Maine

[kinsey228]

Quote:
As long as their combs don't get frostbite, they're fine. Why are chickens so addicting ?

 

[happytraylz]

Quote:
As long as their combs don't get frostbite, they're fine. Why are chickens so addicting ?

I know, right!?

I wish I could have some of each breed!! And hatching those lil fluffy chicks is just way too exciting and fun! Hubby's gonna be building a few more coops before long!

 

[happytraylz]

Quote:
here is the hendersons chicken chart. shows what breeders are winter hardy, average# of eggs, egg size, , very good general breed info to get you started.
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

And thanks for the site Hoppy, it has a lot of helpful info..

 

[ejcimd]

Not a one of my Buckeye ladies are laying yet they are just a bit over six months. Hope to start getting eggs over the next couple of months.

All the incubator chat has me imaging having a rainbow across my back yard of chickens...

Russian Orloffs (a dream of mine)

Some of those dark egg layers and some of the EE's so I can have the most beautiful cartons of eggs any "non-chicken" person ever saw...

Sort of like that "Visions of colored eggs dancing in my head"...

 

[Coldweatherbirds]

I started leaving the coop light on from 3pm until 8pm. I'm getting more eggs now. I was getting 1 every other day with them molting and the daylight shortening. Now I'm getting 7-9 each day. Not great considering I have 21 hens and a roo. Three hens are too young, so 18 ought to be laying. 4 or 5 of the ladies are over 2 years old. So, Ideally I'd like to see 13 eggs a day! My blue speckled maran just started laying, beautiful brown eggs!

The only time I had trouble with the cold was when my lamp was too close to the water and it made the coop humid last winter. A couple small frostbites on combs. As a child we had a few bantams that roosted in the trees and we couldn't get them in. I remember a couple lost toes and combs, but it was a long time ago. They lived through the winter, but it's not a happy childhood memory.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

My leghorns only got a small touch of frostbite at the end of their combs last winter, and it went away, nothing was damaged to the point of falling off, luckily. I did not cover the combs or wattles with vaseline or similar, I do not heat the coop but keep it well ventilated. I do heat the waterer, with a base. They spent most of the day outside, but did go into the coop to warm up and lay eggs.

I say get whatever kind of chicken(s) you want.

 

[Widget]

Geez my computer goes down for a day and look at all the posts.

I guess this nice weather has everyone dreaming of spring and all the chickens they can add to their flocks.
I know people worry about cold temperatures and various chicken breeds. But, as has already been said, a nice dry ventilated coop keeps most breeds happy all winter. No different than all the wild birds who stay for the winter and frequent our bird feeders. They seems to survive the winters fine. Biggest issue is egg production. Some breeds are better winter layers than others. Supplementing light often helps but I choose to not run my electric bill up so if live with fewer eggs this time of year. Granted with only one EE hen I'm not exactly swimming in eggs anyway. But she is thoughtful and lays an egg every other day or so on my front porch in a little sheltered spot between a couple of trash cans.

 

[kinsey228]

I heard that putting some Vaseline on their combs will prevent them from frostbite. I might have to try that because my Leghorns' combs are HUGE. In the spring, if anyone has any Wyandotte, Marans, or other chicks for sale, I would like to get some. I don't trust myself with incubators yet. My hubby built one new coop this year. He'd freak if he had to build another

ejcimd, I love my EE's. Their eggs are a beautiful blue, and hopefully my Olive-Egger will start laying soon. My ladies lay white, pink, tan, brown, and blue eggs, so far. Now all I need is one (or more) that actually lay dark-chocolate colored eggs, and green, then my rainbow flock will be complete !

 

[RHB]

Got some new turkeys today

Thank you PollyC

 

[buckabucka]

I'm getting only 2 eggs per day from my 27 hens, but I don't light the coop and 8 of them are young and haven't started laying yet.

If you really want eggs all winter, get a leghorn (I don't have golden comets, but I imagine they are the same). My leghorn is in her second year, and she is laying almost every day.

Chanteclers are great winter breeds, but be prepared to watch them sit on the nest all spring and summer.

For some reason, my EEs all take long breaks in the winter (even in their first year), but they are worth it for their pretty eggs.

I like the idea of another member on the forum, "Fred's Hens". He keeps 2 flocks, - one flock is young production hens that supply eggs year round, the other is an assortment of nice breeds, what he calls "yard art". If you check out his page, he has a long article about chickens and egg production that I found very informative. Someday, I'd like to try his 2 flock approach.