Well good morning folks, if you want to call it that, what with the frost on the pumpkin. The lock on the hoop coop was frozen and I had to whack it a couple of times to loosen it so I could get into the run. I'll have to get a different lock system. It's one of those sliders bolt thingies. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so wet here.
As for the Energy thing. I just tell people to do what they can. Certainly we can't do everything but every little bit helps.
Now to the heat in the coop. The latest issue of BYP had an article on heat in the coop and I've decided not to put heat lights in the coop this winter. I will however try to feed the birds the largest part of scratch at night before they go to bed. I have a thermometer in each coop to monitor things. I have been buying pieces of ply wood from HD and saving it up. I've started to insulate the walls piece by piece. The hoop coop is my biggest worry. I've read a lot and they say chickens can do very well in the cold. Not the extreme cold but you don't want warm humid air. If you see condensation on the walls or windows it's to warm. There's always a place to sit in
TSC you can just sit and read the article.
Of course silkies aren't really chickens so that might be different for them.
Now for a laugh. I was sitting with friends (details not important) we were talking about animal crosses and one of them said that you can cross rabbits with cats.
Now I had heard this before when we got our late cat Stubby. He was a Manx and he would hop with his hind legs. (Manx have spine problems I've since learned and they also have longer hind legs than a common cat) So I explained that one the "parts" don't fit and two they are different species.
Now I did hear tell of a guy who crossed a dog and a chicken and got a dog that laid "pooched" eggs.
Have a nice day folks, love ya
Rancher