Questions about my first flock and egg laying...

[Kalthia]

Good Morning - I have questions!

I got my first two eggs yesterday! We are so excited! Today - the temp is 19 when I wake up (ouch!) and another two eggs are in the coop - but they feel frozen. What do I do with frozen eggs?

Also their water is frozen - I plugged it in to turn on the heater - do I need to go put out supplemental water so they have some until that is melted? Any suggestion on a safe way to do that? I don't want them getting wet by turning over water in the coop when it is this cold out.

 

[SunnySideSilkies]

They make waterers with heated bases or other heating elements that prevent them from freezing. Or you can just go the old school method of rotating waterers. I will keep 2 sets ( of how ever many I use) and I keep one inside and then one outside with the chickens, once the outside one freezes you just alternate them. Chickens have a higher % of water in their blood so water is extremely importent for them to stay healthy but they also arn't going to parish within a short amount of time without it. ( speaking of course that its isn't the scorching summer heat). Many people will actually remove food and water completely over night if they are combating pest problems and the chicken are fine without it.

As for the eggs, as long as you're arn't attempting to incubate them they are fine. The only precaution you need to take is if the shell itself has cracked because then you can end up with the egg oozing which can cause an unsanitary mess. People freeze eggs voluntarily and from what I heard the results work out great for them.

I would absolutely NOT recommend getting the coop or the chickens wet. Super damp conditions can lead to a multitude of different issues and problems that are far worse than a frozen waterer. Frostbite, birds catching a chill, a build up of not so nice things inside your coop are just some to add to the list. also if it is is cold enough to freeze the water you need to think of the safety risk of potentially creating ice in and around the coop which can cause injury to your birds as well as yourself.

 

[Kalthia]

They make waterers with heated bases or other heating elements that prevent them from freezing. Or you can just go the old school method of rotating waterers. I will keep 2 sets ( of how ever many I use) and I keep one inside and then one outside with the chickens, once the outside one freezes you just alternate them. Chickens have a higher % of water in their blood so water is extremely importent for them to stay healthy but they also arn't going to parish within a short amount of time without it. ( speaking of course that its isn't the scorching summer heat). Many people will actually remove food and water completely over night if they are combating pest problems and the chicken are fine without it.

As for the eggs, as long as you're arn't attempting to incubate them they are fine. The only precaution you need to take is if the shell itself has cracked because then you can end up with the egg oozing which can cause an unsanitary mess. People freeze eggs voluntarily and from what I heard the results work out great for them.

I would absolutely NOT recommend getting the coop or the chickens wet. Super damp conditions can lead to a multitude of different issues and problems that are far worse than a frozen waterer. Frostbite, birds catching a chill, a build up of not so nice things inside your coop are just some to add to the list. also if it is is cold enough to freeze the water you need to think of the safety risk of potentially creating ice in and around the coop which can cause injury to your birds as well as yourself.

I don't keep food or water in the coop at night... it isn't big enough and I don't want food smells inside along with chicken smells to attract the bears!

They did fine, after plugging in their water it thawed really quickly.
Thanks for your response..

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

when I get frozen eggs, I just put them in a bowl in the fridge and when they thaw I scramble them and feed them back to the chickens. I don't eat them just because they may have gotten dirt/etc into them some folks feed to their dogs etc

 

[Mrs. K]

A hairline crack - I will use promptly in baking. A crack with the whites bulging out - goes to the dog.