Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[notabitail]

Well, looks like my project worked. macOS Sonoma (14) on a device that could only run High Sierra (10.13). Tax will be coming tomorrow.
(This is why I love when I end up with old electronics).

 

[RoyalChick]

Hooves play havoc with my mouse…

Now there is a concern you don’t often hear!

 

[rural mouse]

All good info! I’ll be home and can check on them multiple times a day- there will be unfrozen pellets, and I can bring warm water out to them at least three times. Good idea to close the pop-door as needed.
Is your coop insulated? Mine is pretty draft free, but just plywood-thick.

Mine is multiple layers of plywood...I think....built before we bought the place.i do keep water in the coop due to not being home to run water multiple times daily. With our sub zero temps, there is usually a week at some point during the winter where they're confined the whole time. That is when the HIGH is still - 30f.

 

[featherhead007]

Total success! It’s early I know but I have made a major breakthrough with my hen Flash. She has been a tyrant to all the other chooks for a long time. I found out that all she really wanted was for me to give her positive attention. So I stayed up all night with her, just holding her, and letting her sleep in my loving arms. She talked with me, started the cooing that she used to do as a young Pullet.
She just wanted my attention and attention she got. Now she’s a real snuggle hen. If you want to stop problems within your chooks, try to find the causes and be patient with them and yourself. I’m sorry that I didn’t realize what Flash needed until yesterday.
Chickens are much more complex than I gave them credit for.

 

[Ponypoor]

Cuz we practically never get snow but when/if we do it truly brings joy like nothing else!! I can’t even begin to describe the joy it brings! Love, love, love it!!

You are welcome to come on up here and spend the winter it’s lovely on the trees, sparkly in the sunlight. Once you have admired it you can start shovelling it

Come on up!

 

[Ponypoor]

Same- we don’t get much snow in the city, so the one day it does fall each year is soo special! We play out there till we drop

Speaking of, there’s snow in the forecast They are, however, also warning of a potential for temps wildly lower than the area has ever seen … are chickens okay when it’s -2F out?!

Mine stay in the barn during the winter, when I am home they will go outside if it’s not too cold - usually -2C is their limit to go outside. They definitely wouldn’t go outside with -2F (I think that’s somethings like -18c).

I would say as long as they aren’t in any wind and they have a choice to go inside a coop they would be ok. Anyone moulting though I would keep inside.

 

[Ponypoor]

I know I only just added a surprise pullet to my flock in December, but I can’t get my mind off of Spring chicks! I have done so much breed/breeder research, and finally got to complete this order yesterday: Six cute little fluffers headed my way come March!!

I’ll only be able to keep two, but Future-Juliette can worry about that detail.

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Oh how exciting ! I can’t wait to see them

 

[featherhead007]

Going back to sleep now!

 

[BY Bob]

Have you done that for multiple days in a row? Your coop is 32 sq feet, correct? How do they handle the approx. 5 sq feet per bird for multiple days? Or are they still split between FBA and the Cluckle hut?

Usually a cold snap like that is not more than 3 to 4 days here. The coop is 32 sq feet. It was designed to hold 3 chickens indefinitely.

I have held 5 in it for 3 days straight with no issues. I think that was 2 years ago.

They have recently spent 48 hours in the main coop by choice even though the door was open.

If I had to I could split them up between the coops. The Cluckle Hut is not as big. I would not want to keep more than 3 hens in there for a couple of days. It does have food, water, and an infrared heating panel as well.

 

[BY Bob]

That sounds downright cozy!
I was considering a sweeter heater, but really couldn’t justify the cost for a single day’s worth of cold that comes around every other year.

The heater is new and I only got it because I had a frizzle chicken that could not regulate its body temp because of its frizzled feathers. I wanted supplementary heat for her. Until then mine never had heat and did not need it. It's always about wind and moisture. Keep them out of the wind. A water dish does not make too much moisture in the coop but wet chickens is an issue.