Getting the coop ready for winter!

[R2elk]

Yeah - I admit - I put the heat on at +20F to make **myself** feel better, so I sleep better at night - though our birds do huddle under the lamp and some are thin and old and it may do them some good, too - maybe I should ask how old your birds are or get or if you eat them or let the foxes grab them when they are past their prime

Overall, though, I am soooo glad you and others from 'up north' are on the forum to provide valuable input and data on what the birds can tolerate!!! Thanks for that! Makes me sleep better at night, too!

My oldest birds are one year younger than yours are.

I don't get to eat any of them because people keep buying all of the keets and not leaving any for me to grow out.

I haven't had any trouble with fox since the coyotes moved in. My main predators are egg thieves (skunks and raccoons) and Great Horned Owls. The owls don't do any harm since all poultry other than adult sized turkeys are in secure housing for the nights.

This was a particularly bad year because of the local drought bringing the predators in to the only green area around.

 

[MrsTush]

Where are all of you at that you see temps that low?? The coldest I've experienced was -18 and I was ready to pack my bags and move!!

 

[southwind00]

My coops are converted grain bins; all metal and no insulation.
Last year we did have a heat lamp set up to turn on at night and left on during the day when day temps were in the negatives. This year I’m not planning to use them. I must confess that I do have them out in the coops *just in case*. Talking to family and some local farmers it sounds like no one uses supplemental heat for their poultry.
It just makes me nervous when temps go down to -40 and lower

That is cold and certainly something to cause worry but when I think about how cold my birds are, I just look at my bird feeders and watch the chickadees,cardinals,woodpeckers and even the tiny Golden-crowned kinglets who's tiny toes and legs you would think would freeze off in a minute in -20 weather. But they don't and they maintain their warmth by eating more calories then they burn. Birds like all mammals except for humans don't feel cold as a negative but just keep busy doing what they have to , to stay warm. Draft free coops, fresh, clean thawed water and plenty of feed and the guineas will be just find. But we have to get #MrsTush to start knitting socks for the tweet birds, those tiny feet need them

 

[My2butterflies]

None of the birds seem bothered by our mini blizzard today. The snow doesn’t show up well in the picture because it’s coming down so fast. We will see what they think of it tomorrow when it doesn’t melt as soon as it hits the ground.

Visibility is about 1 1/2miles at the moment.

 

[MrsTush]

That is cold and certainly something to cause worry but when I think about how cold my birds are, I just look at my bird feeders and watch the chickadees,cardinals,woodpeckers and even the tiny Golden-crowned kinglets who's tiny toes and legs you would think would freeze off in a minute in -20 weather. But they don't and they maintain their warmth by eating more calories then they burn. Birds like all mammals except for humans don't feel cold as a negative but just keep busy doing what they have to , to stay warm. Draft free coops, fresh, clean thawed water and plenty of feed and the guineas will be just find. But we have to get #MrsTush to start knitting socks for the tweet birds, those tiny feet need them

Don't wait too long!! I'm sure those velociraptor claws would shred anything I was crazy enough to make.

 

[MrsTush]

None of the birds seem bothered by our mini blizzard today. The snow doesn’t show up well in the picture because it’s coming down so fast. We will see what they think of it tomorrow when it doesn’t melt as soon as it hits the ground. View attachment 2379104View attachment 2379105
Visibility is about 1 1/2miles at the moment.
View attachment 2379106

Oh wow!!! How many guineas do you have? I love that silo

 

[My2butterflies]

Oh wow!!! How many guineas do you have? I love that silo

Thanks I like them too now that we stopped renting them out.

Right now I have 16 jumbo/French pearls, 5 lavender, 5 royal purple, and three white. I’m really excited for hatching next year
I might band the four guineas hatched this year and sell them come spring. That could make room for a few I hope to purchase next year.

 

[MrsTush]

Thanks I like them too now that we stopped renting them out.

Right now I have 16 jumbo/French pearls, 5 lavender, 5 royal purple, and three white. I’m really excited for hatching next year
I might band the four guineas hatched this year and sell them come spring. That could make room for a few I hope to purchase next year.

How cool!!! I can't imagine the noise level!
Mine are really quiet during the day and do nothing but lay around in the bushes. As soon as I go outside they run screaming at me until I go in their fence. 8 guineas is definitely plenty for me

 

[My2butterflies]

How cool!!! I can't imagine the noise level!
Mine are really quiet during the day and do nothing but lay around in the bushes. As soon as I go outside they run screaming at me until I go in their fence. 8 guineas is definitely plenty for me

Haha, noise level hasn’t changed much. Although, I find their chatter enjoyable. I often can’t find the flock unless I wander around yelling for them in hopes they answer back. That’s how I found them in the woods today
It was the turkeys that gave their position away. Haha.

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Thanks I like them too now that we stopped renting them out.

Right now I have 16 jumbo/French pearls, 5 lavender, 5 royal purple, and three white. I’m really excited for hatching next year
I might band the four guineas hatched this year and sell them come spring. That could make room for a few I hope to purchase next year.

Oh, please please keep'em all! By next spring the babies will have found a mate and you will not know who it is. You don't wann break those little Guinea hearts! You look like you have room for more!