How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[SkyAJK]

And grasshoppers

Yes, grasshoppers my chickens love it, they hunt those. We got a lot of that.

 

[SkyAJK]

6 eggs today, all frozen and cracked. Will be having scrambled eggs and French Toast tomorrow. Had some egg drop soup tonight for supper. It's just a little cool outside with nighttime temps at -29F. Daytime high was something like -11F. We have another day of this cold spell before the temps will start going up. Looking forward to spring...

You are looking forward to spring.
I am looking forward to autumn & winter because I am in summer here and it rains, humid, hot and repeated. Come on over autumn and winter. We do not have snow in winter here, just cold air, clear blue sky and it might be just a cool summer to you.

 

[MargieG]

Might be they are still on winter vacation? I am just saying.

They must be. Zero eggs to this day. I have to say this weather is extreme for my area and I can understand if they are taking a break. I would too! Tonight I might add a heating lamp because starting today it's going to be in the lower teens for a week or so. Poor babies. I wonder if there is another way to add heat without necessarily add light... without risking to burn down the coop..

 

[gtaus]

I am in summer here

Would love to hear where you are from. Please consider updating your member profile to include your geographic location. I am assuming you must live in the southern hemisphere. But it's nice to know where people are from as it helps to build a worldwide community on the forum. Also, it's interesting to learn the challenges different people in different countries have.

 

[SkyAJK]

My 9 girls are pumping out 7 eggs a day now n really starting to add up even with me n my dog eatin em every day! And giving em away to my mum n nan haha! middle of winter in England too!?! getting plenty of hi quality corn mix with mix veg n oats n black sunflower seeds in, n layers pellets n oyster shell, and seaweed chicken tonic booster in there water, also apple cider vinegar in there water and treats of grated cheese and milk as well as plenty of chopped fresh garlic, fed down there throats and in there water also, and household light in there coop on a timer for 16 hours daylight every day, also once every few days or week feeding them a few scrambled eggs mixed with milk also to help keep em boosted/ boost em back up from all the eggs there givin me bless em...so proud of em alll! There all growing up so fast into big henys!

Shame I lost one to a prolapse and kept getting ill n also respiratory problems too.. bless her... Think must've been one with a weak immune system as all the rest are healthy n pumping the eggs out! View attachment 4033074View attachment 4033076

Your girls are beautiful. They are like my 2 Isa Brown hens, production layers. They lay eggs every day and reproductive issues is their main health issue. Prolapse, internal laying, egg binding, softshelf egg, ovarian cancer..etc. My first 5 Isa Brown died from those issues. I promise myself not to get anymore Isa Brown, but I love them very much, they have so much personality and so smart so I still have 2. 1 of them had implant, the other one....I am yet to decide, but watch her with hawk eye.

 

[SkyAJK]

They must be. Zero eggs to this day. I have to say this weather is extreme for my area and I can understand if they are taking a break. I would too! Tonight I might add a heating lamp because starting today it's going to be in the lower teens for a week or so. Poor babies. I wonder if there is another way to add heat without necessarily add light... without risking to burn down the coop..

Our winter here has no snow, the coldest we have is 5 degree and that is not often. When my chickens were pullets, I put in hot water bottles like these in their coop, I sew a fabric bag for them so that it is not too hot. I had these in each corner. Your winter has snow so I don't know if this does the job to keep warm or not.

I initially put hot water in glass jars, but that did not keep warm for long, I had to refill it around 10pm at night so I found the plastic hot water works better. I always worried about the hot water spills out from the cap, It did not happen, but that was my fear.

 

[gtaus]

Tonight I might add a heating lamp because starting today it's going to be in the lower teens for a week or so. Poor babies.

I know "cold" weather really depends on where you live. I live in northern Minnesota, and our current temps have been down to -29F the last few nights, with a high yesterday of -11F. I have an unheated coop and don't use any kind of heating lamps.

Your chickens should be able to handle temps in the lower teens. They have a body temperature of 105F and can fluff up their feathers to keep warm. Just make sure you don't have any drafts coming up from below them when they roost.

I wonder if there is another way to add heat without necessarily add light... without risking to burn down the coop..

You can try something like a Cozy Coop panel heater...

I bought one when I first got my chickens, but I will admit that I have never used it. The year before I got my backyard chickens, we had some severe low temps down to -40F for over a week. That stressed out a lot of chickens and many chicken owners suffered big losses due to the extend low temps. Our local Fleet store sold out on those Cozy Coop heaters that winter, and I bought one too in anticipation of getting my first flock that spring. They are supposed to be very safe for use inside the coop.

Having said that, I have never used my heating panel. I think most cold weather losses occur because of freezing water, which results in the chickens eating less, at the very time they need to consume more because they are burning off so much body heat. If you have fresh water available 24/7, you would probably be much better off than trying to heat the coop for a few days.

Because of where I live and our long winters, I bought a metal chicken waterer and metal heater base...

At any rate, I would suggest investing in some kind of heated water fount before getting any heating lamps or panels.

 

[SkyAJK]

Would love to hear where you are from. Please consider updating your member profile to include your geographic location. I am assuming you must live in the southern hemisphere. But it's nice to know where people are from as it helps to build a worldwide community on the forum. Also, it's interesting to learn the challenges different people in different countries have.

I am from Australia.

 

[gtaus]

Your girls are beautiful. They are like my 2 Isa Brown hens, production layers. They lay eggs every day and reproductive issues is their main health issue. Prolapse, internal laying, egg binding, softshelf egg, ovarian cancer..etc. My first 5 Isa Brown died from those issues. I promise myself not to get anymore Isa Brown, but I love them very much, they have so much personality and so smart so I still have 2. 1 of them had implant, the other one....I am yet to decide, but watch her with hawk eye.

I love the ISA Brown hens. They are great egg layers. But I am convinced they have a life of only 2 winters where I live. I have to retire (freezer camp) them before their third winter. If not, they just find ways to die anyway.

 

[SkyAJK]

2 eggs yesterday.
They just lay egg whenever they fancy...nope can not be bother today!