Utah!

[RedIII]

So since it was frozen with a dust of snow at my house this morning. I need to get prepared for winter. What is the best way to keep the water from not freezing, I have bucket water with nipples, but I can get a metal fountain if needed to put on the heating base. And do they just do fine on their own in the coop with the cold or do I need to put something special in there to keep it warmer?

I put a heat lamp in my coop in the coldest months. Some of my girls are fine without it, as the coop is insulated and does stay just a little warmer than outside, but I have chickens that really appreciate the warmth. I think it kind of depends on what breeds you have, too. If you have any ornamentals, they'll probably need more heat because they tend to be delicate. You can find heat lamps at IFA for like ten bucks. So far as the water goes..........I usually just end up changing the water two or three times a day in my girls' bucket. I don't have a water heater.

Birdman will also tell you, and it's true, so long as you have good ventilation on your coop, that will help the birds a lot. I have three slats cut in my coop to allow air to flow around, and when they got clogged, I had a big problem with frostbite.

 

[Cynthia12]

So since it was frozen with a dust of snow at my house this morning. I need to get prepared for winter. What is the best way to keep the water from not freezing, I have bucket water with nipples, but I can get a metal fountain if needed to put on the heating base. And do they just do fine on their own in the coop with the cold or do I need to put something special in there to keep it warmer?

Karen, I have the heated bowls for the water. They work great! Just need a place to plug in the bowl.

Jen..do I know you yet? lol....
I do use heat lamps...if the power goes out, I shut up the doors and the little pop door too, only if it is really cold out. They come out in the winter and wander around during the day, but if it's really cold..in the teens and the power goes out, I will put them in the coop with feed and water, so they can jump up on the roost, which they will, and huddle. I notice when the heat lamp is on, they will go in and out of the coop..for a little warm up every now and again. Last year was beasty cold.

 

[sundancenbare]

So since it was frozen with a dust of snow at my house this morning. I need to get prepared for winter. What is the best way to keep the water from not freezing, I have bucket water with nipples, but I can get a metal fountain if needed to put on the heating base. And do they just do fine on their own in the coop with the cold or do I need to put something special in there to keep it warmer?

I float a small pond heater in mine works great. Doesn't use a lot of elec and keeps the water thawed

 

[Sphinx]

Cynthia, Congrats on such a great hatch! I just adore the laced wyandottes. At some point I'm going to have to get a new SLW. I haven't been able to bear replacing my SLW that was killed a couple years ago.

Silly, I use a tank heater that I bought at Cal ranch or the link. It's a submersible water heater that just keeps water heated to 40 degrees so it's not too much of a draw. I keep it in my bucket that I have my nipples drilled into. Personally, I don't use a heater out in the hen house. I run an extension cord out there and have a light attached as well as my water heater. The light bulb isn't a high enough wattage to provide heat, just enough to give them light so they lay through the winter.

FTR, I kind of hate keeping chickens in the winter. I hate starting over each spring more though (hypothetically. Only had to do it once when my entire flocked was wiped out by a raccoon).

Silly, how is Sheriff doing?


I totally laugh at the cow predicaments. I mean, coming home and finding him in another pasture kind of bites, I gotta admit, but, I laugh at most everything, so it's part annoying, and part hilarious. I mean seriously, how many people can say they had a llama try to make out with them while trying to repair the cow's fence? I love unique experiences and find the humor in all, so feel free to laugh your heads off.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Silly I use a heated dog bowl...it seemed easier to fill up for me last year. i had a 3 gallon heated waterer the year before , but had to turn it upside down and haul a bucket out to fill it, because I could not use the hose...kind of hated it...so last year i got a dog bowl that is 2 gallons i think, put it straight on the ground in the run, plug it in, and just take a little bucket of water out and fill it a few times a day when gathering eggs, seemed easier for me THis year I have lots more so I might put 2 of those in the main run. Need to get two more for the two little runs.

I am kind of hating myself right now for this last hatch. Too cold out, too many chickens in the garage...so many not ready to be outdoors yet, note to self **no more hatching after Sep 1 next year!***
(Didn't I make that same note to self last year???)
It is going to be chilly trying to get these juvies out there to integrate with the new flock, and be out there constantly checking on them. Hmmmm......
Anybody want chicks? C'mon over.!

Oh this reminds me, I should tell you guys how crazy my quail project is going.
So I went out there two days ago, and the spot on top of the head where the boy grabs the girls has been going a bit bald on all the girls...but this time the whole scalp off this one poor hen peeled off when he grabbed her, and one of her eyes was missing! ??! so she is the opposite of a Showgirl...she is furry everywhere with a giant flesh cap on her head. It was so gross. I put the poor thing in the garage and it has scabbed over really well and she seems fine, but has one eye, and as the scalp heals over I am keeping neosporin on her... but I am terrified of putting her back out there. THEN I notice that all the other hens have puffy feet, and had what looked like bumblefoot, maybe from being on wire? What is that about? So I cut the yucky stuff out of each little foot, taped them all up, so they are all laid up right now (3 out of 4 hens). I have seen the videos of this and felt pretty OK with giving it a try....but could not believe how they just bled and bled through the procedure, I felt like they lost too much blood and could not see what I was doing. That was not in the videos, did I do something wrong?? They are running around with taped feet and not limping, and were a little slow the first day but have all perked up. Checking to see how the sores are doing tomorrow and retaping, crossing fingers!

Now I went out today and the group that just has one boy and one girl due to the scalped hen being in the garage...the poor single girl is getting overmated even moreso because they are just a duo....what am I to do???? Wondering If I should get rid of the one boy and combine all the girls with the other boy for now...the quails I keep growing out are all boys. I have been trying to hatch and grow out some more females to fix this ratio problem but it takes three weeks to tell gender and they keep turning out to be all male... This is not working out too well at the moment. :/ hAving lots and lots of difficulty this week with my two little quail flocks. If anyone has any input about this whole debacle I would love some advice, help!!! Maybe I should just bag this whole thing, sell them all and wait til Spring to start over.?

On the lighter side, I look forward to my daily laughing at you Sphinx, I am glad you welcome it. Between your FB and BYC posts you are highly entertaining! haha!

 

[Cynthia12]

Lisa, are you doing this?

Welcome to BYC and the quail forums!

The ratio of females to males should be a bit higher. 1 male to 4 to 7 females. Any less and the males will mate the females to death. Any higher and the fertility goes down.

Do not keep males together that have harems. You can keep males together amongst themselves as long as they do not see any females. You can also keep females together in this manner as well.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Lisa, are you doing this? 


Welcome to BYC and the quail forums!

The ratio of females to males should be a bit higher. 1 male to 4 to 7 females. Any less and the males will mate the females to death. Any higher and the fertility goes down. 

Do not keep males together that have harems. You can keep males together amongst themselves as long as they do not see any females. You can also keep females together in this manner as well.

No maybe this is what is going on! I have one duplex habitat with one male on each side with two females. Each group can see each other through a wire divider through the middle, maybe I better make it solid wood so they can't see each other! That might help. And lots more females! I knew I needed more girls, but did not know that the flocks were not supposed to see each other...thanks so much for this info!

 

[blujems]

Anyone want 3 laying hens? I have a FBCM, a wheaten ameraucana and a FBCM/wheaten ameraucana mix.
The FBCM is 1 and the others are from this year and haven't been laying long.

I would prefer for all 3 to go together. They are really attached to each other.


Asking 20 each or 40 for all 3...

Or for 50 you can take the chickens, plus all the feed and scratch I have left.

If interested please let me know asap, would like to get them gone this weekend if possible.

 

[PancakeShiners]

My only two chicks I hatched this year are dead. One of them I found half eaten. The assassin, thankfully, bit Einstein on the head twice, so he didn't feel it. I'm assuming his brother Rose and my lovely motherly Silkie Cookie are dead too. I can't find them in their usual spots, and I couldn't find their bodies either.

This has been an awful year for me and I'm hoping that the next will be better.

At least... I have two still alive.

Does anyone want a Sizzle rooster? A neighbor of mine also as one that needs to go, it's a Production Red...

 

[RedIII]

Aww Pan, I'm sorry

I wonder if a raccoon got them. Those things are so greedy and wasteful. I hope you still find the others that are missing.

Well, the BF got word today that he's being summoned to court on Monday. Not sure what prompted this, though we're wondering if it has to do with the harassment report he made against his ex for........well, harassing him last weekend. Or if she made a false report against him with the police. I'm now dizzy from worry. I wouldn't be so anxious if this case had gone fairly from the start. I'll stop there and keep it short and simple.

Oh man. I just went out and checked on my birds. I lost my only female Icelandic chick. I put a heat lamp out there today because I was worried she was too cold. Poor little thing