Looks like they have room to move around
I like all the windows, nice.
Do you have some ventilation up high?
I understand you have had really frigid temps, so I'm not knocking the heat lamps, just check them to make sure they don't say "shatter resistant" or are Teflon coated. They most likely are not since all your birds are alive (teflon coated bulbs emit toxic fumes that will kill birds). With your temps, I can imagine it's been a battle to keep unfrozen water going. I'm not near as cold as you reported, but I still changed water frequently - it would freeze quickly here in NC.
We all want to make our birds comfortable in cold weather, blocking wind is important, but they do need ventilation, so some open vents along the roofline would be good.
You mentioned that both birds that you lost were meat birds - what breed? If they were something like Cornish Cross, then with a light on they will eat and eat if food is available. Meat birds are not long lived and can succumb to organ failure after a period of time.
If you have them closed in for winter, just a heads up - make some poultry grit (crushed granite) available free choice so they can process foods properly.
I'm very sorry you've had trouble, sometimes when a bird dies, we may never know the cause without further investigation (necropsy). Your birds seem to be happy and have good shelter. Hopefully things will start to get brighter for you.
I like all the windows, nice.Do you have some ventilation up high?
I understand you have had really frigid temps, so I'm not knocking the heat lamps, just check them to make sure they don't say "shatter resistant" or are Teflon coated. They most likely are not since all your birds are alive (teflon coated bulbs emit toxic fumes that will kill birds). With your temps, I can imagine it's been a battle to keep unfrozen water going. I'm not near as cold as you reported, but I still changed water frequently - it would freeze quickly here in NC.
We all want to make our birds comfortable in cold weather, blocking wind is important, but they do need ventilation, so some open vents along the roofline would be good.
You mentioned that both birds that you lost were meat birds - what breed? If they were something like Cornish Cross, then with a light on they will eat and eat if food is available. Meat birds are not long lived and can succumb to organ failure after a period of time.
If you have them closed in for winter, just a heads up - make some poultry grit (crushed granite) available free choice so they can process foods properly.
I'm very sorry you've had trouble, sometimes when a bird dies, we may never know the cause without further investigation (necropsy). Your birds seem to be happy and have good shelter. Hopefully things will start to get brighter for you.
