NY chicken lover!!!!

[baunlee]

Do not do this. Heat lamps are dangerous and are the most common cause of a coop burning down. Also, if power is lost and the birds are plunged into sudden cold without having been able to acclimate to it, they WILL die.

Ugh pyxis, PREACH. I have been trying to convince mr baunlee that a heat lamp in the coop isnt needed. I think right now he is so exhausted from work that he has given up the fight. I hope I have worn him down over the years. Hopefully this year I can succeed to our first year without heating coop. I'm back from school now so I have more pull. haha Buffalo though...cold as evah

 

[Devona]

I've luckily never dealt with mites of any sort yet. I know my day is coming though. It's actually safe to use flea soap on birds? I figured dawn dish soap.

I used a flea shampoo that was labeled for kittens. They seem fine. Ofc I tried not to get their faces in it. But it took forever to get it done. I started too late I suppose. I had to blow dry the last two

 

[Devona]

 

[Devona]

 

[Devona]

I had to hold that chicken with both hands so my knees had to hold the dryer.

 

[E-I-E-I-Bro]

Do not do this. Heat lamps are dangerous and are the most common cause of a coop burning down.

Thanks - like I said, I was 90% of the way to this conclusion on my own, and the "don't heat" votes definitely have it. The one modification I will make will be to lay a wider roosting plank in there. They currently have 4, all about 2.5 ft long and about 1.5-2" wide. They seem to like them ok so far, but to prevent frost bitten toes, I plan to screw a 2x4 (wide side up) on top of 2 of the 4 so they have width options.

Thanks again guys !

 

[Devona]

Glad we were able to push you through that last ten percent

 

[Devona]

I don't know if you should give them options with the perches in the winter.

What do the rest of y'all think? They might prefer the skinnier roosts that they could curl their toes under , if it makes them feel more stable. Then they might use those exclusively and ignore the wider ones, and still get frostbite from the toes being exposed under the perch. The idea is to have all their toes flat so that their belly rests on the whole foot, keeping it warm.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
Absolutely Not ! Chicken are Livestock ...I know we think of them as pets .but they have nice warm down feathers
They are fine with no heat . The lowest my coop has ever been is 25 degrees and it was zero outside .
My coop isnt even closed up totally ..Lots of spots for air to get in ..The biggest problem in the winter is frostbite -
From a coop that is too closed up...


I dont cover the top fence boards ..clear plastic goes around everything else .
I actually go in the coop to warm up in the winter when I am cold

 

[Gramma Chick]

anyone else have a chick that has failed to thrive ?
It is 3 months - has not grown in a month or so .
It has this hunckered down stance ...tells me it doesnt feel well.
I started it on amoxilin to see if that helps it .
Most times I cant feel a crop ...it has never had stinky breath that I know of ( crop issues )
I have seen it eat though...it does kind of pick .