sn0wwhite's Wichita Coop for the Twin Cities

[chickiegrrl]

Are you still giving your girls extra light? We're down to maybe one egg/day. I'm still not sure if our EE is laying. She's not squatting and no colored eggs, but she could lay brown ones, too. I guess we won't know until Spring.

 

[sn0wwhite]

Great! I got 4 eggs for the first time in 5 weeks today....not sure if pullet might be laying or other changes.

I love the full egg batch days!

Are you still giving your girls extra light? We're down to maybe one egg/day. I'm still not sure if our EE is laying. She's not squatting and no colored eggs, but she could lay brown ones, too. I guess we won't know until Spring.

I do have the red heat light coming on at about 4 am and again between 5 and 6 pm, so just a little, but not too much. I may increase it to about 2am though for the next few nights with the horrible cold coming again.

And I found that there was ZERO poop in the house last night, so they must have gotten locked out by that stupid door. Thankfully it wasn't too cold. I'll be sure to check on them the next couple days.

 

[chickiegrrl]

And I found that there was ZERO poop in the house last night, so they must have gotten locked out by that stupid door. Thankfully it wasn't too cold. I'll be sure to check on them the next couple days.

Poor babies! At least it was an okay night for it. When I went down to check on the girls last night our EE was on her shelf looking worried because the door had shut without her. There was chaos on the roost. Everyone was in the wrong place. LOL! I got her in and put everyone in the right spot.

I'm so happy that you're getting your full quantity of eggs!!! That is so cool! I bet the girls are all so proud of their eggs.

BTW, I'm a much happier person now that I've started putting the 60W bulb on for the girls on cold days. It was hurting me to see them being so sad. This winter has been evil and it doesn't look like it's going to let up any time soon. Are you doing anything to keep your girls from being bored, or are they keeping themselves busy?

 

[aart]

I love the full egg batch days!


I do have the red heat light coming on at about 4 am and again between 5 and 6 pm, so just a little, but not too much. I may increase it to about 2am though for the next few nights with the horrible cold coming again.

And I found that there was ZERO poop in the house last night, so they must have gotten locked out by that stupid door. Thankfully it wasn't too cold. I'll be sure to check on them the next couple days.

Yeah but 4 isn't full batch for me...5 hens and 3 pullets. Got 4 again today, I think one of the pullets might be laying.

You know, you probably do, that red light doesn't help with 'extended daylight'....you need white light for that.
Plus first year layers often don't need extra light to keep laying their first winter.

Stupid door.

 

[sn0wwhite]

BTW, I'm a much happier person now that I've started putting the 60W bulb on for the girls on cold days. It was hurting me to see them being so sad. This winter has been evil and it doesn't look like it's going to let up any time soon. Are you doing anything to keep your girls from being bored, or are they keeping themselves busy?

All I'm doing is throwing corn ALL over the ground of their run so that they have to peck all over the place to get it. And they have a flock block, and they dig. Always digging. Although this warmer weather is confusing them and maybe that's why they didn't get inside right last night. I let them out into the yard today and they just would NOT go back into the coop at all. It was totally dark and I had to pick them up and put them on the roost.

Yeah but 4 isn't full batch for me...5 hens and 3 pullets. Got 4 again today, I think one of the pullets might be laying.

You know, you probably do, that red light doesn't help with 'extended daylight'....you need white light for that.
Plus first year layers often don't need extra light to keep laying their first winter.

Stupid door.

Well, half a batch anyway. 4 feels nice.

I thought that maybe the red didn't help... but figured it didn't hurt.

 

[sn0wwhite]

I bought a heater today.

http://www.target.com/p/cozy-legs-radiant-heater-panel-beige/-/A-10803357

I read on the Minnesota thread, @Bogtown Chick is using it so I'm getting it too with a gift card we got for Christmas. I'm going to put it on the thermo cube outlet adapter thing and stop the red heating light on a timer.

Oh, and just to mention... last week when we had that 2 day mini warm up, my chickens didn't even want to go into their coop at night. Two nights in a row I had to pick them up and put them to bed. Now that it's freezing again, they seem to remember where to go.

 

[sn0wwhite]

The wall heater will not arrive in time for our brutal weekend, so I moved my small, spare coop into the garage today and I set up a little run so they don't poop on the cars.

 

[chickiegrrl]

That's a good idea! I'm locking the girls' pop door starting on Sunday. They're not smart enough to stay in the coop by themselves. They want to come out and noodle around in the run. We will have two 60W lights going in the coop. Tonight we have just one on and it keeps the coop at about +5F. I'm sure it's going to struggle when the temp gets to -30, but we don't have anywhere else for the girls to go. I thought of putting them in the dog kennel in the garage, but it would just be a poop factory. Their house is just better suited for them. I am just hating this winter. The girls' combs look like jerky. I guess the good thing is that they won't have combs to freeze off next winter.

Glad that you figured out a good solution for your sweeties!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Yep. -40. I have NO idea how these birds will fair in that. I'm imagining NO Combs left whatsoever. LOL..... I believe in keeping climatized birds but I don't believe in cruelty. The radiant heater was off all day today and will be tonight. but It looks like the time to turn it back on will be about 8 AM tomorrow. We'll start plummeting then. So at -40...if it keeps with what it's been doing I should be able to keep my indoor coop temp at -15. Hmmm. Not a fan of that either. I might bring back my Premier supply lambing lamp that's pretty sturdy and bring in another 150 watts to the coop. Kids have told me that they'll help turn that coop into an igloo with me as well bunking the South and East sides as well as the North and West which are already bunked. Diggin in to help keep the birdies warm!

 

[sn0wwhite]

Yes, Bog and Jen, this is just too cold. I also agree with letting them acclimate bit not being cruel. I will sleep better knowing they will survive although I'm not excited about poop on my garage floor.