South Carolina

[Lroach711]

It sure is chilly out tonight! My chickies were saying brrr when I went out. I think it's time to put their tarps up to block some of this wind! I'm just hoping they keep laying eggs for me through the cold weather. My original 4 laying hens just outright quit on me last year around november or so and didn't start back up til spring! I'm hoping my younger girls will keep giving me eggs through the winter!

On another note, I LOVE when the leaves start to change

Here's part of my view from our front yard:

 

[emptynester]

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what a gorgeous view!

 

[pinkwindsong]

do ya'll have a preferred brand of heat lamp bulb.. I want a safe bulb.. haven't had very good luck with them but i have it set up now that it cant hurt anything.. I have my three amigos that are still up int he tree.. ahhhh dang tree huggers ahah

.... I worry they will get cold in this weather.. .. so since this is my first winter with my flock.. what do i need to do or what do I need to expect with them

I have my kennel/coop pretty much wind an rain proof. using tarps.. and it is holding heat well.

tonight you can really tell when you open the door and the woosh of cold air comes in.. ya'll are gonna say.. Dont spoil them arnt you... ???

 

[RedBugPoultry]

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You get it from the American Poultry Association. It has the standard for every breed and pictures. Not great pictures though! The 2010 book just came out. It's not cheap but worth it if you're interested in the standard.

Thank you for posting this!!

 

[Lroach711]

ahhhhH! soo excited! My little BBRed OEGB pullet just layed her first egg! It's so tiny and cute

So this is a silly question, but how likely is it that she'll go broody if I just leave her eggs there for her? I know game hens are usually really good broodies but I'm just curious!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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OMG! You have the most lovely view! And look at all those colors. Ours haven't turned much over this way yet that I can tell. Some years are better than others though.
Your view is really nice right now. I would love to see it in another week or two. I bet it will be even more colorful and arresting.

 

[Moonchild]

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Oh, Yancy.........how gorgeous!

That is a work of art. I'm happy if I get anything to live but here you are getting something so exotic to bloom. How amazing!
Do you have a sun room or something you put these plants in or are they just in certain spots in your home that they may do well in?

I have those Christmas cactus that I try so hard to keep alive and still they struggle. I don't understand plants too well.

OK I'll let you in on a little secert about Orchids and Christmas catus..... Put them outside during our Hot/Humid summers THEY love it!!! BUT always put them under a shade tree or hang them in a shade tree(better) DIRECT sunlight will burn them up in only 4hours. I fertilize them about once a week or really just when I remember too. Bring Orchids in before the first cold snap and put near a sunny window, Never fertilize a blooming orchids. Bring Christmas Catus in before it frost and STOP watering it...wait about a 3weeks to 4 weeks then start to water it alittle. This will Spark it to bloom..although they should be called Thanksgiving Catus cause that's when they will bloom. The cold at night and lack of water is what it needs to push it into blooming full.

Secrets I've learned after killing lots of plants. And it's really this simple.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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I bought the Premier lamps from their website but was not too impressed. I put them both up last winter and one totally quit on me in the middle of our cold snap. The other one works but the heat is so far away from them that they pile underneath it trying to stay warm. I haven't even plugged it in this year so far.
I am using the old ceramic heat lamp fixtures in the brooder coop that is rather air-ish, especially with the wind tonight. I don;t usually turn it on but I had a few keets escape from the brooder and they are so small yet that I hoped they woudl get underneath it to stay warm. Last I saw though they were on the roosting pole with the others.
I have 3 plugged in in the brooder room but in the house I have that plastic kind with the switch on it. Those are more likely to cause fires so I prefer it in the house where the smoke alarm is.
Down in the barn I have 100 watt bulbs on most of the heat lamps except for the little chicks which have 125 and are partially covered to hold heat in.

It's a 3 Guinea kind of night.......

Actually they may all snuggle up tonight.....

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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Whew! I am so glad you wrote in about this! As soon as I saw you post this I had to jump up and run outside to get my Mom's old Cactus. I would have been heart broken if I had let hers die after all the years she had that thing. I inherited it a good many years ago when she came to live with us. I did actually kill one that Daddy pieced off of it and have no idea why. It was doing fine while he was alive but I somehow killed it. Oh, and I think I killed their white one, too but Dad got it for Mom only a few few years before he passed away.
So that tells you the first part. I do put them outside in the shade all summer. However, while Mom's has buds on it right now, my two are looking like they are going to die. I brought them in when we had that little cold spell the other week and they still look pitiful. Years ago I tried to fertilize them to no avail but then they perked up when DH started using my Betta fish water on them in the winter. BUT when I do it they droop again!

Okay, so no water for anyone for a few weeks, though I swear I am about to lose my red one. DD got it for me 2 Christmas's ago and my peachy one I have had about 6 years, amazingly enough. I think Mom's is about 30+/- years old. She got it right around the time I got married. I can't remember if it was before or after though.

Now, my peachy one did real well when DH re-potted it for me. MOF, it bloomed almost through the whole winter. It started at Thanksgiving, like you said and continued almost to Christmas. Then it bloomed again at Easter. That has been a while back though. I am just horrid with plants. They hate me!

Anyhow, is it weird for one to be budding this time of year? Or is it because I left it out through that bit of cold snap we had recently? I dared not leave it out tonight though. that wind is wicked and cold.

 

[pinkwindsong]

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maybe come spring i may need to get a pullet or two from you I lost one of my Bb's while I was on vacation. total surprise to loose her of all of them? keep me in mind this spring for girls.. my little Roo is gorgeous and so sweet.. and so is the little hen that is with him.. i realty think that Henna must have gotten egg bound, they were just at the egg laying age..
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