The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lalaland]

a little chicken keeper worrying going on this morning. Am leaving for a weekend ice fishing trip. Today it is warming up to 20 above zero, but tomorrow when my neighbor will be doing chicken chores, it will be windchills -20 below, and snow to boot. Have to decide whether to tell him to leave them in the coop the whole weekend, or .....do double watering and feeding (inside and out of the coop).

Last winter I had no problem keeping feed and water out of the coop. This year is the opposite. Lots of feed waste, that is certain.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

[delisha]

Quote: X2

 

[CourtsCacklers]

@CourtsCacklers
thanks so very much for the information on treating the lice.  Do you think that is something I should do during this cold sweep?  I'm worried that even if I blow dry them they won't get completely dry and if I leave them in long enough to get completely dry, then it will be too much of a shock to put them back outside.  We just got a weather warning that it is going down to -5F tonight.  I don't ever recall it being this cold.  I am so worried about my chickens.  I have no heat source because the light would be too close to the chickens.  There is not enough height above the roost.  I'm looking into an outdoor doggie heating pad.  I would attach it to one of the walls I think. Anyway,  I'll do the water buckets thing when it warms up some and I'll just dust each one every day with the wood ash.  I'll get food grade DE when I buy the heating pad.  Thanks so very much for responding.  I need all the help I can get!

I am not sure about actually doing it with the water in this cold snap either--- I would think you would have to do it indoors and then be completely sure they are completely dry before returning them to the elements and then I am still not sure about how that would affect how they regulate their temperature..... Still, she highly recommends the DE-- though you have to be cautious about the dust she says that it suffocates the lice.... just food for thought-- you can even add it into their ash for dust baths. I just bought some last night for a breakfast mix that she recommends to give your chickens. I got a thing of it at TSC. I feel for you... I opened the pop door this morning for the girls-- I highly doubt they will be out though. The temperature is supposed to get up to 18 today, however we are supposed to have 30 mph winds so the windchill will be much less than that. I started talking to DH last night about putting up even more wind barrier on the covered part of the run so that they would be more comfortable visiting the outdoors even in the 'cold snaps'.... I was just going to get straw and build a "hut" (I actually built a hut out of my fountain grass cut-offs but they have really fallen down from the chickens scratching at them) but DH suggested actually using some galvanized roofing panels that could be used every year-- taken up and removed. My birthday is today-- maybe I can talk him into getting 'right on it' as a birthday gift!!!!

 

[CourtsCacklers]

X2

Thanks! Mine will be getting liver this morning-- I am severely HOPING that it is the protein need and that this will suffice it and stop the feather eating-- I am having my doubts though-- as it didn't begin until they were stuck in the coop this last snap-- they have increased their crankiness and aggression....

 

[aoxa]

No power and only 2 degrees here this morning.
Nothing I can do about all the incubators... :-(
But I have 24 hr old chicks in the basement. We heat with a wood stove (Thank you Lord!), so at what point do I start bringing chicks up and start putting them by the fire? It's probably 55-60 in the basement where the chicks and bators are, course its 70 up here and even warmer by the fire, but with no heat lamps or ecoglow those chicks are ok for how long?

I've always worried about that happening...

If they can survive a 2 day trip in the mail, they should be okay for a while longer yet...

 

[RedRidge]

No power and only 2 degrees here this morning.

Nothing I can do about all the incubators... :-(

But I have 24 hr old chicks in the basement. We heat with a wood stove (Thank you Lord!), so at what point do I start bringing chicks up and start putting them by the fire? It's probably 55-60 in the basement where the chicks and bators are, course its 70 up here and even warmer by the fire, but with no heat lamps or ecoglow those chicks are ok for how long?

I've always worried about that happening... 

If they can survive a 2 day trip in the mail, they should be okay for a while longer yet...

Yes but... they hadn't started incubating yet if they are mailed. ;-)
Power was out for 2 hrs and bators got down to 70... We shall see... Not too hopeful

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

When raised by their moms, chicks will spend a lot of time "out in the cold," even in the middle of winter. Then they go under her to warm up or sleep. I think a couple hours at room temps won't hurt a bit.

I've had chicks hatch from eggs that were allowed to cool completely several times during incubation because the broody kept getting lost on her daily breaks. Not ideal, but it taught me how forgiving incubation can be.

 

[lalaland]

Yes but... they hadn't started incubating yet if they are mailed. ;-)
Power was out for 2 hrs and bators got down to 70... We shall see... Not too hopeful

for the chicks....if you have plastic water bottles, and if you have a way to heat water, you can make hot water bottles for the chicks. Can also use glass, or any kind of container that is water tight. Old fashioned hot water bottles work too. - I can heat water and cook ontop of my wood stove, but I know some are designed so there is no place to do that. Or maybe you have a gas stove or water heater.

Good luck, keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[armorfirelady]

Your friendly reminder to rinse your grains Aoxa

Went out today to fluff the coop hay and in the run. Seems Sophie is laying again. To bad it was in the run and it froze & cracked. I normally check the run at night just in case an egg is in there but didn't last night :/ I brought it in the house. It will make a nice snack for the girls Thursday. That's 2 frozen cracked eggs this week. But at least there are 3 girls laying now my egg customers are happy I have eggs again. If it was me I would of waited till the temps were over freezing lol

 

[aoxa]

Yes but... they hadn't started incubating yet if they are mailed. ;-)
Power was out for 2 hrs and bators got down to 70... We shall see... Not too hopeful

I was talking about the chicks, not the eggs.

I'm going to say a few hours at most.. Could you put incubator near the fire as well to bump up to 90 ~? I think they'd last longer at that temp.