It's cold out, and I need to adjust to bird #s & problems

[7L Farm]

Grow up & take responsibility for your animals. Its gonna be the same every year cold. Get a routine & stick to it no matter what. This is a great opportunity your facing it will teach you how to be responsible & trust me you need to learn this at an early age. Your birds are pets are part of your family so treat them as family. Do not leave them without water its not fair. You can do it so get on with it. Don't give up push on to better yourself & others around you.
I have 5 coops & they are all relying on me to provide for them. Its freezing cold here & I've been out checking their waterers & giving them oatmeal .

 

[mstricer]

For one it is extremely cold outside, but you have to give them water. I love the heated dog dish. I think what is happening, is your ducks are playing in it. When I had a bunch of runs to do, in the winter, I would fill up jugs in evening done.. I actually have to be at work at 7am. I have to leave by 6:30. I get up at 5am. I am the slowest person getting ready, 500 hundred things to do. The solution was to climb out of bed throw outside clothes over PJ's feed and water. You are then really awake to start your day. Just think if your mom said "Sorry the water is broke and its to cold to go to the store. Except the chickies can't just go and get a glass of water or open the feed up, we have to.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

I am a GIANT wimpy baby about cold. I am also perpetually cold, no matter what (frighteningly low blood pressure). My biggest concern when I moved to Maine was how I would do on these winter mornings, lugging water buckets to the ducks (lots - have to fill that pool), and getting the birds fed & watered everyday.
I have been lucky, so far I really enjoy it. I get up 30 minutes before the kids have to get up for school (I am NOT a morning person either, not by any stretch of the imagination), start the coffee & head out to the coops. By the time I am done feeding & watering everyone, letting the cat in & out 900 times, and giving the boys their first wake up call, the coffee is ready & I can relax for about 20 minutes before I get ready for work. It takes about 15/20 minutes.
I kept my flock small - 4 chickens, 3 ducks - just in case I wasn't up to the task.
Some things that make it easier - MY MOUNTAIN GEAR DOWN JACKET & DOWN PANTS, a nice pair of fingerless gloves, a hat, and --- I put (on very cold days) a couple of well sealed ball jars of hot water in my pockets. (Like the warm potato that Laura Ingalls Wilder's Mom gave them to keep in their pockets on cold winter mornings.) I also bring the feeders & waterers in on cold nights, so I just have to fill them & deposit them in the morning. (I still usually end up out there chatting with the flock for a few minutes, and watching to see that everyone is acting their usual selves.

But, I think the thing that makes it easiest (aside from the fact that work has been so gosh darn busy I have been more focused on not wanting to be there than on not wanting to be outside with the chickens/ducks) is leaving for work in the morning knowing my ducks & chickens (cat and kids) have enough warm water to get through until I get home, have been fed & are laying gorgeous eggs, even on cold, dark days. FOCUS ON HOW GOOD IT FEELS TO DO THE RIGHT THING for your pets.

Again, I am not trying to scold, but it is a CHOICE we all have to make, like anything else. You need to choose to listen to that voice that says, "I should go water the critters again". Maybe that would be a good New Year's resolution. Remember - it only takes 5 weeks to make a habit of something. (Unfortunately, it takes fewer days to undo that habit.)

 

[Nicole01]

I have a heater in my coop. My coop is also in our garage. I still have my chair and sit with them. I keep the coop about 40 degrees. Their run is covered with plastic and I'm glad we did. The ground never froze and they take dirt bath's everyday.

 

[goldies99]

you dont want to go out because of cold weather??....you wanted the animals...so take care of them!...how do you think you would feel if you had to be out there
and no one gave you food or water!.....try sitting out there when your hungry and thirsty and maybe you will change your mind about taking care of them.....if you
dont want to care for them...maybe you should think about giving them to someone who WILL take care of them!

 

[mandelyn]

I always think of the cold when it actually gets cold. What was I doing last evening just before the sun went down in 19 degree weather with a nice wind chill? Stapling plastic down the seam of the doors and over the windows, leaving just enough for ventilation. As well as "installing" 2 1 gallon heated dog bowls, one for 6 chickens, and one for 5 ducks. Curious to see when the ducks have it empty.

First time using heated bowls. Previously I stuck a light bulb angled at the side of their usual waterer, about 9 inches away. That worked until it got down below zero a couple of nights in a row.

I always carry hot water out there, more for my hands than the birds. I'm a sissy, but the animals need care. You need to dress in 2 layers.

Stretch pants with jeans over them. Socks pulled over the stretch pants. Thick boots.

Long sleeve tshirt, regular tshirt over that. sweater over that. You'll be hot already! Then wrap a scarf around your neck, a hat or ear protection. Put gloves on, THEN put your coat on. That seals you up into a toasty bundle that will keep you warm enough to feed, water, clean, and check on everyone.

As soon as you get water figured out, a larger heated water and the dog bowl for the ducks... or splitting the ducks from the chickens since they destroy water quickly.. having the ducks away from the chickens will keep the chickens and ducks both in water longer. Once you have an amount figured out that lasts all day, then you only need to go out there once a day.

 

[Time-Out]

Quote:
I was going to suggest the same thing. Go to bed ten minutes earlier, get up ten minutes earlier.

Alternative solution: buy a second dog bowl, but that means lugging twice as much water to fill them up...

Whatever you do, do NOT think of it as a chore, otherwise you get into negative thinking and talk yourself out of it. Remember it's a pleasure to keep animals, and therapeutic to spend time with them. When I was 14, I used to go to bed gone midnight (don't tell my mum), but was out of bed like a flash, because there was a little donkey I had to go and check on before school. Clean bucket of water, change his bandages (he had permanent foot problems due to poor care) and feed. At 21, I was up at 6am to turn out and muck out horses before lectures at 9. They weren't mine and I never rode them, but still I got pleasure from being able to make an animal's life more comfortable. Am I making sense or should I just shut up? lol

It can't be enjoyable walking a dog in the rain, but surely it MUST be enjoyable spending time with the dog no matter what the weather? Maybe my view is rose-tinted, but as others have said: if you won't do it, you shouldn't have them. Whether they be dogs, horses, chickens or ducks.

 

[Midwest Lizabeth]

I haven't tried this, but I think I read about it on this site. . .there are so many ideas on this site.
Do you have a "normal" chicken waterer that the ducks don't mess with? Try filling the heated dog bowl with dry sand. . .and put your regular waterer on top of the heated sand/dog waterer. Check on it the first day to see if it works.

I'd think putting it in a corner with some kind of insulation (thinking one of those cheap, broken stryo-foam coolers) might help. . . covered with something the chickens won't eat... . old tin or boards. . .two sides on the walls & on top of a waterer. I make sure to cover the stryo-foam, as I bet it could make the chickens very sick if they ate any of it. This is just one idea. . . do be very careful with the electrical cord. I bet you've got some ideas as well.

You have too many animals for one small waterer. We only had six chickens and they would empty our heated dog bowl twice a day. When we got more chickens, we got one of those large metal waterers and a heated base for it.

With all your chickens and ducks, talk to your friends or relatives to see if they have any ideas. Don't rely upon them to take care of your animals, just see if they may have a suggestion that you haven't considered.

Go to rummage sales or thrift shops with a family member and get an old snowmobile suit and a good pair of old winter boots so that you won't be cold. It doesn't matter what the stuff looks like as long it keeps you warm. If you are comfortable, it will be easier to go outside and do what needs to be done. I have barn clothes and good clothes. As soon as I come home, I put on my barn boots and barn coat to go my chores.

Please take care of your animals. They especially need you when it is so cold.

 

[1muttsfan]

I also live in Michigan (even colder here I think!) and while I sympathize with not loving the cold, you have taken on the responsiility of these animal's care. You owe it to both them and yourself to provide them with what they need to live. If you find this too hard to do, maybe you should find them another home until a time in your life when you have more time and interest in them. I really applaud you for owning up to not doing as good a job as you should be, that shows real strength of charactor. Now you just need to apply that strength to doing a better job, or finding somewhere else for your birds.

I'm really interested in that sand-in-heated waterbowl idea, may just experiment with that myself, may be a solution to my small coop. I moved all the birds into the big coop for the winter because I only have one heated base. The things you learn on BYC...

 

[Louise's Country Closet]

I'm a very heavy woman and I hate hate hate winter because it takes me SO long to get dressed to go outside.. but I know those animals depend on me so I suck it up and go. I don't mean to be rude, but if you don't want the responsibility of taking care of them when it's inconvenient, than maybe you shouldn't have them? Minnesota winters are harsh, so there's no excuse that you can't go outside and inconvenience yourself to bring them water. Unfortunately there's no way to magically take care of the animals without going outside.

Have you considered buying large heated water dishes specifically for poultry? We have those for each of the coops and we make a few trips during the day to keep the ducks water filled, since they don't have electric in their coop.