Minnesota!

[goose4]

Your too funny Minnie! I know what you mean about the eggs. I get at most 5-6 per week out of 9 hens right now. I culled an egg eater this fall, but I've seen my roo in the nest boxes. Makes me wonder...
I had to laugh at the conversation you & triplell were having about the BA. I had to go back a few posts to figure out that Aussies wasn't Australian Shepherds.

Just as I've been trying to acclimate Lil' Red to colder temps, we get another blast. I have only a couple of weeks to get her back to the coop before we leave. And there is only so much I can leave to my daughter (& son-in-law).

One of our roosters was showing our girls where he wanted them to lay. It was under some overhanging straw bales. He went over then dug around and started making a nest and called his girls over. They must have liked it. They started to use it.

 

[Minniechickmama]

One of our roosters was showing our girls where he wanted them to lay. It was under some overhanging straw bales. He went over then dug around and started making a nest and called his girls over. They must have liked it. They started to use it.

Now I have heard it all. I wonder what he was saying to them while he was scratching around. "Hey Baby, (in his best Barry White impersonation), look at the nest I made for you ladies to lay some nice, round eggs."



aussiegal - you are the funny one! If you are getting that many eggs out of 9 hens, you are doing a heck of a lot better than me! I have 125+ hens and got 7 eggs yesterday. When the girls in the outdoor coops with no heat or extra light can lay, there is no excuse for the rest of them! Watch them surprise me when I go out today and every pen will have some eggs

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Here is my panel heater!

HOw you liking your heater Erlibird, for this cold morning?! Are you happy with it? Mine got flicked on again last night. I even added this tougher lambing lamp and the coop was still -5 F. this am.

 

[lalaland]

hey Bogtown, where did that lambing lamp come from? I googled lambing lamp, no dice (lots of nursery lamps with lambs, though)

 

[Bogtown Chick]

LaLa Land: I got it at Premier One supplies out of Iowa (on-line) order. Nice company--fast, etc. It's a big thing though that hangs lower than I want it to. and sort of makes the birds jockey around on their roost in my coop to get around it. It's great ...but just big. Much safer than the metal ones IMO...but it comes with all the usual lamp warnings on the box, just the same.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

Sad story. Someone at work who raises sheep had one have triplets yesterday. He had no idea she was pregnant. 2 of the lambs were found dead

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Sad story. Someone at work who raises sheep had one have triplets yesterday. He had no idea she was pregnant. 2 of the lambs were found dead

Uh....oh no...

What a night for her to have those lambs too...ugh.

 

[lalaland]

LaLa Land: I got it at Premier One supplies out of Iowa (on-line) order. Nice company--fast, etc. It's a big thing though that hangs lower than I want it to. and sort of makes the birds jockey around on their roost in my coop to get around it. It's great ...but just big. Much safer than the metal ones IMO...but it comes with all the usual lamp warnings on the box, just the same.

thanks, I'll look it up. It did look safer than the metal ones...

 

[michellepagan]

My girls are "kinda" laying but they seem a little lean to me. What are you feeding your girls right now? I have 3 lamps plus a heater and can't keep my coom above freezing as cold as its been. Any suggestions?

 

[Bogtown Chick]

My girls are "kinda" laying but they seem a little lean to me. What are you feeding your girls right now? I have 3 lamps plus a heater and can't keep my coom above freezing as cold as its been. Any suggestions?

Michelle: Just my humble opinion...but if your coop is under 32 degrees -- that's okay. It keeps the poop frozen and moisture down, which in turn keeps disease down. I will tell you that I see changes in my birds scratching and activity at about 0 degrees F or less. They end up roosting and sitting more to keep feet warm and not eating as much. And thats when I consider turn on a heater. I may even leave it off at -5. -10 I start worrying a bit more. Those are my comfort zones for where I live...which is generally a dry cold up here. You just gotta watch your birds and see how they are acting in certain temps.

I hope you have all your lamps and heater you are using secured extremely well and the bulb area wrapped with extra chicken wire as the sockets like to slip out of the metal casings and can cause fires. (They are made cheaply). And it happens to the best and most experienced chicken keepers. Another thing you can do is insulate your coop roof to hold down heat or bunk up the outside of the coop with snow. Make sure you cover any foam or pink insulation with plastic, cut open feed bags, plywood or whatever as chickens' favorite past time is eating it.