Surviving Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

Hi, I hope we are all surviving Minnesota today!


It was 28 when I first looked at the temp but that was close to 8.

We were suppose to go to our Son's but I called it off this morning That is just too cold to be out driving in, people die in minutes. Iron breaks, plastic snaps..YUCK!!!

I lost one of my Original Legbars I got from Heidi last night. It appears it was not eating, crop was empty, seemed emaciated. I grabbed a couple others in the coop and they seemed fine, crops were empty, but I kind of expect that in the morning and when they refuse to step out the door to eat.

I think this was the one that had the white gene that started all my White legbars. Kind of the "Lucy" of them. Lets see if Layer's schooling gets that reference.

Bert is not liking the cold, he has moved into pet status and roams the pole barn. He cries when he sees me. I gave in and set up a heat lamp for him. I know, I know, don't tell me how stupid that is, I know. I just felt so sorry for him.


I have a Polish cockerel that is going to die, I have no idea why but he has frozen legs and feet and is lethargic. All the other cockerels in the pens seem to be fine. They have a coop they are not using instead they are under a lean too and on a roost in the open.. I am trying to feel sorry for him, but I disliked this one more than the other even. Maybe he sensed my lack of love for him and decided to go out the old Eskimo way.


I have another white legbar cockerel that seems to have a frozen foot. Again makes no sense he is in the coop with the guineas and 15-20 other young roosters. They have a coop, and a topper covered/surrounded in old hay bales, wind breaks and the roosts are 12 inches wide... The extreme cold like the extreme heat, kills off those that have underlying problems. I suppose I should look at this as a culling of the weak to keep my flock stronger.

I actually got 2 eggs that were not froze today. One was a legbar for hatching the other was a legbar pullet egg. All the other eggs were frozen today. With the exception of the Dominique that ate her egg again. I have no idea how she got to it. I am going to have to redesign her egg rollaway system.


Cuddles, the SS rooster still has his comb, I set up two heating pads on the top of his cage last week, and it seems to be enough heat to stop the damage. I think, with luck I will be able to show him again next year. Fingers crossed.


Well, that's it for here,

Take care all

 

[KlopKlop]

Hi, I hope we are all surviving Minnesota today!


It was 28 when I first looked at the temp but that was close to 8.

We were suppose to go to our Son's but I called it off this morning That is just too cold to be out driving in, people die in minutes. Iron breaks, plastic snaps..YUCK!!!

I lost one of my Original Legbars I got from Heidi last night. It appears it was not eating, crop was empty, seemed emaciated. I grabbed a couple others in the coop and they seemed fine, crops were empty, but I kind of expect that in the morning and when they refuse to step out the door to eat.

I think this was the one that had the white gene that started all my White legbars. Kind of the "Lucy" of them. Lets see if Layer's schooling gets that reference.

Bert is not liking the cold, he has moved into pet status and roams the pole barn. He cries when he sees me. I gave in and set up a heat lamp for him. I know, I know, don't tell me how stupid that is, I know. I just felt so sorry for him.


I have a Polish cockerel that is going to die, I have no idea why but he has frozen legs and feet and is lethargic. All the other cockerels in the pens seem to be fine. They have a coop they are not using instead they are under a lean too and on a roost in the open.. I am trying to feel sorry for him, but I disliked this one more than the other even. Maybe he sensed my lack of love for him and decided to go out the old Eskimo way.


I have another white legbar cockerel that seems to have a frozen foot. Again makes no sense he is in the coop with the guineas and 15-20 other young roosters. They have a coop, and a topper covered/surrounded in old hay bales, wind breaks and the roosts are 12 inches wide... The extreme cold like the extreme heat, kills off those that have underlying problems. I suppose I should look at this as a culling of the weak to keep my flock stronger.

I actually got 2 eggs that were not froze today. One was a legbar for hatching the other was a legbar pullet egg. All the other eggs were frozen today. With the exception of the Dominique that ate her egg again. I have no idea how she got to it. I am going to have to redesign her egg rollaway system.


Cuddles, the SS rooster still has his comb, I set up two heating pads on the top of his cage last week, and it seems to be enough heat to stop the damage. I think, with luck I will be able to show him again next year. Fingers crossed.


Well, that's it for here,

Take care all

glad to hear you are still amongst the unfrozen. We havent left the homestead since yesterday. you are spot on about how cold impacts things. last thing i need is to get half way to town and something fails or a deer hops up or a tire blows and suddenly walking for help becomes a game of russian roulette.

I was hoping to get my truck looked at today but heck no im not going to go out and work in the middle of the driveway in this weather.

 

[I Love Layers]

You guys are getting the weather we had the last 3 days...
We are at 10 right now. Still below zero with 20 mph wind.

Heading to town for ice skating for 4H.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

-32 F at 8:00 this morning. My 'shelf chickens' ( I like that) were in a -10 coop. I brought them scratch with Boss added in, water with electrolytes, more feed, and ...a 250 watt heat lamp. I don't do cruel. When I went to recheck them it was 15 degrees in the coop and Kitty --blue Ameraucana from Illinois was laying an olive egg. Sylvia my old top hen has feet that get cold easy. She jumped down for scratch but decided not to fight the youngsters and set down in the straw I put down and tuck those feet up in her belly feathers.

Junior's comb is doing its Minnesota thing. I have no idea where we'll be at the end of this winter but it will have to due. It's not nearly as bad as Rogers was that first year though. And I'm less frantic about it. Lol. Funny what 4 years of chickening does.

I built a towel hook thing yesterday for the new bathroom. Those are steel dock cleats. Today I installed the door handle for the door. Had to chisel in that plate so it was flush with the door. Proud that I got it done. Need to trim out the door, have DH hook up the GF outlet and we'll be pretty set.

 

[jerryse]

I have been processing some geese some hunters gifted me . So here is what I did with one last night . It may be old news to some . Anyway I took the breasts and split them horizontally with a sharp knife to make them thinner . Pounded them with the tenderizer hammer . Dipped in egg wash then in cracker crumbs . Fried them . Very tasty . I am saving the grease from them to try the BC frying tip .
Cooked the carcasses for stock or broth . Good day to cook . DW is making a pot of chilli . Well I need to go finish the drive during the heat of the day . Such as it is .

 

[Cebarmlds]

I had the pop door open this afternoon for about 2 hours or so, not all of them came out but the fresh air was good. It was -31 this morning . Made oatmeal for myself and the chickens as DH doesn't like it..
I made a large batch of chocolate fudge to send out to family for Christmas gifts so will haul it to the po tomorrow. When I closed up the coop everyone looked good and they got the pep talk,' big warm up coming this week'!! so just two more months to get through... Hope we can make it! 4 eggs today and I think I got them before they froze.

Sorry for your losses Ralphie, that just sucks.

 

[MNChickMom]

Sorry to hear of your losses ralphie. Those a big losses.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Morning all! hope you are all staying warm. twas a bit brisk on my undies run to turn on the chicken lights this morning. might need to consider pulling on a stocking cap on my way out the door. The flock seem oblivious to the cold in their shed. water had a thin skin of ice but that is all this morning. there is already solar gain evident from the southern 3 windows plus the heat bulbs i have in the light fixtures. warm enough i can probably spend some time hanging out with them today. I mis chicken TV....

Undies run? Do tell. Lol

Hi, I hope we are all surviving Minnesota today!


It was 28 when I first looked at the temp but that was close to 8.

We were suppose to go to our Son's but I called it off this morning That is just too cold to be out driving in, people die in minutes. Iron breaks, plastic snaps..YUCK!!!

I lost one of my Original Legbars I got from Heidi last night. It appears it was not eating, crop was empty, seemed emaciated. I grabbed a couple others in the coop and they seemed fine, crops were empty, but I kind of expect that in the morning and when they refuse to step out the door to eat.

I think this was the one that had the white gene that started all my White legbars. Kind of the "Lucy" of them. Lets see if Layer's schooling gets that reference.

Bert is not liking the cold, he has moved into pet status and roams the pole barn. He cries when he sees me. I gave in and set up a heat lamp for him. I know, I know, don't tell me how stupid that is, I know. I just felt so sorry for him.


I have a Polish cockerel that is going to die, I have no idea why but he has frozen legs and feet and is lethargic. All the other cockerels in the pens seem to be fine. They have a coop they are not using instead they are under a lean too and on a roost in the open.. I am trying to feel sorry for him, but I disliked this one more than the other even. Maybe he sensed my lack of love for him and decided to go out the old Eskimo way.


I have another white legbar cockerel that seems to have a frozen foot. Again makes no sense he is in the coop with the guineas and 15-20 other young roosters. They have a coop, and a topper covered/surrounded in old hay bales, wind breaks and the roosts are 12 inches wide... The extreme cold like the extreme heat, kills off those that have underlying problems. I suppose I should look at this as a culling of the weak to keep my flock stronger.

I actually got 2 eggs that were not froze today. One was a legbar for hatching the other was a legbar pullet egg. All the other eggs were frozen today. With the exception of the Dominique that ate her egg again. I have no idea how she got to it. I am going to have to redesign her egg rollaway system.


Cuddles, the SS rooster still has his comb, I set up two heating pads on the top of his cage last week, and it seems to be enough heat to stop the damage. I think, with luck I will be able to show him again next year. Fingers crossed.


Well, that's it for here,

Take care all

Sorry to hear about a few of your birds not thriving. I hate losing a bird, but I try to look at it as a survival of the strongest as well. Fingers crossed that the rest hold in there.

Did you try bag balm on Cuddles comb? I was heavy on the bag balm earlier with some of the ladies. Hopefully it helps.

I built a towel hook thing yesterday for the new bathroom. Those are steel dock cleats. Today I installed the door handle for the door. Had to chisel in that plate so it was flush with the door. Proud that I got it done. Need to trim out the door, have DH hook up the GF outlet and we'll be pretty set.

Love it! I have a large stack of old barn board that I really need to do something with. I thought about sticking it up on a wall downstairs - maybe the one our TV is hung on. I thought it would look cool.

So it's supposed to be -32 tonight for the low... as I'm sure it is for all of you. I was wondering if it would hurt to put a little space heater in the coop to help a bit? I'd mount it a couple feet above the bedding to make sure it didn't start a fire. What I'm wondering mainly is if home space heaters put off any fumes harmful to birds?

That would make me a bit nervous, but you do what you feel you need to do. I wouldn't worry about the fumes from a space heater.

Last year I caved and put a 250 watt heat lamp out in the coop during that week long cold snap. I was peeved because none of the birds went near it! Ungrateful feathered beasts.

 

[Cluckies]

Ralphie , oh no, so sorry for your losses, these are hard days for sure.

-32 F at 8:00 this morning. My 'shelf chickens' ( I like that) were in a -10 coop. I brought them scratch with Boss added in, water with electrolytes, more feed, and ...a 250 watt heat lamp. I don't do cruel. When I went to recheck them it was 15 degrees in the coop and Kitty --blue Ameraucana from Illinois was laying an olive egg. Sylvia my old top hen has feet that get cold easy. She jumped down for scratch but decided not to fight the youngsters and set down in the straw I put down and tuck those feet up in her belly feathers.

Junior's comb is doing its Minnesota thing. I have no idea where we'll be at the end of this winter but it will have to due. It's not nearly as bad as Rogers was that first year though. And I'm less frantic about it. Lol. Funny what 4 years of chickening does.

I built a towel hook thing yesterday for the new bathroom. Those are steel dock cleats. Today I installed the door handle for the door. Had to chisel in that plate so it was flush with the door. Proud that I got it done. Need to trim out the door, have DH hook up the GF outlet and we'll be pretty set.

I love it cant wait to see the bathroom totally finished!

 

[duluthralphie]

I did not mean to sound overly sad about the loss of the one and the injury potential loss of the other two. I always feel bad when you give me condolences like I should be feeling something I don't for these birds.

They are not pets they are farm animals. They are nameless creatures when they have names it mean I care more for them or they are more "memorable".

I like the barn board, I think I need to make a coat rack out of that!


MnNice I know what you mean about ungrateful birds. When I put the light up and coaxed (read pushed) Bert under ut he stood there for about 5 minutes. I left the barn and came back in and he was 5 ft away sitting on some bubble Insulation on the floor. He did not seem to care I put a light up for him, made him a nice pile of wood chips, gave him a special waterer, or that it was 25 below!

I put bag balm on Cuddles the first cold snap, This one has been purely the heating pads. I did not like what the bag balm did to him. It kind of ran all down his front and sides. The feathers look ugly and dull now. He needs a bath but it will be 6 months until it gets warm enough for a bath.

Kloppers you are a brave man, for me this time of year an undies run would mean long johns.