Illinois...

[ChicagoClucker]

Is anyone letting their chickens out in this cold? I kept mine in the coop today and feeling bad about it. But I figure its better than frostbite! And I have totally broke my rule about no feed in the coop.

 

[SixChickFlock]

Day three of confined to the coop. I tried to let them out the first and second days... Not interested. They seem happy to be not in the wind, rain and snow. If it really hits 20-30 this weekend I'll offer yard treats and get them out.

 

[Faraday40]

I opened the run yesterday during the snowfall. Instead of the usual rush of chickens, I saw a head peak out & go back in, then another.... and another. Even after I called & waited with my camera ready to get those 1st pics of chickens in the snow, none came out. Not even a single chicken footprint in the snow. And, all my breeds are supposed to be "winter hardy." I didn't bother offering free range time today. They'll be fine in the coop/run during this cold snap.





"Does she seriously expect us to walk through snow for our treats?"

The only heater I have is for their water bucket. I must report that the horiz nipples are working very well. The chickens were able to drink this morning. (Last year, my water in the bucket stayed liquid, but the vertical nipples froze.) The new design is closer to the water so only the very tip outside may freeze. The chickens easily pecked the thin ice off the tip to drink. An added bonus is that they don't leak when in use. (No ice slick under the waterer.)

 

[NotAFarm]

The only heater I have is for their water bucket. I must report that the horiz nipples are working very well. The chickens were able to drink this morning. (Last year, my water in the bucket stayed liquid, but the vertical nipples froze.) The new design is closer to the water so only the very tip outside may freeze. The chickens easily pecked the thin ice off the tip to drink. An added bonus is that they don't leak when in use. (No ice slick under the waterer.)

Good to know!!

I'll be looking into the horizontal nipples. What kind of heater do you have in the bucket?

 

[Faraday40]

Good to know!!

I'll be looking into the horizontal nipples. What kind of heater do you have in the bucket?

I got a submergible Birdbath / fountain heater like this: http://www.amazon.com/Farm-Innovato...1420516638&sr=8-2&keywords=submersible+deicer
It's supposed to only turn on when needed & I've never had "warm" water, but always liquid water. The price went up a lot since summer 2013 when I bought it.

The heater may be over-kill, though. Since I cannot carry a 5 gal bucket filled with water, mine is never filled more than 3/4. Someone else made the same waterer & used heat tape around the bottom with a thermo cube outlet to regulate the temperature. http://www.amazon.com/Farm-Innovato..._sim_lg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1QBTZK65ASPKA32PQS79

I must say, though, that if a suburban girl who can't even carry a 5 gal bucket can build a heated chicken waterer, it must be simple! LOL

 

[LinaNate]

We don't have snow on the ground here in southern Illinois and my flock is very eager to bust out the door when I go open it up each morning. They eat and some will go back inside for the warmth/ heat lamp but the rest just carry on outside no problem. We wanted to keep em locked up but they were pitching a huge fit in the coop so...

I wish we had some snow to go with this arctic cold!

 

[ChicagoClucker]

I figured I would let them out for a bit this morning, but they all took turns coming to the door and looking disappointed and turning back around. I think it is going to be a long week for them. Even chickens, will be looking forward to the weekend!

 

[Faraday40]

Boy it's cold out there!!! I was lucky enough to find 2 warm eggs this morning.

(More eggs may come later, but it's quite a challenge to find a warm one in this weather!)
Next time I go out, I'll have to bring some type of treat to keep them busy today.
I have a simple hanging suet cage that I fill with kitchen scraps for them to peck.

What do you do to keep boredom & pecking away?

 

[JustHenny]

I hung a head of lettuce just above chicken height. I kind of shredded it a little with long cuts so they could get it easier.They really wanted the fresh greens so they jumped and hopped half the morning to get the nom noms. keep your camera ready... I also do mealworm suet in a cage at their height. Plus I put some leftover spaghetti noodles out yesterday. I don't think they realize that they aren't worms. They chased each other playing snatch and grab for a while.

 

[rfreedlund]

Boy it's cold out there!!!

It still amazes me how well they handle the cold, though. You can tell they aren't as comfortable, but they do deal with it. Definitely better than most of us do.

I did finally breakdown though early this morning and put a heat lamp over my broody's maternity cage to give her a bit more warmth. I still can't believe she went broody when she did, but she has been insistent and hung in there like a trooper. Temperatures are only supposed to reach a high of -5 F (-15 F for a low) tomorrow so I wanted her to be a bit more comfortable, though it still feels cold where she is, just not like the rest of the coop. Her hatch should occur around Saturday when temperatures should still only reach 14 F for the day. We'll see if she is able to see it through.