Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Amerauchick17]

Well it's really well ventilated and dry, we have a poop board with PDZ, pine shavings on floor , the heat lamp is about 6ft off floor sort of over part of roost, they can't jump on it.

I think you could put a heat lamp in your coop without issues. As HollyDuckFarmer and Nigellas said, watch your birds' behavior and adjust accordingly. You really don't want it to be too warm, don't baby them by making it 40+ degrees in the coop. Good luck with your chickens in this misreable cold!

 

[chickflick]

I live in Davison. Not far from Holly or Fenton. Yes, if your chickens look miserable, give em some heat. Just be extra careful and make sure the lamp is secure. Don't want to be reading about coops burning down!!

 

[Amerauchick17]

I live in Davison. Not far from Holly or Fenton. Yes, if your chickens look miserable, give em some heat. Just be extra careful and make sure the lamp is secure. Don't want to be reading about coops burning down!!

Yeah, you're not far either. Glad to know there are other crazy chicken people nearby!

 

[Trefoil]

Valor is a name variety of winter barley. I Googled barley (http://static.squarespace.com/stati...4270518473/Valor Winter Barley tech sheet.pdf) and found information on where to get the seeds. A feed store in Big Rapids I found on Facebook was contacted and they can special order it by the bushel. I have a coworker (she buys my fresh eggs

)who travels from Lansing up to Big Rapids since that is her family home town. It was the only barley I could find that would be suitable for fodder growing in my area. I can tell this will feed my chickens the entire winter season (A bushel is around a 50 lb bag) and the cost of the growing medium only cost me about 20.00 total. Not bad for extra protein and giving them a good food source in the winter months.

Where are you located Trefoil?

I'm in Millington. ~ 30 NE of Flint. Thanks

 

[Amerauchick17]

Yeah, you're not far either. Glad to know there are other crazy chicken people nearby!

Lol, not that we're crazy! I happen to think we are the sane ones, keeping chickens is resposible for your family's health and wellness. And another plus, they're awesome!

 

[jorey]

Good morning everyone. I personally don't use a heat lamp. I have my run covered in heavy duty clear shower curtains and plywood. Looks awful but I sat in it for a while as I was doing chores yesterday to warm up. My flock of silkies all came out to socialize with me, much warmer than outside the pen. I had eggs shipped in that are supposed to arrive today, if I had known it was going to be this cold I would not have ordered them. I am off to work in a little bit so my mom and daughter will be picking them up if the post office calls. Daughter has insstructions to check porch every 15 minutes in case p.o doesn't call as they are supposed to. Lol. Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful day.

 

[snowflake]

waiting to hear from Opa,or 1mutsfann on the heat issue, as I stated earlier they are calling for -20 or lower for Monday, I do not have a heat lamp and haven't since my first yr. with chickens how ever I don't think we have had weather that cold in a long time, Sam has lots of experience and Mary lives in the UP...some others also and have had more experience with such cold temps.

 

[preciouskitty]

I, too, am waiting to hear from some of the long time chicken owners. They are saying that the temps starting Sunday night could be the coldest we have seen since 1994.

Besides my sick Spaz (who is in the house), I am not sure what the heck Mother Nature is thinking, but a couple of my girls are in a serious molt. One of the NHRs looks like she lost half of her feathers yesterday; she looks awful.

 

[Opa]

No doubt about it. It is cold. While not quite as cold as it has been, and not as cold as it is going to be, it is still miserable. The cold weather definitely is cause for concern. Eggs freeze if not collected often. Providing adequate water is also a cause for concern. Yet the reality is the cold is harder on us than it is for the birds.

While frostbitten birds is nothing to take lightly, providing supplemental heat is not the answer. Ensuring that your birds are in a draft free enclosure is the best preventative. Birds have the ability to expand their feathers to create insulating air spaces around their bodies. Also their body temperatures are higher than ours so we will feel the cold before they do. Never is ventilation more critical than it is during cold weather. Moisture is created by the birds as they exhale and it needs to escape. If not the humidity levels in your coop will rise and your birds will become damp. This dampness in concert with the cold is the major cause of frostbite. I keep upper windows open year around to allow this humidity to escape.

Birds need as much water in winter as they do during summer's hot spells. Heated waterers usually are some type of pan or pail with an element to keep the water warm. While this does keep the water from freezing, most allow the birds wattles to get wet. Which is why waterers with narrow openings are a much better bet. Unless you are using poultry waterer on a heated base, you are going to need to water your birds at least twice a day. Warm water freezes faster than cold so don't think using it helps. On the bright side we only have to worry for about 110 more days.

 

[taprock]

Gotta make it through February.....that's the month that gets me....shortest month, worst part of winter. We always get a "valentines thaw" that gets my hopes up and then it's back to single digits.

I feel the same way about February! I hate that month!

I have a meeting this morning, but thankfully I can skype it and not have to travel downstate! The chickens are not going to be let out first thing and will have to be patient.