HOW to raise Chicks in COLD southeast Nebraska??

[toletiquesbysam]

Legal issue needs to be the 1st thing you look at, and hopefully with the added press the chicken issue will come to light and they will see what a good benefit it is!!
The bitter cold we have in Nebraska is not as big an issue as you think, there are members on here in Alaska who raise chickens with no power in their coop and change the water twice a day to help with it freezing!! Soo it can be done, it's just a matter of learning and this site has plenty of info!!!

fellow Nebraskan

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Glad to have you here!

 

[Kodiakman]

I feel your pain...I live in a subdivison between Omaha and Gretna. I was looking into getting just a few chickens for the back yard. Maybe a half dozen at the most. So I started checking into Sarpy County's laws since our subdivison is considered county and not in the Omaha City Limits. I sent a message to the county via their website and this is what I received:

Any type of farm animal (poultry, swine, horses, cows, geese, sheep, etc) are considered an animal unit which is defined in the zoning regulation. The AG districts allow livestock and the RE2 (minimum lot size 2 acres) district may soon allow an animal unit if the County Board approves a text change next Tuesday. Pets such as cats or dogs are limited to a maximum of four total of any combination thereof. Once there are more than four cats/dogs the use is then defined as a kennel and the appropriate zoning needs to be obtained for that type of a use. There are a number of issues with farm animals in residential districts primarily noise and odor which is why the County Board adopted a zoning regulation that only permits that type of use in AG districts or RE2, Residential Estates. I hope this answers your question. Please let us know if you need additional information or clarification. Thanks,

Rebecca Horner
Sarpy County Director of Planning

(402)593-1555

I replied back recently to find out if there have been any changes but I haven't heard anything yet. Our lot is less than 2 acres so it really wouldn't matter anyhow. I just can't believe they would have such an all or nothing stance on the issue. They should just limit the numbers, the same way they do with dogs and cats.

Oh, by the way, I'm new here. I just noticed this is the member introduction thread. I'm new to the whole raising chickens thing...I haven't even done so yet. I saw a show on food network featuring a lady that raises chickens in her back yard and she lives in the middle of New York City. I buy farm fresh eggs from time to time and love them so I figured why can't I do that. So I started checking into it as you can see.

Hopefully things will change.​

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

Thank you all for your WELCOME notes and also for the tips. I am not happy to see the reply my fellow Nebraskan got from the County

I may just have to go "Stealth" with a couple chickens. Come on, seriously, in this day and age with increasing costs, low quality and biotech engineered "foods", we should be allowed to have a limited number of chickens. I dont plan on having a rooster as a courtesy to my neighbors. I just want 2-4 hens. We have already discussed this with all surrounding neighbors and they really like the idea. And why wouldn't they; they get to enjoy them too without all the work.

I called Bomgaars in Council Bluffs today but the Buff Orpington pullets have not arrived yet!

boo hoo, but it's only a matter of days. If I should happen to be "discovered" I have a friend in Iowa with 5 acres who will adopt them, so here we go...............................

Peace to everyone!!!

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

hello again,

Guess What?? I am the proud Mama of 3 Buff Orpington babies! I anxiously waited until 5:30 tonight to pick up my husband and we drove to Council Bluffs where a new batch of chicks waited to be adopted. I could only have 3 and it was so hard to pick and leave the others behind. Go to my page under "recently updated" and you can find one photo. I am not very good at doing pages so I apologize its not very exciting.
BYC says under Raising chicks 101, that the temp should be 90-100. That's a big range!! Can someone tell me more specific? The young man at the store said 99 and I have had it consistently at 98 using a thermometer on the floor of my 16 gallon galvanized utility pail. I have about 1.5 inches of pine shavings on the floor of it too.

I am so excited!! They are so sweet!!

 

[ChooksChick]

Hi, and welcome to the addiction that will soon rule your former logic!

As you can see, it has already made you go stealth!

1st, you have lots of time to work on heating your coop, whatever it ends up being, but I would definitely suggest insulation if you can manage it. Ventilation is crucial, and will help you to rid your coop of moisture, which can be worse than ambient temps in the cold. My girls heat the coop up to a point via body heat, but I use a ceramic no-light heat element in a clamp lamp (screws make it permanently clamped for safety) aimed at the roost in the winter.

2nd, if your county is working on any changes at all, you need to get anyone together you can, to whom this is of interest, and present the county with an ordinance that considers birds OK- assuming the noise and smell are managed. Look at my BYC page to see what our city just did, and you can offer up our ordinance as an example.

3rd,your babies will tell you when the temperature is correct. If they try to sleep standing up or huddled tightly together, they are too cold. You can lower their lamp a bit, or aim it more directly at them. If they are at all panting, or have their wings out consistently, they are too hot. Make sure you fix it fast if you see this. Don't confuse 'sun-bathing' for being too hot- sometimes they'll stretch their wings out and lie back like Coppertone babes!

When the temps are just right, they'll act as if it's not an issue, and sprawl out to sleep in all sorts of odd positions.

Ask away if you have any other questions, and-

CONGRATS!!! I hope your new girls are fabulously healthy, and that you can enjoy them for a long, long time!!

Wheeeee!

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

ChooksChick,

thanks for all the great info! The babies are in their own bedroom (my computer room). They will remain in here until its time to move into their new coop (which my husband still needs to build). I am obviously still awake just watching them, making sure they are okay. They are sleeping on their bellies, two of them are side by side, and one is near the food. They seem very content.

Our neighborhood that we've lived in for 13 years just started a yahoo group and has started to have meetings! I am so excited about that, so soon I will put out some feelers on their thoughts towards chickens etc. Perhaps we will start a Chicken Support Crew to try and secure our rights to have chickens in the city limits (nothing found yet that prohibits them).

I will definately let you know when I have more questions ~ thanks again

Excited!

 

[ChooksChick]

I'm in the same boat...I have one perched on the display of my laptop as I lay here in bed tapping away, another on my chest. It's almost embarrassing, but that's why I'm here, not at Martha Stewart's site! I'm sure it's unacceptable to somebody, somewhere. The chickies will go to bed soon...

Our city also had a law that ended up not really being a decent law- they had to form an ordinance fast that actually held water, as it got out and everyone started getting birds. It's very basic, but it makes enough sense and is clear on number and no roos. You could start a group and sign a petition attached to a copy of ours, and Austin's, and Portland's, etc. It's a very popular thing, and some cities don't want to seem restrictive when ideas are considered progressive elsewhere.

We DID form a chicken group- Coalition of Lawrence Urban Chicken Keepers- or C.L.U.C.K.

It carried enough weight that we got our ordinance! Best of luck!

 

[DLV58]

Hi Everyone
LittleMamaBigPapa, Bomgaars in C.B is where I got 3 chicks from
1 Iowa Blue
1 BC Marans
1 Buff Orpington which I'm sorry to say died 2 days later...
the other 2 are doing well

Hope your Orps are doing well !!!

 

[drumstick diva]