Ever Wonder?

[ebhoneybees]

i had the same question for the extension guy about my bees. he just smiled and told me they will be fine - they just huddle up at night and still go out foraging in the morning.

 

[rooster-red]

The biggest difference I see between the chickens kept 100 years plus ago and the ones being kept now are the types of breeds.

We have many more breeds available to us now, even those from the medditerainian areas that were not bred for cold weather.

 

[cluckychick]

It's hovered at 10 degrees all day and tonight it'll be below 0. I don't heat nor is my coop insulated. Pop door open all night and my birds are outside at the break of day and in when the sun goes down. I've not lost a bird to illness nor cold and I am thankful for that

I do keep them well fed with snacks 3x times a day when it is real cold and change their water as well. I've got 25 chickens including, 3 being roosters. I've gotten 27 eggs in two days, I don't think that's to bad for such frigid temps.

 

[katrinag]

Right now it is -18 and -29 with the wind chill. I have added a heat lamp to keep the coop at 0. I have babies in with my adults. Since I hatched and did not mother natural do it I owe it to the babies to keep them at least kinda warm.

When we get back to normal day I will remove the heat lamp.

 

[velo99]

My two hens are in a 16x24x32 plywood box. I have some nice alfalfa down for a nest,and they get fed twice a day. They go under the pigeon loft during the day. Lotsa pine needles and feathers. They have dug nests under there. I have had an egg a day for the last week out of the plywood box. Gets 20 - 5 degrees at night. I am doing something right.

My alpha hen comes to the back door and calls me to feed them. When I got home today she met me on the patio. Followed me to the feed room and back to thier box just a cackling. She cracks me up.

v99

 

[sandypaws]

?? heated coop???? i guess living in SOCALIF we dont need such a thing... it gets cold where i live.. even snowed a few weeks back..
when it get cold here, i stuff the coops full of straw/grass hay..
never thought of heating the coop, unless we had months of snow like other places...
just a dry place full of straw keeps mine just fine..

 

[jubylives]

Quote:
As in, in the past there were more people around the homestead to tend the flock. With the way things have been in the last decade or so it has been that both partners now have to work. Plus kids nowadays (not mine) are either too busy (soccer football other school functions and activities) or not made to do chores around the house. Nothing against it but with as busy as this society keeps people there tends to be less people at home.

Not sure where the line drawing in the sands is at. Oh and I envy you sandypaws. The desert sounds better then the -24F we got down to today.

jeremy

 

[sandypaws]

yeah the weather is GREAT here... but i would like to live someplace GREEN.. that has grass and trees........ and WATER.. hahahahah

i see you guys at those NEGATIVE degrees (on TV),, and shutter... wow,, i could not live in THAT cold.....
keep warm guys..

 

[mjdtexan]

Quote:
I am thinking of getting into bees myself. Have been reading the bee keeping forums. They ever mess with your chickens?


I am doing the heat thing in their coop this winter because I got them right when winter started and I didnt want to just take them out of a heated brooder and put them in an unheated coop.. I suspect though that they would have been fine. Next winter they are not getting a heat lamp. I live in Houston (ish) and the winters here just do not get severe. I imaging the Yankees probably have different experiances than we do. Just my two cents.

Mike D

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

I do not heat my coop. But it is also inside the barn. They have indoor access 24/7. Along with an outside coop with 24/7 access. and free ranging abilities 24/7. Over the last 3 days or so they have choosen to sleep in the garage in stead of there coop. Not sure why...But the turkeys started it...I know they did. So here we sit.....
Chicken coop....empty
3 car garage....full of chickens
3 vehicles....outside not in garage....

Actually we don't use our garage for the vehicles anyway. It's an old rundown garage that our vehicles won't even fit in...Trucks are too tall, van is to long. This garage is ancient....Even though it's rundown and ancient it is actually great to have. Someday well revamp it.

Anyway back to the original question....
I have often asked the same thing....Am I doing good things or is it actually harmful. How did they do it back on "Little House". I have to say though I noticed there coops are way smaller than mine. I think some of it has to do with the fact that over time the birds have become acclimated to a little better life. Now my birds are spoiled rotten with food, treats, attention, blah blah blah (along with ALL our other animals), but they are also tougher to a point.
Yes they have indoor access to the barn...all the animals have there own areas....But it's not heated, the large barn doors need to stay open on one end so the sheep, horses, llamas, goats can go in and out. The pigs have a door open for them to go in and out too. Everyone has indoor/outdoor access 24/7.

Now all animals, but the pigs and rabbits have heated water buckets. The pigs I just knock out the ice everyday, the rabbits dishes are small enough to bang out too. But the other animals and all the birds have heated water dishes. I only have the heat lamp set up in the lambing jugs right now too, as the birds are in the GARAGE and won't leave at night....(that door is open 24/7 too for them)