Snow in Texas!!

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Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! It's 19 degrees this morning inside the coop. I brought them hot water & hot mash & threw them some boss mixed with scratch. Found a frozen egg launched from the roost. It was my first frozen egg ever LOL . They seemed ok but I was to cold & ran back to the barnominium. I think I need to move closer to the equator. I'm trying to call Al Gore but he won't answer his voicemail said call back in August.
 
19 this morning down here near Victoria. That is not normal here. For you northerners that are enduring snow storms, my prayers go out for you. I lived south of Chicago for many years. However, down here, we are not prepared nor are we climatized to this. Our animals are not climatized to this. We do not build barns or coops that can handle this because most of our months are hotter than hot. This is very dangerous for everyone down here. Calves are dropping in this freezing weather and foals as well. This is the time when you hear of calves and foals freezing to the ground because not only the temps, but the winds. Combs and tips of ears get frost bit because our animals are not use to this. Even my horse's ears are not fuzzy enough compared to the horses up north......shoot mine do not even grow the length of hair they do. We do not have heated water troughs.....had to break up what I could this morning. Pipes are not insulated enough or put far enough in the ground for this. Heard of a vet who had heating pads wrapped around IV lines to help save a colicy horse last night. Even the vet barns are not prepared. The next few days are going to be dangerous and we all need to keep a close eye on our livestock and pets.
 
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Amen: Its gonna be even colder tonight so I'm gonna put more pine shaving down & I'd like to get their coop a little warmer some how.As mentioned my coop was designed for hot weather not cold. Should I put a blanket over one of the windows. Maybe put the blanket where they roost. Would this provide some heat for them are not. Their roost is next to a window. The window is covered with a tarp but theirs no insulation. Theres plenty of draft no worry there.
 
It was 15 here in our little valley this morning when I got up.... I checked on the birds, and everyone seems to be doing well. I did have frozen water, and that was replaced, and I will be checking on that during the day. I also let them out, and they did scratch around for a while. I also put scratch inside of their coops to keep them occupied.
Both coops keep their heat pretty well, but this is expecting a whole lot !! I will most likely go out and close them up shortly. I don't see that they are out any longer.
Plus, I want to ensure no frozen eggs either... so another good reason to continue to check on them. We have tarps wrapped around the coops to help ensure wind blockage, and we still have plently of ventilation.... I sure wish this would hurry up and blow by ! I lived in Michigan for 45 years before coming to Texas.... I left there for a reason !! I have been down here for almost 11 years.... my blood is very thin now !!

Kacey
 
All of the waterers outdoors were frozen solid this morning...no surprise, really. But what did surprise me was I filled up a waterer with warm water and put it out in the run first thing this morning. Then when I finished the chicken chores and the indoor bird chores, taking about an hour, I rechecked and discovered that the water had already started icing over in that short time!

I have another waterer indoor the coop, and it had started developing ice crystals, too. It's going to be a long couple of days.
 
It was 19 degrees this morning around 8:00 and my 4 girls seem okay. Their water was frozen so I had to give them a fresh bowl plus a bowl of warm oatmeal and scratch. its 22 degrees now and they are acting totally normal. Should I put a heat lamp in the coop? I always thought chickens were pretty hardy but ya'll are making me worry! I don't want them to get frostbite.
 
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I live in Southern Maine. My coop is not insulated. The coop stays 10F warmer in my coop than the outside temps.

I will turn on a 250watt bulb when the temps fall to -10F. BUT my hens are used to the cold temps. If your flock looks comfortable at 20F then that's the temp I would shoot for. Make sure you dont completely shut up the coop. Moisture mixed with heat will make frostbite.

We are in the middle of a Nor'easter. The outside temp is rather warm given the circumstances it's pretty warm, 16F. I have a sheltered run so I have the pop door open. My flock was outside scratching around this morning in the run.
 
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Yikes! That's cold.

I recommend these DeLonghi oil filled radiators:

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&NttParam=&storeId=10151&qvRedirect=

It only cost about $35. I've got one running in my coop right now on its lowest setting and it's able to keep an 8' by 8' walk in coop at around 40 degrees even in this awful cold. My husband uses one in his office at work to stay warm, too.

We have several of those heaters.. one of them is installed in the well house, and we installed a pet door on it, and put up a pet taxi with blankets, and that is where the kittys go when it's cold. I have been keeping both water and food in there for them, and haven't seen them outside.. (smart kitties !)
On top of the cold out there, the new roo decided to get one of the hens today, and she wasn't very willing. Her comb was torn, and her head bloody. But the time I found her, she had been pecked on the top of the head...close to her eye. So, she came in for a slightly damp wipe off, and neosporin application. I put her back in, and gave them more scratch/BOSS mix, and hope that she will do ok. Not the time to separate her, as she needs the warmth of the others too. I will be back out again shortly to swap around the water and recheck on her.
fl.gif


Kacey
 
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I don't know how anything could burn with as much snow as we have....

Ok Its not snowing in south central Texas maybe Friday.Good luck!!!

I miss south central Texas. I'm so home sick for the wonderful winter weather.
 

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