NY chicken lover!!!!

[featherz]

back away from the heat lamp! Even my NN are fine. Remember, those teeny little d'uccles spent all last winter (when it was much colder) in a plywood tractor coop all by themselves.

I got a dozen eggs today, not counting the two frozen ones. I think the girls snuck those in last night. No frostbite on the leghorns, but my BO roo has some on his big ol comb - my fault, I usually cover the heated water bowls at night to keep the humidity down and I forgot. Ah well, he'll have a 'natural' dubbing that way I guess.

My chickens all seem ok, even my little black mutt chicken who has molted so much she looks like a NN. Poor thing!

Three eggs so far today. None of them froze either. I wonder if the roosters are still hanging out in the nest boxes.

If they are I won't chase them out until it warms up outside. They are keeping the eggs warm for me.

Tell me how wrong it is to put a heat lamp bulb in the coop tonight. I am really having feelings of "those poor chickens" right now. (Not enough to go down last night and close the pop door tho. LOL)

My thermometer says it is 30 degrees out, but I keep it directly in the sun so I feel warmer when I read it. (It's probably 22 or so in actual air temp) Birds are outside eating up every Sunflower seed I throw out to them.

I guess we are all very spoiled this year. By this time, last year, we had had a dozen days this cold, or colder. (I remember getting to work several days in a row and it being negative degrees on my car thermometer at 8:30 am)

 

[stonykill]

NO HEAT LAMP! Even my Sumatra's that live in the Sumatra Spruce are fine in this cold. All a heat lamp will do is make your chickens more suseptable to the cold weather. Remember, chickens survived 10,000 years or more without human help!

back away from the heat lamp! Even my NN are fine. Remember, those teeny little d'uccles spent all last winter (when it was much colder) in a plywood tractor coop all by themselves.

I got a dozen eggs today, not counting the two frozen ones. I think the girls snuck those in last night. No frostbite on the leghorns, but my BO roo has some on his big ol comb - my fault, I usually cover the heated water bowls at night to keep the humidity down and I forgot. Ah well, he'll have a 'natural' dubbing that way I guess.

My chickens all seem ok, even my little black mutt chicken who has molted so much she looks like a NN. Poor thing!

 

[Cass]

Rancher - It wasn't as bad hauling water when I could use my wagon to cart it down to the animals but now there is snow and I have to carry the buckets. Heavy work. Water heaters are awfully nice. Even if they are only used on the coldest days. Good luck and I have been wearing those jersey gloves under rubber dish washing gloves to keep my hands warm and dry.

Just looked at our temps and we are going at 12* but with the wind chill it is -3*. Brrrr!

My electric dog bowl is thermostatedly controled.....it's wonderful and holds almost a gallon of water....(Not from TSC, from a Pet store) I don't mind hauling water down, cuz I only had to do it once a day and I get to choose what time of day I do it. (meaning after work, in the "heat" of the day.) But I only have ONE coop, so I can carry all I need in one trip. Another good reason for me not to expand my operation.

 

[happycountryhens]

Just brought a little more warm water to the coop. Was suprised to fine that one of the three waterers was not completely frozen. Huh. How bout that?

Three of the chooks went outside when my son went and ran around thier pen. Then they stayed outside. They are going to freeeeeze their little toes off! I told them so, but was totally ignored. Silly birds.

Eleven eggs so far today, but one froze and cracked.

Here's to staying inside as much as possible today. *waiting until tonight when kids are in bed to toast that with some nice wine cooler*

 

[happyhensny]

My electric dog bowl is thermostatedly controled.....it's wonderful and holds almost a gallon of water....(Not from TSC, from a Pet store) I don't mind hauling water down, cuz I only had to do it once a day and I get to choose what time of day I do it. (meaning after work, in the "heat" of the day.) But I only have ONE coop, so I can carry all I need in one trip. Another good reason for me not to expand my operation.

I must have been out of my mind when I decided to get all these animals! 5 different pens in the chicken barn, then the goat house and the duck house. 7 water/feed dishes to deal with. No problem in the summer when I can have my 100ft long garden hose to rinse and fill everything with. Now I haul 35 lb kitty litter pails of water, to rinse and fill everyone I use 3. Going out to get another coolie tin heater for the recently added D'Uccle pen and still trying to figure out a safe way for the duck water to not freeze.

 

[featherz]

I must have been out of my mind when I decided to get all these animals! 5 different pens in the chicken barn, then the goat house and the duck house. 7 water/feed dishes to deal with. No problem in the summer when I can have my 100ft long garden hose to rinse and fill everything with. Now I haul 35 lb kitty litter pails of water, to rinse and fill everyone I use 3. Going out to get another coolie tin heater for the recently added D'Uccle pen and still trying to figure out a safe way for the duck water to not freeze.

I reallly really like my dog bowls. Just ordered another one so I can have two in my big coop. not sure how well they'd work for splashy ducks tho. =(

 

[rancher hicks]

I went out to water and found that the hoop coop was a nice 40* and the waterer in the hoop run was liquid. I did leave a second waterer just the same. Also I found an egg on the run floor, so that means a switch to layer and I put hay in the nest box with a wooden egg. It also means the BR's are laying.

. The hoop run is warm too or at least warmer than the other runs. Though it is more covered up with plastic than the other runs are. I wish I had done all the runs with hoops. Much easier and cheaper.

The coop waterers were liquid but mostly ice. I also gave them warm water too. I have a wagon and if you remember I snow blow a path to all the coops. I fill gallon milk jugs with warm water and that takes care of the spilling. I do have to carry a waterer as the three don't all fit in the wagon. I bring them in at night. I don't leave waterers in the coop. The humidity in both coop and hoop coop are up but not steamy.

The new cattle panels got delivered today. Trylin and hers picked them up for me. They're super nice. I don't own a truck. If it warms a bit I'll at least get them put up this month. Then next buy the chicken wire to cover them. I expect to put a heat lamp in each for the young chicks and move them outside. They'll be about 8 weeks by the time that happens. I'm going to need a bigger wagon.

I still have to figure out what to do about hatching more Dels. I have to replace half the flock with hens. So that means another hoop coop at least to move the birchens and sfh's to. It looks as if half the Birchen are roos.

Still now sure about the SFH' I suppose eventually I'll have to build another hoop coop for them. Trylin did say they would be fine and they do seem warmer. It must be because they absorb the heat during the day. Gotta keep them in the sun I guess.

Well take care,
Rancher

 

[chicken stalker]

How are you keeping your hoop coop warm? I thought they were just PVC hoops and heavy mil plastic.

 

[Cass]

OK, no heat in the coop. I can't reach the fixture anyway....it's 7 feet up, mounted to a rafter.....but ray can reach it.

I don't cover my water at night in the heated bowl, but since it is thermostatically controled, I don't think it gets warm enough to evaporate in these temps. At least that's what I am telling myself, cuz I have no frostbite on anyone and one of my hens has a HUGE flopover comb. (kinda Donald Trumpish)

Of course the sand floor and poop is totally frozen so nothing is evaporating to cause humidity.....I am dreading the first warm day. I already have the sand in the coop to replace, what is going to be, sloppy, wet, stinky sand. (It's in bags, and the chickens enjoy standing on it to see out the window)

I need some Sumantras to keep me from adding heat. I know they don't need it, but I am freezing inside the house, how warm can the chickens be in the coop (where I still haven't closed the pop door?)

Stay warm, folks. Think "Spring"

 

[featherz]

I've got leghorns with huge flopovers, but I think the flopping over helps keep em warm. I only got fbite on the roo with the big ol stickup comb. I don't know if covering the bowls will help, but I figure it can't hurt. They won't be drinking from em, so I just put a plate on top and remove it in the morning. Makes me feel better anyways.

Could it just be spring and stay spring? I don't much care for hot muggy summer.