Tennessee

[mema2003]

I am not able to get ou today too take care of the chickens but I tell hubby too put heat lamp in the coops and cover them up good but he just won't listen. He thinks chickens doesn't need any heat since birds and other animals don't need any too survive winter.

 

[Jenski]

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My silkies came out today, but they ran back and forth to their cozy coop to recharge. Betcha all of our birds stay in tomorrow if the wind is still howling like it is now!


CityGirl, good luck with your drive tomorrow, and stay safe! Should not be too bad if you can wait until after rush hour. Let us know how the bleach works if you use it. Back in NY we just used chains. . . roads don't have enough snow/ice for them here, though (and for that I am grateful). . . . so you brought yours hot oatmeal, LOL! Mine got grits and scrambled eggs for dinner. Sometimes I wonder what the heck my neighbors think if they happen to look out the window and see me juggling all these food dishes for my little ones.

mema, hope your chickens do OK tonight!

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I'd gobble up the grits and scrambled eggs my own self. Yum! I don't care for oatmeal, so I am happy to nuke up a vat of it for the chickies. All but the silkies fall on it with great enthusiasm. The silkies seem naturally suspicious of new foods. Perhaps it is because they can't see. Hmmm...

I'm pretty sure the neighbors all think I'm crazy already. I was out there tromping around in my new muck boots as the blizzard raged around me. I was frantically screwing plastic to the coops. The chickens have been fine up to now but I got all nervous about the wind chills predicted tomorrow. Snow is blowing horizontally and I am going to town with a screw gun.

If things look really nasty I'll cancel it all and reschedule. It's not worth ending up in a ditch. It would be ironic though to end up at the doctor because I tried to make a doctor's appointment in the snow. (I had to do an OSHA safety seminar once. Of course it was icey that morning. I thought that would be the height of irony- to die in a fiery crash on the way to an OSHA safety meeting. HA!) The bleach trick is handy to know. Makes me want to keep a bottle of bleach in the car now.

 

[HBuehler]

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Yah, I've been naughty too . . . ah well. . . we can dream, can't we???

Can you just imagine all those chicks! I'll bet Miss Holly B can! How many chicks ya got in the hopper, woman??

Okla-DD, I'm doing mostly banties these days, trying to keep just a few breeds since they like to be around birds that look like them, LOL! Bantam Ameraucanas, bantam cochins, silkies and a few odd sweet ones I could not let go. . .


The weather is hurting my Southern feelings tonight. Horizontal snow is one of the reasons I left New York. Sheesh! Wish I were back at my parents' cabin sitting next to a nice warm fire. I'll go to bed tonight with the wind howling, and dream of my sweet Mama bringing me a nice mug of hot chocolate . . .

Hope you are all warm and not insanely sweeping the cars and walkways in the snow like I have been!

[Hey Robo, thanks for the bleach info. Hope I don't need it!]

I saw a Sportsman for $250 but Santa said no with reason though.The weather

So how many eggs are brewing? Lets see I sat 90 of my own for a New Years hatch and 21 shipped.My fertility..should say my birds I don't want to test out mine

..is hit and miss so not sure how many will start-young roos.Then I have another 50 or so going with some MF Cochins for a Christmas hatch..the last of your Bantam Ameraucana's are going to lockdown this morning with a few others.Hatching in this weather almost seems insane..almost
So many little chickies living in my basement.My big birds would all like to move in.The leghorn's are having it real hard even with all the house wrap(keeps wind out and breathes at the same time) and heat lamps...still freezing birds

I don't want to go out this morning..I don't want to know but I must venture out soon.Can only hope all are alive another day...no break until Thursday.I have to open up 2 doors today but rest will remain locked up

 

[Jenski]

Morning Tennessee folks! It was around 13 here this morning, wind howling, snow blowing - - I thought I had awoken back in New York, LOL! Even so, when I checked my small pen which is wrapped in plastic with top vents, it read 23! Warm enough for my shivery banties. I figure as long as I can keep the wind off them they will be OK today. Tomorrow, well . . . shop lamps???

Cooked a sweet pumpkin for them yesterday . . . today I guess it's corn on the cob for lunch.


Holly, hope all your birds fared well. Same for the rest of you! Stay warm! Glad I can stay inside now and enjoy my latte and croissant.

 

[bibliophile birds]

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none of mine have heat since they are out in fields or the far end of the yard and nowhere near an electrical outlet. if you can keep the wind off them they should be fine. my Silkies (who live with the goose) have a whole bale of hay down in their 8ft x 8ft pen (made out of chain link dog panels), which is wrapped- top and 3 1/2 sides- with tarps. inside the pen are two large dog crates filled with straw. it's surprisingly comfortable in there, even though it was 17* and windy as hell at noon when i took them more water.

the silkies were still all out playing in the snow... go figure.

 

[HBuehler]

All made it here another day..those leghorns just don't do winter well.Even though I went out every 2 hours to get eggs I still had several frozen and cracked

What I wouldn't do for my new house to be finished but couldn't exactly ask my wonderful husband to go finish the siding on it yesterday..it's so spacious and right now I could use the space.
Jennifer we have a pip and a peep inside but so far no fluffy butt escape..these chicks are beautiful!

 

[Jenski]

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Hey there Miss Holly! Glad to hear all is well over your way! I was worried 'bout you today.

Hope the peeps hatch without incident. Got about 16 more eggs here for ya if ya want 'em . . .



It's 13 degrees (F) over here on the back porch . . . cold night coming. Bundle up everyone, and keep those birds warm! Boy is the morning feeding going to be a bummer. Seems like years since I had breakfast in bed. . . . oh yeah, maybe because it HAS been!

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

The roads were no problem today. Whew! Wednesday may actually be our bad day around here. They are forecasting ice all morning turning to rain later in the day. I am pretty okay with snow. It's the ice that is a problem. I'm hoping it misses us all! Losing power would be a huge problem. Ugg.

So far so good in the coops. Everybody seems to be okay. Even the random cockerel in the LF coop is doing okay (even though he is scared of the big girls and won't go sleep with them). Silly boy.
I did move Fred the outdoor cat to the enclosed back porch. It's nominally heated. When I last checked he was cozily snuggled up in my dirty laundry basket taking a cat nap. This is the same cat that my neighbors said absolutely would not come in the house. I inheirited him when they split up and moved away. He apparently likes it here.

We'll see if he figures out how to work the doggie door.

I do have 16 babies in the indoor brooder. I had hoped to move them out around Christmas. They may have to stay in a little longer. They have reached the stinky, dusty stage though and really need to leave the house. Two more weeks and they should be completely feathered out. Let's hope we are back to somewhat normal temps by then!

 

[Robo]

My quail will have to stay in the garage for a week or two longer. I am so glad I have a shed to put them in.