The Old Folks Home

[pennyJo1960]

I use farmers almanac it has not failed me since I was a kid my folks taught me that

 

[Beer can]

Super expanded my cold weather article.

I was hoping some of you cold folks could read through it and tell me if there are any glaring errors or omissions.

Who on here is in a cold area? @superchemicalgirl and @Beer can

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/author/alaskan.13660/

Pretty sure SCG is colder than me.
We sometimes have warm winters, lately past five? or so yrs winters been a couple months many weeks around zero to lower teens during the day with -20 windchill at night. Maybe I just never payed attention much to the temps before. I say just keep those coops open, ventilation is the most important and keeping the coop dry, drafts ain't a big deal. That and a waterer that the rooster won't be dipping his wattles in then freezing (I haven't dealt with that but those are the worst frostbite pics I've seen). Worst I've had is my JG last winter when I put him in a different coop with the NN girls small coop with a low roost. Thought the roost would be better for him his coop had a high roost tree branch, new coop had a foot off the ground 2x4 sideways. Froze his feet, saw he was sleeping on the ground. Either he didn't like those 'ugly' girls and didn't want to roost with them or didn't like the change in roost IDK? Healed up OK but one toe nail never grew back.

I'll have to recheck out you coop page again sometime else, been a long couple days. I do recommend your coop page occasionally to those that are looking for cold weather winterization .

Oh, and @superchemicalgirl do you think the Slikies and Showgirls are just as hardy as a standard hen? Or a tiny bit better or worse?

I think @Beer can would rate those Turkens as slightly better than a standard hen in the cold... would you?

The silkies I've had did just fine in cold, but they were TSC 'silkies' really big, think the rooster was around 5lbs. They did have silkie feathers and I can see how they are considered not cold hardy. But I didn't have any probs with them. They were just kinda stupid, friendly but dumb, took a long time to convince them that sleeping huddled outside in the rain wasn't as nice as in the coop...
The Turkens, and I bred my first batch to homogeneous NN completely naked neck no feathers on the necks (some were already, culled the heterogeneous Nn 'bowtied' puff of feathers on the necks), still have most the girls, second gen now. Third gen crossed with JG but still have pure 2nd gen NN girls. NN's Work best for crossing to get back to NN. There is a formula of %s even with Nn and crossing with regular feathered birds you can get back to NN's.
Anyway I heard they say they are somehow cold hardy, don't know how or why but they sure are, super cold hardy. First yr I kept two groups had no where to put one batch, kept them in a dog kennel tarp on roof and tarps wrapped around three sides one side completely open. Had to shovel a lot of snow out of it. They did just fine, crazy birds, didn't even get frostbite on the combs.
Last winter first birds outside in the run no matter the temp or depth of the snow, zero degrees the naked necks flapping their wings showing off their bare breasts laughing at me all bundled up freezing.
The JG coop who are cold hardy, can shovel the run out, they might come out and look around, and meh, back inside they go. Lol.
I don't know why the turkens are so cold hardy doesn't make sense. But they thrive in the cold and snow.

 

[drumstick diva]

Kinda like the hairless breeds of dogs, they call them the living hot water bottles. Their skin is very warm

 

[microchick]

I use the 2.5 gallon kitty litter jugs for water also, Bruce. Right now the water in the stock tank is staying nice and algae free so it's a short walk down to the barn to fill them. My hydrant is DOA. DH promises it will be pulled, repaired or replaced for me come spring. Otherwise I will be spending the winter hauling water from the shop faucet. Doesn't sound bad till you start doing the math. A gallon weighs something like 7.5 pounds so a two and a half gallon jug is almost 19 pounds. Two jugs almost 40 pounds of water.

I now have a 20-25 pound weight limit when it comes to lifting.

But my bantam girls LOVE those buckets that the cat litter comes in for nesting boxes. Silly girls will pile two or three birds in one bucket all of them vying for that sweet spot so they can lay an egg. Tried them on my BO girls and they just sniffed and laid their eggs in the big nesting box. To the bantams, they are prime real estate.

 

[Beer can]

Had to brag I've never pumped had to pump out a septic ...
Ours has always worked good even leech field. Started coming out by the tank this summer. Didn't take much digging and I realized the top had caved in. Got overwhelmed a couple times and wanted to just hire someone. Wasn't even sure if there was a tank as I dug. Almost got my old backhoe going to make it easier but was afraid of it getting buried. Two days shovel by shovel, pickaxe, shovel shovel. Why is it so deep? Five foot deep in the back three in the front, dug it about eight foot round for a four foot round old metal tank. Lot's of big rocks too. Had to once I found the tank pull a lot of big rocks out of it. And then drag what was left of the lid Two days wasted but she's finally ready to pump, and then build new top....

 

[drumstick diva]

Good for you Beer Can, you're not a quitter

 

[pennyJo1960]

Not sure I never had a one go bad thankfully ....... This is the first home I do not have a well and septic also more power to ya Beer...
now I will say goodnight also

 

[Alaskan]

Had to brag I've never pumped had to pump out a septic ...
Ours has always worked good even leech field. Started coming out by the tank this summer. Didn't take much digging and I realized the top had caved in. Got overwhelmed a couple times and wanted to just hire someone. Wasn't even sure if there was a tank as I dug. Almost got my old backhoe going to make it easier but was afraid of it getting buried. Two days shovel by shovel, pickaxe, shovel shovel. Why is it so deep? Five foot deep in the back three in the front, dug it about eight foot round for a four foot round old metal tank. Lot's of big rocks too. Had to once I found the tank pull a lot of big rocks out of it. And then drag what was left of the lid Two days wasted but she's finally ready to pump, and then build new top....

Smelly job that.

Great you kept at it.

 

[Alaskan]

Pretty sure SCG is colder than me.
We sometimes have warm winters, lately past five? or so yrs winters been a couple months many weeks around zero to lower teens during the day with -20 windchill at night. Maybe I just never payed attention much to the temps before. I say just keep those coops open, ventilation is the most important and keeping the coop dry, drafts ain't a big deal. That and a waterer that the rooster won't be dipping his wattles in then freezing (I haven't dealt with that but those are the worst frostbite pics I've seen). Worst I've had is my JG last winter when I put him in a different coop with the NN girls small coop with a low roost. Thought the roost would be better for him his coop had a high roost tree branch, new coop had a foot off the ground 2x4 sideways. Froze his feet, saw he was sleeping on the ground. Either he didn't like those 'ugly' girls and didn't want to roost with them or didn't like the change in roost IDK? Healed up OK but one toe nail never grew back.

I'll have to recheck out you coop page again sometime else, been a long couple days. I do recommend your coop page occasionally to those that are looking for cold weather winterization .


The silkies I've had did just fine in cold, but they were TSC 'silkies' really big, think the rooster was around 5lbs. They did have silkie feathers and I can see how they are considered not cold hardy. But I didn't have any probs with them. They were just kinda stupid, friendly but dumb, took a long time to convince them that sleeping huddled outside in the rain wasn't as nice as in the coop...
The Turkens, and I bred my first batch to homogeneous NN completely naked neck no feathers on the necks (some were already, culled the heterogeneous Nn 'bowtied' puff of feathers on the necks), still have most the girls, second gen now. Third gen crossed with JG but still have pure 2nd gen NN girls. NN's Work best for crossing to get back to NN. There is a formula of %s even with Nn and crossing with regular feathered birds you can get back to NN's.
Anyway I heard they say they are somehow cold hardy, don't know how or why but they sure are, super cold hardy. First yr I kept two groups had no where to put one batch, kept them in a dog kennel tarp on roof and tarps wrapped around three sides one side completely open. Had to shovel a lot of snow out of it. They did just fine, crazy birds, didn't even get frostbite on the combs.
Last winter first birds outside in the run no matter the temp or depth of the snow, zero degrees the naked necks flapping their wings showing off their bare breasts laughing at me all bundled up freezing.
The JG coop who are cold hardy, can shovel the run out, they might come out and look around, and meh, back inside they go. Lol.
I don't know why the turkens are so cold hardy doesn't make sense. But they thrive in the cold and snow.

Thanks for more silkie and NN input... crazy.

As to winter water... we use 5 and 6 gallon water jugs. And haul them out.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Glad your experience with the nakeds was the same as mine... and I definitely would have hired someone for the septic. I don't have the stomach for that.