Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[stoopid]

OK, one more. They're still too wet...

 

[magsrags]

Think Barnvelders....old breed....mine hatched at 10 mos. nopw is laying huge...med-dark brown eggs....sometimes speckled the past 2 weeks for some reason..... and is simply gorgeous.



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[magsrags]

I hear ya Al. I am further south but fearing the worst of winter right now. I have the 4 little 14 day old peeps living outside right now and the temps are scaring me. Momm,a is doing a great jpob so we shall see............



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Guess we both are going to stick around the homestead for a while. I need to get the electricity out to the coop real soon. I saw the wet snow forecast for here and I was like, another winter from hell again... If this proves to be as bad as last year we will be rethinking staying in NY for retirement. As much as I do love this state and all it has to offer, winter and these tired old bones don't mix. And to think I always hated the heat of summer. Getting past the 50 mark must change your body or something. Now I see why all those seniors flock to Florida and points south when they retire.

 

[mjuenem]

In the low 30's here and the girls are all still perched outside.

MArk

 

[smkchick]

My silly chickies didn't go up to the roost with the big girls tonight, so I moved them up by hand. All of the chickens are now roosting in the same part of the coop. Because of the colder temps, I brought out a heat pack for the babies to snuggle with. We're going to set up a heat bulb for them for the next couple of weeks because they're so young and the temps are dropping. The plan is to put it into the grow-out part of the coop so they go there to get warm if they need to, or just stay with the big girls if they feel okay. From what I've read, that's the best way to go - have heat available if they need it. Just like they could choose to stay by momma hen if they were raised that way. At least for the next couple of weeks until they're a little bigger.

They seem to have all worked out their places in the pecking order, so there is much less harassing going on.

I'm a little anxious about starting my new job tomorrow. The first day of school is always hard for the teachers, too. Hope I can sleep tonight!

Roberta, congratulations! Will you be handing out cigars?

 

[ChickenAl]

Quote:
Guess we both are going to stick around the homestead for a while. I need to get the electricity out to the coop real soon. I saw the wet snow forecast for here and I was like, another winter from hell again... If this proves to be as bad as last year we will be rethinking staying in NY for retirement. As much as I do love this state and all it has to offer, winter and these tired old bones don't mix. And to think I always hated the heat of summer. Getting past the 50 mark must change your body or something. Now I see why all those seniors flock to Florida and points south when they retire.


Maggie, it is down to 34 degrees up here. Looks like we will be getting ice overnight. Gotta get that electricity in the coop soon. Supposed to be in the low 20s tomorrow night. The girls seem to be handling it well but they don't need to find an ice block for a waterer one morning. The things we do for chickens.

 

[ChickenAl]

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Suzanne, good luck tomorrow.

 

[smkchick]

Of course I was up before the chickens this morning. Nerves about starting at a new school with 21 7 year olds who just lost their teacher. Some big shoes to fill.

But first thing was checking the chicks, who have been sleeping in the coop with the big girls. Temps dropped here last night below 40 degrees. I put a heat pack in when they went to the roost, and reheated it before I went to bed. When I went out about 5:30, they were fine, and the heat pack was still warm.

It's gonna be a tough day. First day of school for me, then the wake.

One good thing is that my new job is 5 minutes from home, so I can grab some chicken time in the middle of the day if I need it.

 

[newchick13]

Good Luck Suzanne! I myself am headed to school....volunteering in Kindergarten's halloween party. I was up at 6:30 baking Brown butter pumpkin muffins for the kids. Hope they like them!

I am headed to Wild Birds Unlimited to find a birdbath heater to keep my water from freezing, and some red heat lamp bulbs for the coop. 3-6 inches in October is not cool.....

 

[stoopid]

Good luck at skool!