Minnesota!

[jbenson]

Lockdown tomorrow for 7 mille fleur d'Uccles. I have one more batch of these (17 I think) set for hatch near the end of the month. Depending on how the 4 that are 2 weeks old not and however many from the 7 that are going into lockdown tomorrow sell, this might be it for these for me this spring. Thinking I'd like to try to hatch out a few with some lingering polish genes from my mixed flock (I select for the whitest eggs since they are mixed and I don't know who is laying what, but the larger white ones tend to have Polish genes). Just sold the last two from last spring's hatch who I grew out that had any lingering Polish genes. Not sure how prominent they would come through this year since the roo has no Polish and last year's roo did. Might just skip it altogether and buy some Polish next spring instead (DH really likes the Polish crests - I think they are cute, but those birds can be a bit neurotic). Feeling like I want to focus on my Ameraucana/Araucana crosses for the remainder of the spring. The hatch rates have been pretty low and I'd like to fill the voids left by some of the laying hens I've sold with those.

 

[lalaland]

Thanks all of you for the kind welcome!

Any thoughts on best ways to keep the coop cosy in our crazy winter months up here. Want to plan for next year by building a good coop now. Thanks for any thoughts!

Abbey

You will need way more ventilation, and cross ventilation than you think! Most chickens are fine without any heating whatsoever, if, and it is a big IF, you have enough ventilation. Look at some of the info on open air coops. In the winter, lack of ventilation = frostbite. It isn't the cold, it is the humidity.

You are going to want lots of options - because in hot summer muggy nights, you want to have enough air flow that your chickens can cool down in the night air. That is especially important if you have an insulated coop that will retain the sun's heat in the summer.

Thinking about where your coop will be will help you figure out where the windows/ventilation should be in the coop. Consider wind direction and southern exposures...Generally, you want to avoid having winds blow thru at the roost level. If your coop is too small, you can solve some of that problem by hanging curtains around the roost area to screen off drafts- scrap material or thrift store sheets/blankets. It is better to have drafts than it is to have so little ventilation that ice crystals are building up on the walls.

Think about roof overhangs, or a way to swing windows open from the top - to keep rain/snow from being blown into the coop.



Access to electricity is great for
1. heated waterers, especially if you are not home during the day to replenish frozen water.
2. fans for the nights when the heat is life threatening for chickens
3. a heat source in case you have specific breeds that don't do well in the cold (remember, chickens survive in Alaska and elsewhere, including MN without ANY supplemental heat).

 

[mnhomestead]

This last winter was pretty rough on some of my chickens. Even the ones in the huge barn with the most ventilation got frostbite. I think there was just too much moisture in the air this winter.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

For this state, breed selection is key for wintering chickens.

 

[ejb3810]

In general terms, the southern part of the state is in a different climate than " Up North". Pine County is somewhat on a dividing line. Even in Pine Cty a normal winter is going to produce multiple lows well below zero. Chickens with single combs, especially the cock birds, are going to experience frost damage if substantial efforts are not taken to prevent it.
Good ventilation is a must as it will control humidity levels which are a key factor in the cause of frost damage. Draft directly on the birds is a problem even if humidity is well controlled. Perhaps the ideal situation is to provide for an additional source of heat for those times when the temperature is going to be substantially below freezing. Having said that I would caution against providing too much heat and against causing the birds to become overly dependent on additional heat.
Most birds will survive minor frost damage to their comb, but it will in all likelihood result in disfigurement. If you wish to have birds that reliably continue to provide eggs through the winter months you will need to provide some hours of additional light.
Birds with Rose, Pea or Cushion combs would be a good choice as they are less susceptible to frost damage. .

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Thank you Minnie for the good eggs. I know they will be successful. Dixie is locked on in the new Broody Coop...having some Cinco De Mayo Venison Fajitas as a Mommy-to-be treat. Eggs set on a holiday and in 3 weeks should hatch on the Memorial Day holiday. I hope that's all a good sign.

My son said he saw some NH's that he noted fondly. (Same breed as our roo) IDK...we'll see what happens with our flock down the road...

 

[jbenson]

Thank you Minnie for the good eggs. I know they will be successful. Dixie is locked on in the new Broody Coop...having some Cinco De Mayo Venison Fajitas as a Mommy-to-be treat. Eggs set on a holiday and in 3 weeks should hatch on the Memorial Day holiday. I hope that's all a good sign.

My son said he saw some NH's that he noted fondly. (Same breed as our roo) IDK...we'll see what happens with our flock down the road...

I love your broody coop. I always dream of building one, but I will probably stick to the incubator for now. But I might steal your wood piece under the water idea for in my brooders. dang I hate wood shavings in the water!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Thanks jbenson. I love that Dixie has a private spot for this special time. Glad I had the materials laying around to make it happen. It's all recycled stuff...a bit challenging...but I'm cheap. LOL. It's definitely not square. But supposed to be 2' x 4' x 4' tall at the highest roof point. Lower end of the roof is just 4 inches lower. I tacked the metal roof piece on in a hurry to get it out to the run before dark...and so it was ready to go for switching Dixie into a new nest last night.



I'm already going to modify it by pulling out the shutter and putting in some plexiglass to get just a wee bit more light in there.

Yeah...I don't like seeing shavings in a waterer or feeder either....always maintenance to do isn't there?

 

[jbenson]

Any local peeps interested in d'Uccle mille fleur chicks? I was having such low fertility and hatch rates at the beginning of the spring when it was still so cold that I may have gone overboard on my most recent sets.

I have 5 of them in the brooder hatched on Easter (so just over 2 weeks old), only one of which I plan on keeping due to coloration for my breeding program, 7 more that just went into lockdown (hatch rates for the couple batches were like 90-100% and based on what I saw candling before locking them down, I think I'll probably get 6 out of 7) and there are 16 more on day 7 that are having a strong start. I think I'll be done with this breed for the season after that last set. I will certainly get a few of the coloration I'm interested in and a new roo as well (though I am starting to really like the one we have now, he'll be past his prime next breeding season so he will be moving on to a new home this summer - hopefully I can find a buyer).

I really really really want to focus the remainder of my breeding season on my Ameraucana/Araucana crosses and maybe my frizzles (I'm very much excited about getting frizzle gene crossed with my A/As, but getting clean slate legged chicks has been impossible so far. Might separate the A/A roo with the clean leg frizzle hens to see if I can isolate those genes).

 

[Minniechickmama]

Thank you Minnie for the good eggs. I know they will be successful. Dixie is locked on in the new Broody Coop...having some Cinco De Mayo Venison Fajitas as a Mommy-to-be treat. Eggs set on a holiday and in 3 weeks should hatch on the Memorial Day holiday. I hope that's all a good sign.

My son said he saw some NH's that he noted fondly. (Same breed as our roo) IDK...we'll see what happens with our flock down the road...

It was a pleasure meeting your husband and son! It is too bad they got skunked on the turkey hunt, but now you have en excuse to raise some of your own! I am getting another batch in about a month from Stromberg's along with my kids CRXs for their meat project birds for 4-H. I got the BBW turkeys last year from them and out of 15 we still have 14 go to the processor. They are delish! I butchered earlier than some because I don't like a bird that is too big for just 5 of us. They dress at 10-16 pounds, most over 13 at I think it was 16 or 18 weeks. Mmmm it was a good Thanksgiving! I can't wait to do another one, so am planning a turkey dinner soon.

I hope I got you some good fertile ones, I think I did and little Dixie will be clucking around with them in short order. I like your little broody hut! Good luck! I hope Shannon has a great hatch too with her new Brinsea!!