Eastern Tennessee Thread

[TNChick82]

Call me Crazy! But I just checked then temp outside. Its 32 and its 40 in the coop. Do any of you use any kind of heat in the winter. I feel so cruel not putting a heat light or something in there.

 

[tennesseeckn]

My Orps were less than a year old last winter, so I kept a heat lamp in the coop. Now that they're older I probably won't. I've heard it's harder for them to go from warm to cold than it is to just let them adjust to the colder weather. But mine seem to love the cold, though. They were much more droopy and unhappy looking this summer in the heat.

As long as your coops well ventilated the cold shouldn't hurt them a bit. They have those nice down coats, right?

 

[TNChick82]

Oh yeah they are all fat and fluffy. lol I just wanted to ask and make sure. They are about 8 months old.

 

[NellaBean]

I have 3 month old bantams outside with no heat. Survival of the fittest! I don't add heat in winter at all. My chickens even go out in the snow. They don't care. Deep snow they avoid, but I open the coop and that is it. Food and water are up the hill, so they can starve and stay off the snow, or go through the snow for food and water.

 

[ladyride]

Did not expect a hard frost last night

my 10 day broilers had a light but no extra heat it was 70 in their brooder but they were up running around chasing , eating , drinking no problem

. I didn't close any windows to 1/2 position the layers & teen agers were doing just fine. Tough little buggers, esp those little chick broilers. they have doubled their size feathering really nice. Gonna have to keep closer eye on weather for night temps. Don't want to loose any those little broilers.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
Heat in the coop actually makes them more sick and supseptable to frostbite.... the difference in tempature puts their body in shock. Birds have down feathers and do just fine, so long as there is no draft or wind attacking them.

 

[bairo]

yep...no draft, and all should be fine. if it gets really cold for an extended period, then you can rub some vasoline on their combs to help prevent frost bite. I switched over our roosts a while back so the wide side of 2x4 is up (makes them cover their feet when roosting at night). We "might" increase the amount of corn in the scratch slightly (corn is a "hot" grain)..... but ours dont get that much scratch anyway.

 

[bairo]

Quote:
Look like girls to me... CUTE girls!!! I have noticed that I hatch ALOT more females to males under broodies. Put it this way, I have hatched and kept 17 chicks under broodies... 3 were males. 5 different mothers and 5 different breeds. I LOVE broodies.


Ok, folks... I am about to go to CL and post some birds... just a heads up.


Stang, sorry for your loss. I hope it was the mushrooms, for you and your chicken's sake.... if not you are back to the drawing board.

and what birds pray tell are you posting??

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
I did that (scratch) last winter... it really helped. I plan on doing it again every winter from now on.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
Look like girls to me... CUTE girls!!! I have noticed that I hatch ALOT more females to males under broodies. Put it this way, I have hatched and kept 17 chicks under broodies... 3 were males. 5 different mothers and 5 different breeds. I LOVE broodies.


Ok, folks... I am about to go to CL and post some birds... just a heads up.


Stang, sorry for your loss. I hope it was the mushrooms, for you and your chicken's sake.... if not you are back to the drawing board.

and what birds pray tell are you posting??

Oh let's see... on CL I have OEGB pair and bantam white wyandotte pair... on here I have bantam barnevelder pair and a project trio.... I also haven't listed yet pairs of started Delawares (4 mo.) and I'm going to be narrowing a bit further, but I'm getting down to the grit and it's hard to decide.... I get emotionally attached to tooooooo many. I do have young BR cockerels I need to do something with... not at all big enough to eat yet.