Utah!

[LadyIsadora]

@newmarch2014 I dont remember the one in northern utah but Leland Mills in ....what was that? American Fork? IDK i GPS'd it. Anyway, they were great.

as far as non-cold hardy chickens....I've never had chickens till now and do not plan to winter them. Sorry Im no help, just didn't want you to feel your question was ignored.

Im hearing the first clucks (rather than chirps) from my chickadees today. And what I think was a first attempt at a crow. Oh please dont let it be a crow. ;-) Did that pic above look like a rooster to any of you? \

 

[mvawdre2]

1) In response to the question of non-cold hardy breeds....I do not have any that are not reasonably hardy but these are the ways I keep my little spoiled girls comfy and I feel like even if I had a less hardy breed they would be comfortable enough in my set up. I have a hen house that is not too tiny but not too big. I have room for more and can modify my roosts in a multitude of ways and can make it so that they must roost relatively close together. This make it so that they stay warm at night by sharing body heat (I have a Brahma this like a giant furnace unit). When my flock was smaller I put a bail of straw on each end of the roost so that nobody was left cozying by a cold wall, this also made for less space to heat and acted as more insulation with the air in the bale. I use the deep litter method during the winter to keep more heat in. I have a coop with a dark roof to capture as much solar heat as possible in the winter. I have a large (8x16) feet space outside their coop door that is covered so they never have to be in the weather if they want to come out in the winter and always have dry ground. I keep a compost bin in the run that if I was more ambitious I could keep turned and "cooking" to create a bit more heat for them to hang out on top of...they spend a lot of time on top of it during the cold weather anyway even though I am not good at keeping it cooking at prime temperature. My husband did wire my coop up with a white light and a heat lamp for the coldest of cold days I turn it on during 10 degree or colder nights If I had a tender chicken I would raise that criteria to 30 degrees or so I would imagine.

2) I know others have already adressed this long ago but I need to know where it is in northern Utah that someone once said we can take a 50 gallon container and get it filled with chicken feed that is good feed?

I'll have to try using the deep litter method this year, I've heard good things about it and have been meaning to start using it.

 

[lizardandchicks]

Anybody selling chicks in the slc area? Preferably close to herriman. @sideWing?

 

[newmarch2014]

Anybody selling chicks in the slc area? Preferably close to herriman. @sideWing ?

I second the question but only for lavender Orps....I do want a Marans from sideWing but only a young hen...which is really what I want for both breeds, the last Brahma rooster was such a stresser for me till he found a good home I don't think I want to go through that again this year.

I am stressed enough right now...I nursed my production red from deaths door with a bad case of peritonitis. She is finally putting weight on, all feathered out from finishing her hard molt and today I found a broken soft shelled egg under her perch....

 

[Cynthia12]

My frizzled Silkies (bantams) do pretty well in the winter...I have LF frizzles as well, mixed breeds, and they look like they would freeze but they do just as well as the smooth feathered birds. The silkies had heat when it dropped below 20 this year, the LF had zero heat all winter. A;; were just fine, including a frizzled silkie showgirl that molted and was nearly naked during December and January lol!

Yes, my silkies and frizzle girl did well out there this past winter. I do use heat on them. I'm like you, when it drops below 20 is when I start using the heat.

On another note, had great news after another mammo, and ultra sound. Radiologist says, you are cancer free, after standing there staring at the ultra sound while the gal was doing it. I must have been more worried than I thought, because I broke down in the dressing room. :/ They were happy tears!
I go to a store after, and get a phone call. The dr. decided after looking at the images in the dark room, I should come back in 6 months. That's mean, just mean! I had asked him after he said come back in a yr...oh a yr?...not 6 months? I have to wonder if that changed his mind. That may have been ringing in his ears after we left. Anyway, the gal that was doing the ultra sound had been doing this for 22 yrs. She even said it didn't look concerning before the dr. came in. And she smiles. She has seen a lot. She was explaining afterwards what is not good to see..like a starburst, after I told her I had seen it on the mammo screen..it looked and about the size of a pea. There were two together. So anyway ol way, will see in 6 months. I'm really not too worried.

 

[the-bird-man]

Yes, my silkies and frizzle girl did well out there this past winter.  I do use heat on them.  I'm like you, when it drops below 20 is when I start using the heat. 

    On another note, had great news after another mammo,  and ultra sound.  Radiologist says, you are cancer free, after standing there staring at the ultra sound while the gal was doing it.  I must have been more worried than I thought, because I broke down in the dressing room.  :/  They were happy tears!
  I go to a store after, and get a phone call.  The dr. decided after looking at the images in the dark room, I should come back in 6 months. That's mean, just mean!   I had asked him after he said come back in a yr...oh a yr?...not 6 months?  I have to wonder if that changed his mind.  That may have been ringing in his ears after we left.   Anyway, the gal that was doing the ultra sound had been doing this for 22 yrs.  She even said it didn't look concerning before the dr. came in.  And she smiles.  She has seen a lot.  She was explaining afterwards what is not good to see..like a starburst, after I told her I had seen it on the mammo screen..it looked and about the size of a pea.  There were two together.   So anyway ol way, will see in 6 months.  I'm really not too worried. 

so glad to hear you got good news! keep up on those appointments.

for cold hardy i have not had any issues. i dont heat my coop with a heater or lamp or anything but make use of the sun where it has a darker roof that takes in the heat in the winter but in the summer is well shaded. and chickens can put off a lot of heat too. i dont keep any bantams tho so maybe those need a lot of extra care. but yeah breeds like sex links, barred rocks, orpingtons, brahmas, rhode island reds, austrolorps, leghorns, easter eggers etc are all fairly cold hardy. just make sure you have good ventilation or they will get frost bite.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Anybody selling chicks in the slc area? Preferably close to herriman. @sideWing?

Me! Me!

Awww I had to edit---I did not see the SLC area comment you had added


@Cynthia12 I am Sooooooo glad to hear things went well. 6 months is good. They are watching you closely now and if there is anything it will get caught fast!

 

[lizardandchicks]

Me! Me!

Awww I had to edit---I did not see the SLC area comment you had added

Sorry. I accidentally hit post a bit too soon. Where are you exactly? If you don't want to share, that is fine. You can send me a PM. It might be worth the drive depending on how close you are

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Sorry. I accidentally hit post a bit too soon. Where are you exactly? If you don't want to share, that is fine. You can send me a PM. It might be worth the drive depending on how close you are

Logan up North.

 

[frmboyinthecity]

Logan up North.

But a drive to Logan is always worth the trip!

Lisa, I've been going to ask, are your F1 olive eggers typically sex-linked or did I luck out? I think I got 2 white olive egger Roos and the blue copper marans roo. But I also got a cute little blue olive egger that is getting to be about 15 weeks old now!