Lights, Winter and egg laying

[Zookeeper9000]

Hunny if you have a hardware store you are doing great up here LOL. I am pretty close to the feed mill so I can find most stuff there.

I did have to have them order me layer pellets as they only have crumble and I like to mix my feed. I mix 2 part scratch to 1 part pellet and then throw some black sunflower seeds in that. They waste less. Got this mix from a lady who had the nicest show birds. I like how mine look on this mix.

Ya we did get hit with a little cold, and over 18 inches of snow in about 1 1/2 days LOL. So from the sounds of it you didn't insulate your coop? I really debated and just decided that I would insulate, I already had the roof, so I just got the plywood and insulation sheets this past sunday. Will be putting a couple of window's in and one door. It will have 3 pens inside. And I will be having a red light on a timer and a 2 florecent lights for when I need to be in there. Right now I have them in waste high insulated houses but it is a pain to clean and I want to be inside instead of outside to water and feed.

Thanks again for the update I have orps and dorkings. And tons of plans for hatching LOL

 

[roosmom]

LOL, can I call you ZK9? you can call me RM.

We do have some insulation in the coop. I have packed snow around the base, I stacked the new unused straw bales on the north side. We have a window right up above the roosts. Our door is a screen door with a window in it. If I thought for a minute that they were cold I would do lots more insulating. But they seem very happy. I am having a small problem with my ROO, but I am going to dose him up when I bring him in the house and hopefully that will cure him.

 

[Zookeeper9000]

RM you can call me ZK9 no problem. I think your set up is fine. I get hatching eggs from a local lady for $2 a doz (Isa brown/EE mix). She has hers in a PVC hoop house with that heavy plastic that menards sell, looks like a little green house. She puts hay all over the ground inside and out, they have it on wheels and moves it around the farm fields. Her nest boxes are on a foldable A frame and she just folds it up and moves it with the hoop coop.

If 90% of my yard wasn't trees I would of used this method. She has a solar fence charger and electric netting that moves when the house moves. It is a very neat set up.

Hope your Roo is ok. You can put petroleum jelly on the combs and wattles to protect from freezing. Somewhere there is a site that shows you how to dub, if you really need to.

 

[roosmom]

I am still new to some of these things ZK9. What is dub?

 

[WyanLuv]

So, would the overall guess be that the red light doesn't increase or decrease production on the eggs? I wanted to put a heat lamp in the chicken house this weekend as the temps have been around 30 and I feel so sorry for them with it being cold. I thought that I would have it turn on around 2 in the morning when it was the coldest out and have it turn out about 8 in the morning when the sun is shining in the coop and not have it turn on at night. If the red bulb makes them a little more "mellow" I am all for it because the Wyandotte pullets that are 32 weeks (and not laying) are picking on the RIR pullets that are 25 weeks (not laying) all the time. I get 3 eggs every other day from my EE's that are 32 weeks. I am not so much worried about egg production as to keeping them warm and happy. Would you say the red bulb would be a good investment or stick to the heat lamp bulb? I'm leaning towards the red, but does it put off much heat to keep my girls warm?

 

[roosmom]

Wyanluv, If your question is about the red bulb vs the heat bulb.....my comment would be, why not both? I know you can get a red heat lamp bulb. That would solve your quandry!
I do not think that 30's is bad for the chickies. I mean, I have blocked almost all the wind so there is no wind chill to worry about. ZK9 and I have had temps down to 10 and 15 degrees here. I know you feel bad for them....but once they go to bed, they are snug as bugs in a rug.
I feel they are much calmer with the red light instead of the white light. Red light MAY also alleviate some of the fighting, but I am not sure on that.
I, so far, feel that it has helped with the egg production.

 

[WyanLuv]

I think I might try a little experiment of my own and start with the red light bulb. They are in their house and we are going to be putting corn stalk bales around the outside of the house this weekend to insulate it better. I really would like to run a heat lamp in there to keep them a little warmer above freezing (mostly because I feel bad) but I am afraid of what it would do to my electric bill.

Maybe I will wait until the temps are around zero and they are really freezing. I really thought that the wyandottes were a more docile breed but there is just something about those RIR that they don't like.

I don't know why they bicker all the time. I would be absolutely thrilled if my freeloaders would start laying some eggs though! So I think I will try the red light and hope to accomplish happier chickies and more eggs. I have 30 some pullets, the youngest being the RIR that are 25 weeks. I would have thought I would be seeing SOMETHING from them by now... Well, here goes with the red light....

Though I think I might set it up for both light bulbs just in case. Then I have my bases covered. Thanks for the advice.....

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Dubbing is when they trim (cut) the comb and watttles off so they don't freeze. I couldn't do it but I know of people who do.

 

[roosmom]

Quote:
HuH, I think I already did that. We had one chicken who ripped his comb on the fence. It was only half on. I had to amputate the large piece that was hanging.

 

[roosmom]

Wyanluv, I think that sounds like a plan. Dont worry about the cold as long as they are protected from the wind.

20 eggs today 11-25-08