Michigan

[RaZ]

My Buffs are well camoflagued, they are nearly the same colour as the yellow-tan leaves that I've been dumping in the run.

Speaking of the BO's, they have been teasing all day. Going to the nest box and singing but no egg yet.

 

[Olive Hill]

A few thoughts on heating the coop:

First, the notion that chickens didn't originate in Michigan (or a similar cold climate) is, I suppose, accurate if we're talking originally, originally -- as in when they first branched off from jungle fowl -- but many modern breeds of chickens did, in fact, "originate" -- as in were developed as a breed -- in cold climates. Today we have Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, Delwares, Jersey Giants, New Hampshires, Buckeyes (which come from the Buckeye State, Ohio), Brahmas which are thought to have originally been introduced here via New York State in the early 19th Century so have a long history of cold climate living, Chanteclers which were developed in Quebec, Campines who are thought to come from Belgium, Wyandottes are said to come from Wisconsin and New York and on and on the list goes. Most modern day chickens of the most common breeds, in fact, have decades and decades if not more than a full century of cold-hardy ancestors in their lineage.

This isn't to say you can't heat the environment for these types or chickens or even that any given chicken within this breed is perfectly-suited to the cold. If you should decide to heat your coop regardless of the breed of your particular chickens and their ancestry a few things to consider:

- Condensation. Heat in the coop can actually increase condensation. Aside from the normal respiratory upset that can be caused by condensation year round, excess moisture in the coop in the cold leads to increased risk of pneumonia and a higher likelihood of frostbite on those chickens with large single combs, especially. The only time I've ever seen frostbite in a chicken was this year. A rooster stood out in the drizzly snow we got in late winter. Cold + Wet = bad. Just cold, or just wet they can usually deal with, but both leads to some nasty side effects.

- Back-up Powder. Do you have a way to ensure that the heat is not suddenly shut-off in the middle of January due to the power grid? Nature's natural cycle of cooling down gives the animals an opportunity to acclimate to the cold weather ahead. While we have big swings in temperature here in Michigan it is nothing compared to the swing in temperature if you start keeping your coop at, say 30 degrees, now and then in the middle of a -20 degree January blizzard the power goes out and the chickens have a sudden drop of 50+ degrees to contend with. If you cannot sustain the heat throughout the winter regardless of the status of the grid, do not start heating at all. It's really not fair to the chickens to risk that. Think back to some of the major ice storms we've seen in history that have resulted in some people being without power for as much as weeks in the middle of winter. It can happen to any of us at any time. The grid is not there to serve you, no matter what your congressman and power company may want you to believe. Unless you have complete control of your power source you cannot guarantee it will be working when you need it most.

- Fire Hazard. Every year we have posts crop on BYC in the winter of people who have burnt their coops up -- and some who have lost chickens in the fires. If you DO decide to heat your coop make sure you double, triple and quadruple check for safety. Never depend on the manufacturer's hanging apparatus for heat lamps. Double secure them with chains and clips that are in good repair and check your set-up over daily to make sure it hasn't somehow come unhooked. Make sure your heat lamp always has the guard over the light bulb. Make sure heat sources are not close to your bedding materials, feed bags, etc.

- Indoor / Outdoor Activity. If you want your chickens to continue to be active outside during the winter it may not be a good idea to heat the coop as it amplifies the cold outside. Think about when you have been outside for a long time working or walking or playing in the snow and you get used to it after a while. It's not as cold as it felt when you first walked outside. And then, when you walk back inside, you are astonished at how HOT it feels in there ... until your body acclimates to the new temperature at which point it begins to feel normal again. The chickens will got through the same thing, but don't have the higher thinking capabilities to know that if they get out there it will feel okay after a while. They just feel the cold out there and think: "No thanks!" If you plan on trying to motivate them to get out and about for most of the day indoor heat isn't exactly going to help your efforts.

IMO, KrisRose hit the nail on the head when she pointed out the location of your coop relative to the immediate topography. Wind block is the single most important thing, followed closely by adequate nutrition and hydration and then third by comfortable footing. If your coop is letting in strong drafts you're going to need to do something about that. A wall of straw bales can work wonders -- you can even just line up large round bales, rather than having to stack small squares. If your birds aren't thriving you may need to look at your nutrition. In the winter a continuous supply of additional carbohydrates can be a good thing; as well as a good source of fat and protein, of course. Water can either be heated or can be refreshed twice daily to provide plenty of hydration. I'd like to also add a note on electrolytes here. People tend to be very fond of electrolytes, so much so that they're often toted as a silver bullet to anything that may ail livestock of any kind something akin to the way protein is falsely touted as a cure all to feathering, growth and egg laying woes. Electrolyte mixes can increase liquid intake, but only to the extent that that liquid is available to be ingested and only to the extent the animal is physically and biologically capable of ingesting liquid. Improperly used electrolyte mixes can very much have the exact opposite effect, resulting in a dehydrated animal which, in the winter, is especially dangerous and likely to result in death.

Good luck on your decision!

 

[RaZ]

Excellent post, Olive.
It is spot on.

 

[Huston's Happy Hens]

I agree with Olive - 4 yrs ago when we began this hobby, we insulated the walls - big mistake - we have since removed the west doors and now have a double wide hardware cloth door as well as large windows at the n/s/w walls, open door at the east (hardware cloth again) ....take a look at Prince T. Woods, M.D.,book entitled, "fresh air poultry houses" - we learned an incredible amount of information on fresh air for the hens.....now when we have those really cold nights, we may close the window 1/2 way as well as the doors, but simply to prevent high winds....haven't had a serious illness with our birds and we have over 80 in that house - soon to be adding an add'l 20.....

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Quote:
Menards had them on sale a few weeks ago for almost $8 each. Had to get them on back order though.

 

[M.sue]

Well the coast was clear all afternoon

.......DH on lawnmower, kids & dogs out....no sign of any enemy attackers anywhere!!

Heating the coop......My hubby laughed his NO-WAY Laugh. He said my grandpa is rolling his eyes, shaking his head & cane in the big coop above and probably laughing too! He did have some hearty birds!! It was just a thought because some do and after reading Olive Hills informative post I figure her & my grandpa come from the same chicken stock background....so I guess they will do fine.

What are the signs of frostbite on the cone...of course discoloration but what color, black, purple, gray? Do their feet get hit too. Don't know if it's fact or fiction but I recall over hearing a conversation that my DH was having with a guy and he said their cones will fall off but don't worry. This is the guy that told my DH that I didn't need to put any pine shavings,chips or straw down in the coop??????? I must tell you I don't take any advice he has given me or my DH....I just listen!!!

 

[sj3364]

Another pretty nice day. Busy weekend. Took my daughter to CMU for a scholarship competition yesterday morning. Attended a fun zombie Halloween party last night. Got some work done inside and out today. Never enough weekend to get everything accomplished that I wish to.

Thought I would post a couple pictures of my brave, handsome rooster, Neil.

This is my daughter with Neil. Not only is he handsome and brave, he's also a sweetie.

And here's one with his Cadbury, his little EE girlfriend. They are the best of buddies.

There are so many beautiful chickens around. Next spring is going to be tough. My coop (and yard, really) is at capacity and there are so many kinds of chickens I would love to have. Raz's banties are sooo cute.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Quote:

 

[Olive Hill]

Yes, if the comb gets badly frostbitten it will eventually fall off. And no, you don't have to worry too much about that. The frost bite kills the tissue which the body then slowly sheds. I'll look and see if I can find some post-frost bite pictures of the rooster who stood out this spring and will post them if I do have some so you can see. The real risk with frost bite is actually when you get the not-so-severe type in that the outer part of the flesh is effected but then internally there's not a clean freeze line. That kind can end up infected. Really, if you happen to have an issue with frost bite you just need to watch the chicken for signs of infection. It's not terribly common and a little monitoring can go a long way. Usually when you get frost bite it just hits the tips of the comb, not the entire comb so what you actually end up with is a chicken with a smooth comb, rather than one with points.

The comb will go pale at first and then turn purple-ish black and finally black if it has been frost bitten.

Yes, the feet are also susceptible. This is where the comfortable footing comes in. If they were to stand around on water-topped ice, for instance, you may end up losing some toes. Snow, ime, is not such a concern, but giving them somewhere to stand off of the snow and ice pretty much guarantees you won't have problems. (Which shouldn't be confused with making sure they never have to step foot on the stuff, it won't hurt them to be walking on it some. Just provide somewhere with a nice straw cover where they can spent their resting/roosting time to give those feet a break from the cold.)

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Quote:
x 2!

Nancy, I hope your hen will be ok.

sj, your rooster is handsome and your daughter and EE are lovely.