South Louisiana Temps Dropping & Chicken Owners

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
what did u do to get it ready? i want to make sure that i covered all areas.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I think we will be fine. I am more worried about finishing using up whatever water I need before it gets too late and we shut it off and drain the lines. I just rake up the leaves and cypress/pine needles and give it to the chickens. I put a lot under them in the roost and the decomposition is doing something to keep them warm.
Just think.....if our ancestors hadn't been exiled we would be freezing our tails off up north too. This summer when our temps register close to or even touching 100 degrees and we hear people up north complaining about 85 we might be shaking our heads. I'm sure the cold spell won't last too long. Just make sure you protect your pipes and vehicles first. I think the chickens will be fine if they have any kind of decent coop.

 

[chickenlittle32]

Quote:
what did u do to get it ready? i want to make sure that i covered all areas.

I have an open air coop so I covered up all the open areas so that they don't get drafts...and put in a heat light...extra bedding also...

I have 3 turkeys that usually sleep outside the coop...I went to check on them a lil while ago, even they are roosting in the coop tonight lol

 

[catdaddyfro]

Yeah, I got out yesterday before the rain came in and finished closing off some of the drafts and the leaves and pine straw finally had dried enough to rake some up and cover the ground in the coop so I put them down a goo 8/10 inch deep layer to help keep them off the wet ground because I new it was coming and sure 'nuff rained it @$$ off last night again and flooded the coopa nd run but at least the beddind is deep enough to keep them off the dirt anyhow. Other than that all I can do is tell the ol' gals to huncker up and hang in there and hope its over in a little bit.

catdaddy

 

[Right On Reds]

So far so good here in NYC with my five red ladies.

I keep them in a rubbermaid type shed with lots of hay and shavings and close the door at night. There are different levels they can chose to be on. The shed is 7 x 3 and about 7 high. Around thie shed I erected one of those 8 x 8 x 8 Sears storage tents which gives them a nice protected outdoor area as well as keeping the shed protected from any windy stuff as well. The grey/silver color of the tent keeps enough heat in and it's always warmer in there. The tent/shed thing runs wall to wall between an exterior wall of my house and a 8 foot stockade fence, so it's stable as heck in the wind. I keep the tent zippers open just enough for the girls to go out to the yard and back in as they please.

I went to Lowes today and picked up another thermometer. My old one was showing a low of 28 degrees in the coop, even when it was 13 outside and I want to make sure it's right. When it's in the 30's outside, inside goes up to 45 or so. This new thermometer also measures humidity so when I go out in the a.m. I'll be able to see what the humidity is like as well.

Hens are doing well and I'm feeding them tons of stuff. They'd have to lay golden eggs at this point to make up for all the money I'm spending on goodies cuz I feel guilty. Between farina, oatmeal, blueberries, romaine, broccoli, corn, corn and corn, then corn scratch in addition to Layena/grit/oyster shells it's a small fortune. Five hens are devouring six corn on the cobs every darn day!!!

Right now here in NYC, my tv tells me the temp in my immediate town in 29 degrees, so it'll be in the high 30's in the coop. I can't believe how it's warmer here at 2:30 am than it is down south!!

Makes it harder to believe global warming, doesn't it?

 

[chickenlittle32]

Right now, the temp is 30* with the wind chill at 19*...I just checked outside and the water in the ditches are iced over!!!

 

[twentynine]

Fixing to head out the door on the way to work.

Fancy smancy indoor outdoor thermometer says73* inside----- 29* outside. I opened the door to let the dog out and in, winds blowing 10 to 15 I'd guess. No rain as of right now. But damp, real damp.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
Not even close.....

 

[kuntrygirl]

I made sure that everyone was safe, secure and warm last night. I left the heat lamps on for the little bitties. I woke up at 2:15 am to set the burn pile on fire for the sheep, goat, geese and ducks. You talk about a fire. I was ready to roast marshmallows. The fire burned well. Sheep, goat, geese, ducks and turkeys walked as near as possible towards the fire. I stayed out there about 30 minutes to supervise the fire and then went back in. Woke up this morning and all waterer's were frozen. I don't have heated waterer's, so I hauled out hot/warm water and a hammer to break through the ice so everyone could have fresh water. The geese were walking on the small ice ponds and the iced water in the swimming pools. The fire was still burning. I just gave an extra serving of corn this morning as well as warm mash for the chickens. The baby rabbits were jumping around in their hutch, so the mama kept them warm. Weatherman said that it was 17 degrees at 5am this morning.

 

[speckledhen]

Mine are locked in. DH won't let me go out in the snow, having flashbacks of me falling and breaking my ankle last January at this time and he won't let them out, figures he'd have to kill himself getting them back in if they went under the coop. We just have an inch and a half or so, but it's still flurrying and the sun is shining. Glad we didn't get more than this, though I was expecting it up here on my little mtn.