Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[NovaAman]

There is a feed store down here Holland way that has organic feed. I forget where Juise said it was... I am not sure where there is one in Muskegon... I think though that it is on Bluestar, there is a feed place right around there, just after you get off the highway at that exit... I can try and get ahold of her and see unless she pops in to answer in the next day or so...

 

[Stacykins]

You know it is cold outside when the wood/coal furnace, which on its own normally keeps the house toasty and warm, is struggling a bit to do so. The propane furnace has kicked in a few times tonight to 'help'.

I am keeping the furnace well loaded with coal tonight and it is running at a perfect temperature. I like coal at night, since it can go the night without needing stoked. But coal takes a bit more finesse to keep happy, compared to wood. Plus it needs a furnace meant to handle coal. A normal wood burner won't be able to do so safely.

 

[eeyore75]

This is why I need it to warm up soon! I am over run with babies in the basement!!








LOL.... I would so do this....... we had grow out crates (big wire dog pens and rabbit stacks) in the basement last spring/summer...... my BF stated when I set the incubators up last week and the brooders that I was NOT to keep crowing roos in the house this year .......... were waiting for the show and wanted those 4 to stay nice.....

 

[gladahmae]

-1 degree and dropping. and WINDY!! Poor little chickens! I spotted a draft in the small coop today.

Got it blocked off with some insulation so hopefully SNOW will stop sneaking in there, and they are a little happier. We also made a 'tent' over the roost bars in the big coop. My hope with that is that it will knock down any drafts that I haven't found yet, and give a lower ceiling for them so their body heat doesn't dissipate so quickly. It probably isn't doing much, but I'll sleep better knowing I did something.

Keeping the waterers useable is not fun right now. The water in the buckets continues to be fine, but there is a LOT of frost build-up on the inside of the buckets today, and I had to defrost the dispensers twice. I'll probably defrost them and also stick out the rubber pan tomorrow morning with some warm water to get them warmed up. I'm really glad right now that we didn't hatch any more eggs this fall, and that we stayed logical and didn't get more chicks last month.

 

[mrcush]

I have to admit, I'm glad a ran electricity into the chicken coop. I've had the heat lamp on since yesterday. 4 degrees here, I hope they bunched together to stay warm!

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

I have little giant and hovabators and MUCH prefer my hovabator. It is much more consistant. My LG is prone to temp spikes and dips and is very hard to get set where I want it.

Thanks! Do you think it is because of the material they are constructed out of, or is it just the interworkings themselves?

 

[Opa]

COLD just doesn't seem like enough word to describe how it feels this morning. Hope needs to be at her son's house at 7am to take care of the twins. Rather than worry about her getting there safely I will take her.

 

[ladyrsanti]

I will admit to being terrified of going out to the coop later this morning. They'll all be lying on the ground, frozen solid... at least that's my fear. It's 1F right now, -17C. How anything could be alive out there...

 

[Opa]

It's -2 here and still dropping. I have no auxillary heat in my coop and since it is draft free I'm not concerned about the birds.

 

[RaZ]

It looks like the Topic of the Day will be how cold it is.
"How cold is it, Johnny"?

I'll take fresh water out when it gets light and check the birds. Then it will be off to the courthouse, yet again. There are two of us on the docket today.