South Carolina

[WestKnollAmy]

Jackie B. :

Midas says Happy Howloween!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/57425_midas_halloween.jpg

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
You see that pose often when Nicole picks up a roo! I have not seen another person do an adult roo that way except her. I am sure dixie beast is hoping for plenty of girls though. It does look like a man flopped out there all happy like that.

That is how we tell when they are chicks....by her picking them up. So far, she has not been wrong - I was only wrong once - I just wanted Forrest to be a roo too bad LOL and got a pullet. You should see her, Amy! She has GREAT type!!

Don't show NellaBean! She will be trying to talk you out of her! She usually gets all my great pullets.
I am sure Forrest is a lovely girl. I get some awesome birds out of my Mottled Cochin pen. If Miss Janelle would quite talking me out of all my wonderful young ladies I would have something to put back into breeding!

But I am hoping I will get some nice ones back eventually, too. She is working on some top notch breeding pens.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Jackie B. :

Quote:
Looks to me like the chicken tried to swallow the Midas... and lost!

Very cute!

Yeah well Midas swallowed 9 earlier this year so this is payback..and he knows it!​

But he was going to protect you from that bear! He is trying to grow up and be a good boy.
At least he doesn't get out like Jolie does. I swear, to have Great Pyrs you need a 9 ft tall fence. And an indestructible one! Jolie, or the neighbors' dogs, I am not real, sure keeps ripping holes in the hog wire. Probably both while playing.

 

[ccw2005]

Good Morning y'all!

I have a question that after months of research I figured I would ask those who live in SC to help answer. I am down in the low country in Dorchester County. I am gearing up to winterize the coop that I have built. I am torn between wiring the coop for two heat lamps, or two regular drop lamps and now, I have read somewhere that a string of Christmas tree lights will work just as well as drop lamps for providing additional light. As we speak, my coop offers limited protection from draft. It is a large rectangular box, 8 feet long, 3 feet high and about 4 feet wide. It is up on legs so if you picture a table with a box on it, then you can see what I am dealing with.

I am sure some of you are looking at this with a raised brow wondering what the heck I built, but at the time, it served a great purpose since I had a long removable door on the front where I could lock up the girls before I had the run completed. I will be rebuilding the coop as soon as I can score some discarded lumber.

Anyway, if I help cut the drafts from the sides and the bottoms, what lighting would you recommend? My coop and run sits about 25 feet from a power outlet and I have the ability through superior design planning (aka LUCK) to get an extension cord to the run without it becoming a new toy for the nosy ladies.

Thanks a bunch!!

(Note - the edit was me trying to figure out how to attach a photo pf my box.)
(LOL additional edit is to inform all that I cannot figure out how to do the blog or add pictures. I added two photo's to my BYC thingy but dont see them...)

 

[pinkwindsong]

Love Midas's costume and yeah karma got him... hahha....

Amy Nadine ? my gosh did someone hit your poser pole like they did Dixie's.. sure seams to be a lot of outages. and I dont think they should get to raise their prices either.. they did all summer long already... arghhh...

 

[WestKnollAmy]

If your birds are grown forget the heat lamps. Only chicks need heat lamps. Where you live it isn't bad at all with freezing temps but the wind can get them too chilled.
I am up here at the foot of the mountains. I block wind but that is it. Otherwise, my birds keep themselves warm. They do very well with open air tractors and coops. I am sure yours will be fine as long as you block the wind.

As you can see, there is only wire on the front of my barn. I do place tarps or plastic over this in the winter but I do not add any heat at all. My girls lay all through the winter in the coop and the tractors.

Edited because 2 cups of coffee still isn't enough since I have been up since 4:30 and can't spell today.

 

[Joycats]

Quote:
Yup, that is what I was telling dixie beast. The breeder did well at Crossroads, which is a huge plus for us, I believe! She knows her stuff.

And that is where I got the idea I needed blacks!

She will be my go-to person when I can swing getting another variety.
That white lady is so totally gorgeous!! And she has quickly learned to deal with all my affection. I would love to have some blacks in the future.

Are you sure you tried to get me into these last year or before? How did I miss these wonderful birds? And why didn't I listen to you?

I tried too Amy, told you that you "needed" d'uccle's AND guineas.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I keep resisting more birds! But I am weak, so weak....

 

[Jackie B.]

Quote:
Yeah well Midas swallowed 9 earlier this year so this is payback..and he knows it!

But he was going to protect you from that bear! He is trying to grow up and be a good boy.
At least he doesn't get out like Jolie does. I swear, to have Great Pyrs you need a 9 ft tall fence. And an indestructible one! Jolie, or the neighbors' dogs, I am not real, sure keeps ripping holes in the hog wire. Probably both while playing.

He learned how to sit without physcial instruction last night! (er for hotdogs, but I still count it).

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

Quote:
I grew up in North Charleston, before North Charleston was a city. That said, listen to Amy up there in them mountains!

Block wind. Use plastic or plywood. Whatever works.
Put a permanent light out there. Not for heat, but so YOU can see when all heck is breaking loose (here's hoping you never have predator issues). My parents only ever turned on a large lightbulb in the coop when we had a sudden temperature drop. Chickens can keep most of their bodies warm. Combs tend to get frostbite and a single lightbulb can prevent that. Just raising the coop temperature two or three degrees above outside is usually the birds need.

Look for the thread(s) with the thermal images of roosting chickens on a freezing night. Quite awesome! They fluff their feathers and cover their feet. Only warm/red areas were their faces.