Surviving Minnesota!

[AllisonWndrlnd1]

This is my FIRST winter with the girls. I'm wondering if anyone has some tips for me. I have a garden coop with 4 hens (Golden Comet, Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, and Easter Egger)
This coming week will be the coldest for the longest they have ever had to deal with. I have no heating for them and I want to know at what point do I have to really worry. The run has plastic up and there is plenty of ventilation. Theres straw of the run floor and pine shavings in the coop with some straw in the egg box.
PLEASE GIVE ME TIPS! I would hate to loose one of my girls.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

@AllisonWndrlnd1 They will be fine with alll their fluffy down. Stick your fingers under one when they are roosted and their breast feathers are covering their feet. Their feet will feel toasty warm. I snuck a peak at the 10 day forcast and I don't see anything too drastic in the temps yet. At -10 or -15 or so I think about adding heat. But I'd worry about a heat lamp in your little tinder box there. You're girls are really designed well for this weather. And the biggest favor you are doing them right now with this weather and temps so far is leaving the heat off, removing frozen poop frequently and giving them draft free-ventilated place to sleep. If you wanted you could put some Bag Balm on their combs on the super cold nights. But hens tuck their heads under their wings in that weather and they really don't get frost bit like the big single combed roosters do. Keep their feed up (because they are burning extra calories) and always - always keep open water for them. That's about it.

First winter is always a nervous one. I remember well.....

 

[duluthralphie]

This is my FIRST winter with the girls. I'm wondering if anyone has some tips for me. I have a garden coop with 4 hens (Golden Comet, Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, and Easter Egger)
This coming week will be the coldest for the longest they have ever had to deal with. I have no heating for them and I want to know at what point do I have to really worry. The run has plastic up and there is plenty of ventilation. Theres straw of the run floor and pine shavings in the coop with some straw in the egg box.
PLEASE GIVE ME TIPS! I would hate to loose one of my girls.

As BC said, you will do well, your coop looks good, I like the ventilation. Make sure the roost is low enough the birds do not sit in the "draft". Your girls look great. We all worry over winter. The stuff we just came through is worse than the extreme cold. those 20 degree nights with 35 degree days stink. We get so much moisture in the air, and that really takes a toll.

I ended up with a few frostbitten combs out of it. I hate them, but they are part of life in MN. Any SOP that requires combs should exempt Mn Birds!

And Welcome to the thread Come back often. Did you need to go to all your neighbors like BR did to get permission to have chickens?

 

[AllisonWndrlnd1]

Didnt need neighbors permission just laws about placement of coop. We're lucky to live on a corner so we had plenty of space away from the neighbors. Plus all my neighbors love the girls and ask about them often. Thanks for the help!

 

[KlopKlop]

Argh what a frustrating night! I needed to get my snowmobile moved off the drive to plow snow and the darn thing wouldn't start so i had to plow around it. Can't figure out what the heck is going on with it. Then im plowing snow and the wind is blowing the snow up over my truck as i plow making visibility nothing and fogging over all my windows. I end up dropping one wheel off the edge of the ditch which for some reason caused the 4x4 to stop working, it would just spin the one wheel that was hanging. Ended up having to back further into the ditch to get the 4x4 to hook up. Took me too long and too many curse words to figure that out. I was about ready to just leave it with a free sign on it. grrrrrr

I wish that dump truck would have worked out!!

 

[duluthralphie]

Argh what a frustrating night! I needed to get my snowmobile moved off the drive to plow snow and the darn thing wouldn't start so i had to plow around it. Can't figure out what the heck is going on with it. Then im plowing snow and the wind is blowing the snow up over my truck as i plow making visibility nothing and fogging over all my windows. I end up dropping one wheel off the edge of the ditch which for some reason caused the 4x4 to stop working, it would just spin the one wheel that was hanging. Ended up having to back further into the ditch to get the 4x4 to hook up. Took me too long and too many curse words to figure that out. I was about ready to just leave it with a free sign on it. grrrrrr

I wish that dump truck would have worked out!!

I am guessing you are getting snow..

None here yet.

I hate when all that stuff goes wrong. I was in the shed this morning and noticed "liquid" under the bobcat. I had good clothes on and had to go to St. Cloud so I did not get to look under it. I am hoping it was just snow that melted and not oil. I used it to plow Sunday. When I put it away I plug it in, I am hoping the tank heater melted the snow and that was what I saw.

My ATV keeps throwing the chain off the rear left tire so I have to fix one of the two before I plow tomorrow, if we get snow. (Fingers crossed we don't)





The footer is for you Coffee,,,,I have not received a call from you to schedule his training.......

 

[Rhetts]

well, I survived my weekend with mother. Over all it actually went well. She called me after she got home today to thank me for the great time we had given her here. Well, I'll be. Maybe she actually had a good time after all.

Bogtown-I hosted my family side of thanksgiving last year. I was a wreck for 2 weeks before it all was to be. Well, the Wednesday or Thursday (we hosted on Saturday with some coming on Friday) my washer pooped out. I was panicked. All the bedding, towels and clothes needed to be washed. It was a nightmare. I ended up taking the must have washed to my mother in laws for help. What a blessing she is!!! So I can completely relate with the feelings of frustrations on the washer crapping out right before a big shindig.

Coffee-congratulations on your new place!! It looks SO beautiful!

@AllisonWndrlnd1 The first winters are the worst for us as we worry about every thing. Bogtown and Ralphie give good sound advice that I use repeatedly!! Your girls look great!!

 

[KlopKlop]

I am guessing you are getting snow..

None here yet.

I hate when all that stuff goes wrong. I was in the shed this morning and noticed "liquid" under the bobcat. I had good clothes on and had to go to St. Cloud so I did not get to look under it. I am hoping it was just snow that melted and not oil. I used it to plow Sunday. When I put it away I plug it in, I am hoping the tank heater melted the snow and that was what I saw.

My ATV keeps throwing the chain off the rear left tire so I have to fix one of the two before I plow tomorrow, if we get snow. (Fingers crossed we don't)





The footer is for you Coffee,,,,I have not received a call from you to schedule his training.......

YEs, we have at least a couple inches down and expect another 3-5 overnight. i hope you are right about your bobcat. Your melted snow theory sounds probable.

I just got off the phone with another guy selling a 3/4 ton plow truck in rochester. He was telling me about it and then decided that just talking about it made him 'fall in love with it again' so if I wanted it i would have to pay $200 more than his asking price. HA! he is a joker. i told him to have a good night. I'm not that desperate.

 

[The BlanchRanch]

This is my FIRST winter with the girls. I'm wondering if anyone has some tips for me. I have a garden coop with 4 hens (Golden Comet, Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, and Easter Egger)
This coming week will be the coldest for the longest they have ever had to deal with. I have no heating for them and I want to know at what point do I have to really worry. The run has plastic up and there is plenty of ventilation. Theres straw of the run floor and pine shavings in the coop with some straw in the egg box.
PLEASE GIVE ME TIPS! I would hate to loose one of my girls.

Hooray!! Another person that lives in the city. Well, close anyway. I live south Minneapolis. Sounds like you are doing everything right!! This winter will be mild. I am sure you will have no problems.
Great looking girls!

 

[The BlanchRanch]

Hey, coffee. I didn't know you got some free help too!!! Good for you. Train him in good. I think he really better do some time at Ralphie's boot camp. He may need it to survive the workload he will have to endure. ;-).

So glad so much is going so good for you!! You deserve it.