Surviving Minnesota!

[KlopKlop]

well only the smallest eggs froze today, so that is good. i cooked and mashed all the frozen ones from today and yesterday and fed them to the girls with corn and scratch. the are hardly eating any mash so i figured they needed a protein boost. everyone still looking ok, even Big Buck. he looks like he thawed out nicely.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Ralphie: that Blackie sounds like a smart Rooster. Tucking his head in cold MN winter nights. Smart boy. I'm glad you are getting some girls in a pen with him to pass on those smart genetics. Love the BA's.


Kloppers It's good you're feeding the eggs to your birds. Do you give scratch in the mornings or later during the day? Not to tell you what to do, But I recognize this from my first winter with birds. They are getting trained to wait for the treats and you might have to go a day or two or mix it up some to let them know they should be eating their mash. Come spring the girls might not lay as well for you due to nutrition issues. Like I said I recognize that issue from my own experience and as much fun as it is giving them scratch and seeing them gobble it up for you they should get no more than a TBSP a day for each bird and the rest should be their formulated feed.

 

[KlopKlop]

Ralphie: that Blackie sounds like a smart Rooster. Tucking his head in cold MN winter nights. Smart boy. I'm glad you are getting some girls in a pen with him to pass on those smart genetics. Love the BA's.


Kloppers It's good you're feeding the eggs to your birds. Do you give scratch in the mornings or later during the day? Not to tell you what to do, But I recognize this from my first winter with birds. They are getting trained to wait for the treats and you might have to go a day or two or mix it up some to let them know they should be eating their mash. Come spring the girls might not lay as well for you due to nutrition issues. Like I said I recognize that issue from my own experience and as much fun as it is giving them scratch and seeing them gobble it up for you they should get no more than a TBSP a day for each bird and the rest should be their formulated feed.

I don't normally give any scratch in the morning, just a bit in the afternoon on 'Most' days and probably more or less what you recommend at a Tablespoon each. The last 2 days i have been giving 3 ears of cob corn at morning and night at night per coop (~24 hens per coop) plus about a cup of scratch each. I am doing it to encourage the girls to get up and move and drink and fill their crops.

I appreciate the advice and it is good to know that my 'normal' treat giving fits into that as i have just been eyeballing it. When it warms up or if we get too many more days of the cold i will go back to normal. Like you said, I would hate to get them too far out of balance with their diets. On normal days they get nearly free choice layer mash plus access to calcium grit.

 

[duluthralphie]

Yes, the winds down here are indeed quite wicked

That is because you are closer to the wicked witch of the south. Nothing pleasant occurs near her.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Okay. Well it sounds like you have your head on your shoulders. (And you always have though,

) I just got a bit nervous for ya. Because when they quit laying when you know they should be picking up it sucks.

 

[duluthralphie]

Okay. Well it sounds like you have your head on your shoulders. (And you always have though,

) I just got a bit nervous for ya. Because when they quit laying when you know they should be picking up it sucks.

I am guilty of over doing the corn right now ( Chicken crack). I know the potential is there and I know I will forget why it is happening when they slow down. The turkeys seem to get the lions share of the corn though. I think I am going through the right amount of layer mash, but hard to say.

It is like your heater, I know better, but I feel better giving it to them. Hopefully the cold will moderate soon and I can stop the corn/BOSS.

 

[KlopKlop]

Okay. Well it sounds like you have your head on your shoulders. (And you always have though,

) I just got a bit nervous for ya. Because when they quit laying when you know they should be picking up it sucks.

I really do appreciate your concern! I need a reality check once in a while.

 

[Cluckies]

Quote: I wear a mask when i'm cleaning up daily in the coop as well, the times I don't, if I forget it, I can feel it in my lungs...

Quote:

Deal!! Lol I am on lunch break. But I dont eat lunch so I am on here

It is no good to assign him work if he wants to do homework! lol But, i've read some of his articles on here, they are fantastic!

So glad I found this thread!

We got our first flock of three (as babies) back in May. This is our first experience with real MN winter temps. They live in a loft-style 4x4 coop without a heater or a light. I like to think it's well ventilated with little drafts, but I'm no expert.

Wondering when I should go into emergency mode - are there signs, or if it gets down to a certain temp? We have a storage room in our home where the girls can warm up, and a garage that isn't heated. We haven't implemented either of these options, and we'd like to avoid them so the girls can stay adjusted to the low temps as well as possible.

The girls seem okay. No super happy, but they come out of the coop without coaxing. They basically just stand there, but they will scratch around if I throw some treats in the run. They each had a little ice on their back this morning, but earlier posts in this thread have explained that.

Please reply and help calm a worry-wart's mind!

Glad to have you here! Like BogtownChic said, I do have the flat panel heater as well. I think it takes the "edge" off, -20 below is soooooo cold! I'm a big baby and my chickens are my girls... so, I do spoil them. I turn on the heater when it is going to be 0 or below or more,

with my heater on in the henhouse it was 5 degrees this morning in there, still cold, but not "bitter cold"

Oh yeah, I was also going to ask, did you cover your run in plastic to block the wind and keep the snow out? You'll also want a dust bathing area so they can bath, they like to do that even in winter.

It helps keep the mites and lice down as well.

Quote:

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oh oh, I better lay off of the treats. I just feel so bad for them out there

I'm terrible...

 

[Cebarmlds]

I've been giving more treats because of the cold weather but I think it's healthy treats. The other day the popdoor was closed all night and probably until noon, when I opend it and let them out the 6 young hens RAN quick to the crushed shell container like they were being starved of calcium!! kind of freaked me out cause I thought about it earlier but decided a few hours is no big deal since they had layer mash inside.... So I threw some oyster shell indoors for when they are locked in and with the next days oatmeal I mixed in crushed egg shells.

 

[Cluckies]

Now that is hilarious Ivie, just so you know, KlopKlop is a dude, that  photo at the game was of his dear wife...   


It is hard to tell on here sometimes... 

I chuckled at the original comment but your response made be breathe in my can of diet dew and now I am dying.... This is literally the end of me haha

Hahaha!