North to Alaska!

[BoTime]

Ooh! Lots of fun!

Starting over is always good.

My advice, bring as LITTLE as possible with you. It costs a fortune to move things to and from Alaska, so the garage sales here always have super good things for very little money.

But since you are with the military... Maybe they pay for moving?

Anyway......

I had a friend that said that his opinions on if people coming up here would love it or hate it, all hinged on if they wore hats. Wearing a stocking hat keeps you so much warmer, and therefor happier!

Remember, cotton kills.

All clothes should be all of the synthetics, wool, or silk. Super good long johns, the ones that adjust so you can wear them inside and out in warmer or colder temp comfortably are NEEDED (or will at least make you lots happier). I think my favorite pair is from bergelene or something like that. Hummmm. Never skimp on socks, super good wool socks. And I have lots of fleece, I like the ones with a long front zipper... Zipped up it is almost a turtle neck and unzipped all the way you can cool off if you got over heated.

Sierra trading post has great deals on all gear.

Since he has been under consideration for months, I am worried that we will get word that he has been accepted late in the season & then he has weeks of training to complete before going.. Putting us up there in the cold. We are in a hot, hot state currently, we won't find any needed winter gear here. Is there a good online source for bare essentials needed until we arrived? Is the Sierra Trading Post online? If he was to get accepted late I could go ahead & prepare that way.
I'm giving the sell all & go advice some serious thought. That WOULD cut down the stress level considerably, & we wouldn't be split in two vehicles on the trip up (uhaul & personal vehicle) which would make dealing with a child on a ten day road trip a lot easier, it seems, with both parents in the same vehicle... that isn't even touching on the costs..
If he gets accepted & if they don't move us lol I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself, there are so many "ifs", but at the same time this stuff needs to be thought about I suppose

 

[Alaskan]

Yes, sierra trading post is on line. I think just sierratradingpost.com they have everything super discounted, and also have frequent sales.

They sell off the seconds or overstock or end of season things from big name brands. They are mostly focused on outdoor stuff.... But have a bit of everything.

I always wait until I get an email flier from them for an extra 70% off their already on sale things, then I find the best deal they have, and buy like 12 pairs of socks etc.

And yes... Moving up late in the year would make things more difficult.... The big garage sales with lots of furniture are usually in the summer months since that is when people most often come and go.

However, having a good reason to declutter your house is GOOD. The house stays cleaner if you have less junk.

Also, house prices might be better late in the season.... The sellers will be desperate... Since if you don't buy... They will have to wait until spring.

 

[BoTime]

I don't want to give the wrong impression here. The job is for DOD & DH is a veteran, I am not.. I just want to make that clear So the person that thanked me for my service, I will pass that thanks on to DH
I really appreciate the advice, Alaskan. DH & I have been discussing it all night & all day!

 

[Sunshinelover]

We have recently added more sweeties to our flock 5 bard Ricks, 4 Cinnamon Queens, 2 silver laced wyondottes, 2 buff orphingtons and 4 wadlers (ducks) we have added a nice pond and all seem to be getting along with the older gals.. We are looking to add Jersey Giants to our flock next year and was hopping to see if any Valley folks have any experience with them? Should they be in a separate pen and coop or will they integrate easily with the hodgepodge of beauties we currently have?

 

[CruisinLady]

Hey all! I am in Wasilla and am just starting out on converting a 12x12 greenhouse into a chicken coop. Construction wise, we have removed and rebuilt the top portion and roof and will have the inside insulated and wired for heat lamps and such. Any advice for a total newbie to the chicken world that will help things go more smoothly for AK chicken raising?

I am thinking I should start with Australorp chickens. Are they hardy enough for Alaska? I was told by a relative who has a small coop, that I should be able to get at least 25 to 30 chickens in a coop this size. Is that a reasonable estimate? I would like to try and get enough eggs for selling to offset the costs of having chickens. Are there any other good layers that work well in AK?

I look forward to getting to know more about chickens and to get to know all the AK chicken people!

 

[907mommy]

If you are looking for good layers I personally love my Road Island Red hens and White Leghorns they both lay almost every single day and did fine over the winter. Be careful with heat lamps they are a fire hazard. An insulated coop is enough for most of the winter it doesn't have to be heated at all times. Chickens are little space heaters wrapped in down comforters so they do well in the cold. Just make sure they have plenty of food and a clean/dry coop and they will keep themselves warm.

 

[907mommy]

Oh I forgot. Keep a light bulb on a timer in the coop. I usually have it lit 12 hours a day to keep up egg production.

 

[CruisinLady]

Oh I forgot. Keep a light bulb on a timer in the coop. I usually have it lit 12 hours a day to keep up egg production.

If you are looking for good layers I personally love my Road Island Red hens and White Leghorns they both lay almost every single day and did fine over the winter. Be careful with heat lamps they are a fire hazard. An insulated coop is enough for most of the winter it doesn't have to be heated at all times. Chickens are little space heaters wrapped in down comforters so they do well in the cold. Just make sure they have plenty of food and a clean/dry coop and they will keep themselves warm.

Thanks for the good suggestions! I didn't even think about the light for winter. I guess I was thinking a heating lamp will be light enough. What would you say is the coldest that they can tolerate? We haven't gotten much single digits these past two years, but I would guess we would need to come in with some form of heat in the case of dropping below 0 wouldn't we?

 

[907mommy]

I've been heating the coop if its 5 or less or if its really windy. That is just me though I am only on my 3rd year with chickens. I have an oil filled space heater in my coop and I've read that a ceramic heater is another good heat source that lowers your fire risk. I also keep sand in my coop. In the summer its easy to clean and in the winter its under straw. I feel it keeps my coop drier because any moisture evaporates off the sand. This is all my opinion though lol and honestly alot of that I've learned from Google.

 

[Alaskan]

Hey all! I am in Wasilla and am just starting out on converting a 12x12 greenhouse into a chicken coop. Construction wise, we have removed and rebuilt the top portion and roof and will have the inside insulated and wired for heat lamps and such. Any advice for a total newbie to the chicken world that will help things go more smoothly for AK chicken raising?

I am thinking I should start with Australorp chickens. Are they hardy enough for Alaska? I was told by a relative who has a small coop, that I should be able to get at least 25 to 30 chickens in a coop this size. Is that a reasonable estimate? I would like to try and get enough eggs for selling to offset the costs of having chickens. Are there any other good layers that work well in AK?

I look forward to getting to know more about chickens and to get to know all the AK chicken people!

As far as the coop:
You need wide perches (the wide side of a 2x4 or something similar)
LOTS of ventilation since that keeps the birds healthier and also lots of venting helps to reduce humidity and high humidity increases the risk of frostbite
I really like poop trays...
Remember that there are LOTS of coop fires due to heat lamps. I have had chickens down to -15ish with NO insulation as well as no heat, and they were fine (they weren't thrilled, but none died). People in colder places also manage with no heat.

As far as size:
You will get lots of answers to that question, some say that you need a tiny space so that the chickens can stay warmer. I go with as much space as possible since more space means happier chickens which means less egg eating, feather eating, each other eating and such nasty behaviors. I have found that about 9 square feet of covered area per chicken is ideal. However, I get to that large number by having a warm insulated coop connected to a larger uninsulated shed (where a bunch of chickens sleep), and that is also connected to a greenhouse that the chickens get in the off season.

I also have a tiny bit of my chicken run covered with a roof, and I keep the feed and water outside in the run to force the chickens to move more.

Keeping the water outside is ideal since the coop is then cleaner and has lower humidity. Also, if you then use something to keep the water thawed it and cord are outside and less likely to cause a fire. I find the water stays thawed for longer if it is placed behind a wind block.

I manage to sell enough eggs to pay for feed, and I only have 21 hens. The key is to buy hens that lay super well. Nothing can beat a perl white leghorn for production. Mine layed almost every single day with ZERO heat as well as NO light, all winter long! No other breed that I have ever raised can do that. All other breeds need light to lay.

However, with that said, I prefer breeds with tiny combs, since that giant leghorn comb is prone to frostbite. I also hate breeds with feathers on their feet, since that hold icy mud and snow and increases the risk of frostbite on toes.

So, my favorite breeds are:
Dominiques, good egg layers, just enough meat so they are worth killing and eating, and cockerels are a good size and tasty, best personality, and beautiful pink-brown eggs.
Rose Comb Leghorns lay almost as well as the single comb production whites, but have a tiny comb!
EEs or Ameraucanas, or Olive Eggers since most have tiny combs, they are pretty, most lay well, and they have pretty egg colors.