walk outside to do my chores in sneakers, instead of muckers--I wear wool socks, and if it's dry, like this, I can make do with the sneakers if it gets down to 1 degrees F. Expecting a little snow tonight, tomorrow, Saturday and Christmas Eve--nothing that needs any shoveling, just brooming off of the sidewalk.

 

[technodoll]

The climate is upside-down, I tell you...

We normally get a cold snap or two at the end of January or in February but this early in the winter season?

The coop registered 100% humidity late this afternoon (it's 93% outside, so what can ya do??), I have two hens that are starting to have gurgly lungs from the cold and the moisture and coop dust. This is doing my head in