Illinois...

[Faraday40]

I throw mealworms & scratch grains in the yard.

My poor Einstein is dropping more feathers today. I really wish the bald little hen would stay inside the coop. I must dig out a saddle ASAP. To make it worse, the run addition is being put into place now. My handyman is inside it & surrounded by curious chickens. Normally when it's this cold, they spend a lot of time inside the coop, but I guess they can't wait to use the new run. I'll send some pics when it's done.

 

[JustHenny]

Black oil sunflower seeds and meal worms get added a few times a week now. I also harvested the last of the greens in my garden into plastic bags that went into the freezer. I can take a bag out, thaw it and put greens in the run for some meal diversity in the winter. The last of the ugly brussels sprouts too. Plus, i always give them the extra plain noodles from pasta dinners. They think the noodles are worms and run around snatching them from each other, so good winter exercise!

 

[Faraday40]

So here's the little addition. The roof is hinged & lifts for cleaning. The chicken door joining it can be closed to make it a separate living space. (I'm sure I'll have a future use for it... like for breeding, broody hen & chicks, rooster time out, etc.) For now, I have 3 extra chickens I wasn't planning on, so more sheltered space is my need. The wind picked up & I really had to thaw myself out. I'll put some plastic sheeting on it tomorrow. By spring, I'm sure I'll find some new ways to tweak it & I'll decorate it then.

 

[Nwchickma]

Looks like it's going to be a cold one! Down to 9 degrees tonight without the wind chill. Hope everyone is snuggled up nice and warm.

 

[rfreedlund]

Looks like it's going to be a cold one! Down to 9 degrees tonight without the wind chill. Hope everyone is snuggled up nice and warm.

Up here in the Rockford area, it was 7 degrees when I let them out this morning and most of them were still anxious to get out. My two Easter Eggers are the least likely to come out, though. It was humorous the other day when I opened their pop-hole and there was the half-inch or so of snow on the ground. They are so used to just piling out, but they weren't so sure then. Leave it to one of my leghorns, though, to be the first to just start walking through the light snow and making its rounds. I threw some scratch grains in their run and it didn't take long for them to start going for them and melting more and more of the area. My Australorps seemed to be handling it the best.

At night, they do get a bit closer together and I had to remove a Barred Rock from a nesting box, but I found space between two others for her on the roost. They also shield their heads more in their feathers, but overall I am quite pleased how they are handling. I still got 33 eggs yesterday out of 46 layers. We'll see what today brings.

It appears that I do have a leghorn with a bleeding comb that I will attempt to treat a bit tonight, though I don't think it was necessarily because of the cold. I also am working on completing their new horizontal nipple waterers as changing their water in this cold without spilling too much in the coop or on me is difficult.

Regardless, I saw chickens survive last winter's sub-zero temperatures and I am pleased with mine right now. I just wish the cold would have waited a little bit longer. We expect this in January, but not before Thanksgiving!!

 

[Faraday40]

Those horiz nipples look so interesting that I ordered some the other day. I currently have verticle nipples in a 5 gal bucket with heater. Water is liquid but vert nipples freeze at low temps. Plus an ice berg forms below it. Can't wait to try the new ones.

My chickens came out as usual but didn't stay out all day. Flurries, but no real snow yet near Chicago.

 

[Nwchickma]

My girls have been screaming (well the chicken equivalent) to get out. The other day we had single digit temp wind chills and every time a gust would come their poor little butts were all ruffled but that didn't drive them back in. They are definitely more prepared than I am! I hate this weather.

 

[SixChickFlock]

Even on the coldest morning my gals were out of the hen house at dawn, waiting to get out in the yard.

They are learning to peck at the thin ice cover in the water fountain. Having four identical plastic fountains is really nice. One goes to the run first thing in the morning to replace the frozen over one from the night before. The other three rotate out and in as needed. The heated one in the run stays liquid during the day... So far.

In another month the days will start to get longer!!!

 

[NotAFarm]

Even on the coldest morning my gals were out of the hen house at dawn, waiting to get out in the yard.

They are learning to peck at the thin ice cover in the water fountain. Having four identical plastic fountains is really nice. One goes to the run first thing in the morning to replace the frozen over one from the night before. The other three rotate out and in as needed. The heated one in the run stays liquid during the day... So far.

In another month the days will start to get longer!!!

This is how I look at it, it is what keeps me from going bonkers with winter!!

My flock ventures out but not as far from the coop as when the weather is nice.

My Fall décor looked a bit out of place on Monday but now most of the snow is gone and the rain this weekend will take care of what is left. I refuse to put any Christmas stuff out until after Thanksgiving.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

My girls have been out every day. The cold is not stopping them, even though they don't seem to be to thrilled with the cold. I did move them into their new coop I built in the garage. But today was the first day I did not get a single egg! I left the garage lite on yesterday and today til 10 maybe I messed them up.