UGH!!!!!! I gotta go take water to all the chickens ......

[jjdward]

Quote:
Hope you had better luck than me!!!! When my pipes thawed, we found out that most of them were busted!!!

 

[QuailHollow]

I did this for 2 years, and DH finally put a freeze-proof hydrant in. We have electric in the coops w/4 heated buckets. It has become a 5 minute check from a 2x a day ordeal. I recommend this, if you can do it. The only bird I have to water daily is my call duck. He gets a dish pan full of fresh water every evening after work.

Edited because I didn't clearly state what I meant the first time!

 

[quietheart]

Quote:
Hope you had better luck than me!!!! When my pipes thawed, we found out that most of them were busted!!!

Almost all our pipes are those hose type pipes they use in trailers

, we live in a house though

. They all need replaced but we simply can't afford to do that and my SO doesn't want to do too much till the house is paid off. He's already had to do a lot of patchwork, replaced the pump for the well, replaced electrical as needed, etc... Sorry if I sound like I whiner, it just gets really frustrating sometimes

. I'm so glad I have my chickens, guineafowl and rabbits, they help so much when I just go cuddle with them or watch em playing

 

[larryj57]

Not use to a lot of this cold here in the North Ga mountains. I'm trying to haul water to 3 different coops one with laying hens, one with 10 Jersey Giant pullets and one that is splilt with Guineas and Quail. BUT I love every minute of it , takeing care of my birds is one of the most relaxing things I have done in years. By the way anyone need any Quail?

 

[bufforp89]

I have always had to carry my water in the winter. First to the ducks and geese, then the chickens, then the rabbits and guinea and then I hit the cochin roos on the way back to the house.

And my pipes freeze ocasionally too. Two weeks ago they did and I had to melt snow on the stove to get a bucket of water for the animals.

 

[quietheart]

Quote:
Totally understand, this is only my second year back up in Tennessee after over 10 years down in Florida. I didn't have animals last winter because we lived in the city. I'm just gonna be glad when this cold snap passes, even if it's only for a few days. Big hugs to all who are dealing with this cold weather and all the fun problems that accompany it. Oh yeah, I'm glad I'm not in Missouri where I grew up, they've already had several snow storms this year.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Quote:
Nope. Us southerners are actually being really creative under conditions that we don't normally experience.

Some of us live in really old houses where the windows don't open. All the hoses are frozen stiff and some, like me, don't have electicity at the coops. If I could open the windows and run a hose out or could set up a heated dog bowl in the coop I would do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately I can't, so like lockedhearts I fill up numerous buckets with hot water and haul it outside.
The problem isn't just the cold. The problem is that we aren't acclimated to it. The people, the animals, the houses aren't used to cold this bitter or this extended. It causes all sorts of problems. We're just trying to stay on top of the situation.

 

[bargain]

Yup, watering and rewatering......and rewatering.....Karen, you know how many poultry we have .....about 400.........and then 30 bunnies, umpteen goats, cats, dogs, enough already.

We had our first weather related deaths here......2 baby bunnies froze to death.....I'm so sad....I have tried to rewarm them and put them back in the nest, sometimes the bunnies literally go into a hibernation state, but I saw nothing earlier when I warmed them.....With our new bunnies, the mom's might destroy all of them if they decide the weather is too hostile so I'm constantly with all 5 mommies bringing treats, hay, water, apple slices, warm oatmeal....I'm so totally exhausted and praying for strength....

It's tough! I counted the hours yesterday and I rewatered for 4 hours and 30 minutes.

Well, maybe the freeze will end the fire ants and the squash bugs and the garden will grow bigger and better this year!

 

[lockedhearts]

Quote:
I just came in from taking water out to everyone. I had to move Muffin (Bantam EE Rooster) and Mort (Bantam EE Hen) to the barn cage with a light on them, poor Muffin was shaking yesterday and I knew he would not make it through the night.

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
For me, it's more like - Why invest all that time, effort and expense into what will be a very short term problem? We only get freezing temps overnight for a few weeks and it's usually warm enough during the day that the water doesn't freeze. Not like y'all that freeze for months on end.

I lived in NE PA for 15 years - during the 1993 and 1996 blizzards. I still just hauled warm water to the animals.