Surviving Minnesota!

[BantyChooks]

Do you breed Leghorns too?

No, I occasionally get batches of them from a hatchery just because they are so thrifty on feed yet still produce tons of eggs. They are actually my most cold hardy birds in behaviour.

If I lived down south I would have them as my main breed for sure. Super range wary, smart, and productive.

 

[I Love Layers]

No eggs hatched. I waited so long to set them for a dumb reason.
I am taking at least 2 hens and 2 cocks to my county fair. And then at state fair I want to take those 4 for 4H and at then 2 blue hens also. I would like to show more in 4H for the older birds but they have a 2 birds per breed per class rule

 

[I Love Layers]

For Hutch and the western meet I would like to be able to show a young black trio. I think my 2 blacks go together very well so I can't wait to hatch out of them

 

[holm25]

No eggs hatched. I waited so long to set them for a dumb reason.
I am taking at least 2 hens and 2 cocks to my county fair. And then at state fair I want to take those 4 for 4H and at then 2 blue hens also. I would like to show more in 4H for the older birds but they have a 2 birds per breed per class rule

You can show birds over a year old in 4H?

 

[holm25]

No, I occasionally get batches of them from a hatchery just because they are so thrifty on feed yet still produce tons of eggs. They are actually my most cold hardy birds in behaviour.

If I lived down south I would have them as my main breed for sure. Super range wary, smart, and productive.

I think we are going to get a couple dozen Sexlinks sick) next spring for layers... No offense to anyone who likes them... I just don't like them...

 

[I Love Layers]

Yes. For Standard sized breeding poultry they have these classes
• Pullet
• Cockerel
• Hen
• Cock
• Old Trio(over a year)
• Young Trio(under a year)

 

[BantyChooks]

I think we are going to get a couple dozen Sexlinks sick) next spring for layers... No offense to anyone who likes them... I just don't like them...

They are NOT good birds, unless you plan to slaughter before their first moult. I refuse to buy any more.

 

[I Love Layers]

I like my sexlinks until their first molt, then they are awful. I am looking at getting 50 sexlinks and 50 leghorns for 2018 but selling them before getting replacements before their first molt.

 

[Cluckies]

@NewbieMN Welcome to our thread

Take all of this with a grain of salt, it is just what works for me.

In a coop that size, I would go buy some sweet PDZ from Tractor Supply. Place in on the floor under the pine shavings (poor it right on top if they are already in there, it will fall through), an inch or 2 deep, this will help remove some of the moisture from their small coop.

Make sure all the ventilation is high so that it doesn't go over them from low to high, as in through a chicken door (mine got frostbite due to that).

Put heavy clear plastic around their run to block the wind and increase their living area in the winter, they will spend more time in the run decreasing moisture inside. Also, the plastic it keeps the moisture out of their run (snow and rain in the fall) and you will not have to shovel it out.

If you want to, you can place a flat panel heater, I have a cozylegs heater, (now they make them for coops). I only turn it on when it is below zero, it just takes some of the edge off and seems to keep it drier in there (my henhouse is 4x6 or so). A couple of years ago it was -34F outside, with the flat panel heater it was 7F

Water outside in the run is good.

Block off any vents on the north and south sides (north for sure), I only have vents on the east and west, high up, in the winter. My henhouse is taller (I can stand up in it so about 5.5 feet). so I place a green house panel above their roost to keep their warmth in, but it lets moisture out up through the vents. you probably don't have room for that though. you can see my coop and henhouse if you click on "My coop" under my photo.

My 0rpington and Golden Comet got frostbite on their combs the first year before I learned any of this. . I think I will only get birds with small combs from now on though, as I felt so bad. My EE and SLW's were fine...

Welcome, and good luck!

 

[Cluckies]

So I got some cloudberry jam for Christmas . Did not know much about this berry so I looked it up . It is found in north east Mn . Grows in black spruce / sphagnum bogs . Rare - in Mn it says threatened . Interesting . Nobody noticed it until 1954 . Mine is a product of Sweden . Likes cold north - circumpolar plant .

Neat, i've never heard of Cloudberry before...