Michigan

[babigyrl22]

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That pink silkie better lay hot pink eggs I tell ya.

 

[chickendales]

if those silkie where not died they would be worth the $50 each show chicken can cost u a pretty pennie

 

[chickendales]

M.sue :

Quote:
you see my white cochin pullet and my feed under it lol


Well if I would of known.......I kept an eye out for your T-shirt to stroll by!! So you had enteries?​

yes i had showgirls calls and a white crested entered

 

[Olive Hill]

Alright! It's that time of year again, by the end of this week the Indian Summer we're experiencing is supposed to be on it's way out and forecasters are predicting a "brutal" winter to come.

Try as we might we will not be able to sit inside sipping a favorite warm cuppa all winter.

We have to get out there and do chores lest the birds (and various other animals) revolt!

Last year we shared our tips, tricks and favorite products for making it through the winter. This year let's do the same. I'll start, but I'm really looking forward to everyone else's winter survival posts so, please, join in! I need all the help I can get!

Here we go...

Reusable Handwarmers

I have these specific reusable handwarmers and they work wonderfully. The real bonus is, I found them at Younker's on Black Friday for just a couple of bucks a pair. They have to be boiled before you can reuse them (but each use lasts a LONG time and they're very warm) so this year I'm going to be on the look out for a few more pairs to stuff stockings and boost our supplies.

Bog or Muck Boot Company Chore Boots

I have Bogs (pictured) DH has Mucks. Both are excellent, quality boots that withstand the deepest freezes and keep our feet warm for hours outside. They're also comfortable, from November to April (some years longer) these boots are my uniform. Some days I'm on my feet 14+ hours in these and I've never found a more comfortable boot for that. Whether I'm standing around at an auction or moving around, feeding hogs they keep my feet warm and comfortable. (And DH's Mucks perform just as well under the same conditions.) I have the classic high chore boots that are pictured, but they also make some cute colored/styled boots for those that don't need quite as utilitarian a boot. All styles can be viewed on their website . Muck Boot Co. also has a website.

Fleece Socks

I've been quite disgruntled at the selection ever since I wore holes in the first pair of these I ever had (a pair I stole from DH back when we first started dating

) I prefer just solid colors myself, but most you find these days are funky patterns. At any rate, they keep your feet WARM, wick away moisture and leave a good buffer of warm air around your tootsies. They're a bit pricey, but worth every penny -- much like the boots above.

Fleece Headbands

Not what you think, though they are great for keeping your ears warm, they're even better as a mouth/nose warmer. I slip mine over my head and down around my neck as I'm getting ready and then just pull it up over my mouth and nose before I step outside. The knit ones let a lot more and a lot colder air through. Last year my fleece one came up missing in the middle of the winter and all I could find locally, in stores were the knit ones. They just don't work the same way, so hunt out a couple fleece ones early and make sure you've got back up.

Insulated Leather Gloves

They may not be pretty (much like the rest of this list, I suppose) but they're functional. You don't get warmer than a good pair of insulated leather gloves. Again, a little pricey, but think of them as an investment. They last forever and will keep your hands warm even when it's in the double digits below zero.

Carhartt Bibs

Spring for the polar-lined variety, ladies and gents, come January you'll be thankful for it. Why bibs rather than full overalls? Early and late in the season I wear my bibs without a coat. Anytime the thermometer nears 30 I ditch the coat and just wear my shirts (which you'll see coming up next) under the bibs. All of me stays warm -- including my legs -- but not too warm.

Layers - Hooded Sweatshirts

I have one hooded sweatshirt that is probably older than me. At one point it was black, it's now more of a dark charcoal grey, but it's warm, functional and fits perfectly under my bibs. I like hooded sweatshirts, specifically, because they come up around the neck. Some people will tell you if the head gets cold the rest of the body is soon to follow, for me it's the neck. If my neck gets cold it's all over for me. The hood, bunched up around my neck is a perfect buffer to the cold, not too restrictive, and warm. The sweatshirt can't do all the work though, layers help too. In the dead of winter I wear a tank top, a long sleeved t-shirt and a hooded sweatshirt under my bibs which are then topped with a carhartt coat. The warmer if gets the more I change up those layers.

Important pieces to have at your disposal: comfortable, moisture wicking under layer; a non-restrictive middle layer such as a long sleeved T-Shirt; a warmer, insulating middle layer such as the hooded sweatshirts I mentioned; and your choice of a couple of outer layers, for me this is a carhartt coat and a couple different types and weights of vests. Vests probably should have their own line item, they're very valuable in keeping the core warm while allowing heat to dissipate from the limbs. If you're doing heavy work in the winter or are going to be out on one of those cold rainy spring days a vest over either a sweatshirt or a long sleeved t-shirt (depending on conditions) is great. As tempting as the fashion, puffy vests are in stores they're not very functional if you're doing physical labor, so look for one that was made for work.

And finally, a word about price, function and quality. I'm the queen of cheap. I know how hard it can be to go out at spend $15 on a pair of socks or $20+ on a pair of gloves the first time and for some people it may not be a worthy expenditure, but if you're going to be spending any significant amount of time outside in the winter with your chickens I cannot stress enough that you really should think of these things as investments. Don't be persuaded by the Wally World special that LOOKS like those gloves you saw for more at the feed store, unless you've compared stitching and materials it's almost never really the same thing. Those products do not hold up to the abuse they will see if you plan to work in them. Some of these brands are expensive for a reason -- because they're tried and true, used and abused and have thus become trusted among those who are working in their clothes and outerwear. My husband has one carhartt coat that's going on 20 years old. It's got strings hanging around the edges of the cuffs and around the waist and it's got tattered holes wore in the elbows but that coat has been through a LOT to get that way, it's been slid across pavement in the middle of the night in January to fix a truck on the side of the road more times than any of us can count, it's been wedged into the middle of combine engines and caught up on tractor trailer frames. It has more than paid for itself. My newest pair of bibs is going on 4 years old and look like brand new. And trust me, they've been used a lot. They're anything but brand new. And finally, a note on boots and quality, especially -- if you have many chickens or stock other than chickens do consider quality boots if nothing else. Few boots can hold up to the wear and tear that comes from being in contact with manure. If your boots will be, invest in a pair that'll last you more than a year or two.

Alright, good luck out there. I can't wait to hear everyone else's suggestions and favorite products!

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi scraggles, welcome to BYC and the michigan thread

I have a pair of alpaca knitted socks that I can't wait to try this winter. Love my carhart bibs too. My favorite gloves are lined deerhide, I use olive oil to waterproof them. I seldom wear hats, but in really cold weather will resort to a headband. And for snowblowing, nothing beats a snowmobile helmet.

 

[Ferrret]

Well, my black silkie died sometime in the past hour, she was still warm when I checked on her.

I checked them when they were getting in the coop to sleep and she was immobile on the coop floor, panting heavily. She was very docile, which was odd for her because she tends to be feisty, and wouldn't stand up, though she did kick her legs and flap a bit. I laid her in a corner hoping that I just found her in a pre-sleep trance. I went out to check again and she was on her side, obviously dead.

 

[chicken grandma]

I love my heated water bowl for my hens. It is just a little green water bowl, probably made for dogs, that I got at Farm and Family Home and I plug it into an extension cord that I run out to my coop.
I also love my REVEAL full spectrum light that I hang in the coop 10 hours per day. The coop feels friendly with that warm light and the room temperature water!

 

[chicken grandma]

So sorry Ferret! Was she an older hen? Do you have any clues as to why she passed? God bless you!

 

[KrisRose]

I use both the Muck boots and shoes. Worth the money.

 

[Ferrret]

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We're not sure what caused it, nothing seemed broken or abnormal. She was about a year and a half old. She ran around the yard just fine all day today, ate treats with all the others, was noisy and active as usual. I don't know what happened before or when she went in the coop, but I found her on the floor panting and got worried. She didn't suffer long, which was best. I prefer that she went quickly instead of being in discomfort or pain for hours or days.