Idaho?

[SusanRenee]

X2! What kind of bird did that come out of?

It was either my BCFM or my Welsumer. Both of them layed speckled eggs yesterday, so I'm not sure which, usually my Welsumer is more speckled. Today they were both solid brown....

 

[Mo5C]

I have 6 in there. I have 1 Easter Egger, 2 red sex links, 1 olive egger, 1 australorp, and a leghorn/olive egger mix I believe if I remember correcrly thats what she is. Want to add some bantams, marans and some slw this spring.

I have 2 gorgeous SLW's that I want to trade to my sister for two of her EE's ( I am working on getting an olive egger "project" started in the spring), but it all hinges on my dad okaying the trade because his money bought the SLW's. The rest of my flock; 2 Americaunas, a RIR and my old lady hen that's an Amber Star came from craigslist for free (my RIR i paid 5$ for though off Craigslist.

 

[Pele]

Hello fellow Idaho ppl. I have a very sweet cuckoo Marans rooster that is in need of re-homing. He's about 8 weeks old currently, and has clean shanks.

Please let me know if you, or anyone you know is interested in a free roo. I'm willing to deliver within an hour of Boise too!

 

[cindylo]

Hi!

It's been terribly cold here in Idaho Falls, and we've been trying to prevent frostbitten combs and possibly freezing to death the 4 hens in our little coop. We have 2 25 watt red bulbs on 24/7 and have installed a 75 watt bulb (covered) inside the little coop as well. This has brought the "indoor" temperature up to between 11 and 21 degrees F. The outsoor temperature has hovered between -17 and 6 above 0. Nobody has laid eggs for a week now, but so far everybody looks OK.. Do you have any other suggestions for us? Is this "normal?"

 

[MeAndTheBoyz]

Hi!

It's been terribly cold here in Idaho Falls, and we've been trying to prevent frostbitten combs and possibly freezing to death the 4 hens in our little coop. We have 2 25 watt red bulbs on 24/7 and have installed a 75 watt bulb (covered) inside the little coop as well. This has brought the "indoor" temperature up to between 11 and 21 degrees F. The outsoor temperature has hovered between -17 and 6 above 0. Nobody has laid eggs for a week now, but so far everybody looks OK.. Do you have any other suggestions for us? Is this "normal?"

It has been my limited experience that production does drop considerably in cold weather. Chickens can keep themselves warm, or produce eggs - not both. My flock seems to do well in the temp range you currently have in your coop. when it gets around 10 or lower NO ONE is laying an egg. I have quite a diverse group of birds - i have been getting about 5-6 eggs out of 11 hens when I maintain the 15-20 degrees in their coop. I do have some free-loaders that refuse to lay when it is lower than 30 degrees. Hoping the sun comes soon

I wasn't going to heat my coop, but when the temps dropped so low I did add heat lamps - on the advice of a friend of mine who has raised chickens for years out here in Canyon County. I do have 2 hens with frost bite - poor things. no more large comb breeds for me!

I also supplement extra protein through cracked wheat cereal. I cook it up fresh every morning and put it out on pie tins for them. The hens LOVE it.

 

[IcyOldHen]

We had an unusually warm fall in SE Idaho. The first day it really snowed & stayed was Christmas Eve.

I let my broody little silkie hen have 6 eggs I got from Daloorashens late that night. Our temps have been pretty brutally cold ever since.

I pulled 3 of the eggs for not developing 5 days later. Another I was sure was a dud but left it. The other two had such thick shells I couldn't see a thing through them so let her keep them to sit on. With the extreme cold we've had I figured no way would any hatch!

The temp early this morning was -20°F (twenty below zero!).

One chick hatched this morning and one is working on it.

To the feed store for another heat lamp! Bill says I going to overload the circuit to the barn!

Hope the other (maybe both?) make it out of the shell. And I hope they're not roosters!

The chicks are olive eggers (1st generaltion? EE x Blue Marans roo).

 

[pawtraitart]

When it's extra cold I give my birds a warm mash. I recently started fermenting grains so I just heat it up a little and scoop some out for each coop. They love it!

 

[Daloorashens]

I just have to share this gorgeous egg I got yesterday....

Ohhhh... love it!! one of my Heritage Delawares sometimes puts spots on her eggs, I love those spots!!

Hi!

It's been terribly cold here in Idaho Falls, and we've been trying to prevent frostbitten combs and possibly freezing to death the 4 hens in our little coop. We have 2 25 watt red bulbs on 24/7 and have installed a 75 watt bulb (covered) inside the little coop as well. This has brought the "indoor" temperature up to between 11 and 21 degrees F. The outsoor temperature has hovered between -17 and 6 above 0. Nobody has laid eggs for a week now, but so far everybody looks OK.. Do you have any other suggestions for us? Is this "normal?"

I have not been heating, but my coop is draft free with the vent holes up top and the chickens do a pretty good job warming it up at night... I have a grow-out pen which I use when it's warmer, but I opened up the 2 pens during the winter for more pecking space and had 2 hens spend the night in the little grow-out coop the other night and the door wasn't closed b/c I didn't realize they were in there!!! I was horrified when I saw them out there the next morning in the sun.. it had gotten well below zero that night... Amazingly, they look fine, eating, drinking, walking, flapping, etc, but have been checking that little coop every night since then!! But, egg production has definitely gone down with the awful cold...

When it's extra cold I give my birds a warm mash. I recently started fermenting grains so I just heat it up a little and scoop some out for each coop. They love it!

I really want to try that fermenting feed......

So fun to see so many people posting!!!

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Hi! I live on the Wyoming side of the border but we spend a lot of weekends in Idaho Falls, so I thought I would come over and say hello

 

[IcyOldHen]

I want to start fermenting grain too. I'm interested in growing fodder also! Sadly there is just so many hours in a day & I never have time for everything I want to learn! Currently I am sprouting wheat, oats & corn. Only my main flock really eats the sprouted corn. I wonder if they'd like it better fermented?

Here are my three Olive Egger chicks that hatched outside in the barn yesterday after our brutally cold -20°F temperatures!

They all seem to be doing great. Just an annoyed little hen from me removing her from the nest for a photo!