Winter solved! **Updated**

[keljonma]

Quote:
Only a few shots..... I didn't want to load up the board....

With the exception of the brooder situation and the hen hatching eggs, the rest of the pics were of flock members in for issues or check ups. That's why I was asking the OP what they were going to do if they needed to isolate any of the birds.

Our Golden Campine roo and our Buttercup hen were acting strange after we had 2 weeks of temps near -15 (before wind chill). So they were only in for overnight check ups and then back to the hen house in the barn. The SLW on the nest was sitting on a heating pad under that fabricated nest. I was trying to relax her muscles so she could lay the huge triple yolker that was stuck. The JBG was in to break a broody in dead of winter, that's why there is a straw bale in my laundry/mud room, I didn't want her to spend all her time on the cement floor. Our Jersey Black Giant is raising five chicks now. They are 1 month old and we are in the process of integrating them with the flock, so they can join them in the hen house in the barn. Since the floor is cement, it is easy to clean. When the birds leave the room, it is completely cleaned and sanitized before I bring any more birds in. Sometimes a paint scraper helps. My DH is addicted too, the rest of the family believe we've been on the farm too long.

I also meant to say that we've also used it as a quarantine area for new birds.

edited: now if I could just type

 

[spook]

I used to have 22 canary's and 1 Nanday Conure and pert near went to the funny farm cleaning all the time, the food, stinky papers and the prize packages over the lamp shades and carpeting. The dust from them was soooo terrible and the water stains from their bath was endless.
As long as you keep the basement swept and wiped down, there should be little in the way of big dust, probably less then my house WAS. I got over that faze reallllllly quick. I agree that 6 weeks of having my chicks in the house was enough, but with pellets and a sheet over the doorway or between the cold air intake and the hens, it should be ok. Extra cleaning over the filters....and you probably wont have a problem with them.
I too am in Maine and I do not have an insulated hen house, just the right precautions, propper size coop and change the water 2-3 times a day (only because I'm home) and they are happy...probably happier if they could become cellar dwellers! lol. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[All about the EGG]

The post was not that harsh...go with the cages and keep them in the garage. Way back in the day, I am sure peole slept with the chickens in the soddy, log cabin. No chickens...no food!

 

[LilBizzy]

To make a comparison- I do have 2 parrots that live in my living room. And every day I have to dust everything, and vacuum. And if I dont clean out their cage- phew. The dust and dander that comes off them leaves a white film on everything. My 2 parrots make up half a chicken.
Our first 2 "flocks" of babies lived in my living room till they were about 6 weeks old. Yes, we had 12, not 3, but they were babies. And that house stunk to high heaven- and I cleaned the cage 3 times a day. This newest "flock" was outside right from the start.
I know alot of people have house chickens. Obviously they do, because chicken diapers are sold. I think if it were me, I'd build something outside for them. You don't have to use it for chickens- but it would be better to have an alternate plan, just in case you decide in mid-winter that chickens in the house are a bad idea. Because it wouldn't be good to have to build a coop in 10 degree weather, either.
I think another thing to consider is the noise. When mine are laying eggs, I can hear them loudly from 250 feet away. Not just the chicken noise, but the HUMAN noises.. I dont know if they would be freaked out always hearing noises from above them.

 

[mem79]

Wow, well I have a question related to this topic but i hope I don't get completely dumped on by that one person. You seem just slightly hostile that anyone else might have a question/concern that you don't think should be one. If you have such an opinion about mine, please keep it to yourself - or maybe you could dump it on your spouse instead.

so, here it goes...

I am wondering if it matters what time of year to have eggs/chicks. What age is the right time to have them outside and would it matter if I started now and late fall/winter was their first season out there? I think i'd rather start in the Spring than have them in the garage for the winter, but just wondering.
Also, at this point I would not like to end up with roosters. What would I do with them?
Thanks in advance to all the polite posters!

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

I used an air purifier (fairly expensive honeywell, just vacuumed the filter weekly)next to my brooder in the middle of my family room, and it cut down the dust to almost none. I told my husband we had to work out a new plan for brooding or they were going to be the last, he was more than happy to make the purchase! Just a suggestion if that's the way you choose to go.

 

[chickenannie]

Quote:
One reason chicks often hatch in the spring is because the weather is better suited to them being outside without heating and then by fall, they've developed a nice set of feathers and they're bigger, which helps them survive the winter cold. If you have fall chicks, it takes a lot more work to keep them warm enough. And you may have to heat them quite a bit through the winter since they don't have good feathers for several months.

You can buy hen chicks only, though they're more expensive and sometimes you end up with roos too because they couldn't tell the difference.

things to do with roosters you don't want:
- Find them a home with someone else
- Have them butchered for meat
- Keep one for breeding stock
- Use them to annoy neighbors once they start crowing
I don't think there are any other options, are there?

 

[mem79]

Thanks that helps. I only want 2 or 3 hens, so I wouldn't mind the little bit of added expense. We figured for eggs, we would still have more eggs than we could eat ourselves. Though sharing them won't be hard. Still, I like the idea of starting from the hatching process for the kids. Its fun and I like what it teaches them. Someone has to do the work for your food! And this is how nature works, etc.
I suppose I could just post if I ended up with a roo and someone would want to take it? I wouldn't mind using one for meat as long as it wasn't named and we didn't make friends with it. haha. As I said, I do believe we are allowed to have roos as well as hens, but we already have problems with one of the neighbors. I don't want to add anything to the mix that they would fuss about, and if it got loud, they would have reason to. so how mature are they when they begin to crow? Could we let it grow to a good table size without it crowing?

As far as the winter is concerned, what type of heating would be involved with having them outside? They can definitely be in the garage until they get stinky. And the coop is directly behind the garage, so electricity would not be a problem.

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
You not going to PICK EGGS ? Hmmmmmmm

 

[flakey chick]

If you do decide to keep them in the basement, it never hurts to have a plan B. If you can change your mind and boot them out into their coop then you might as well give it a try.

The feather dust is amazingly prolific. Those Hepa airfilters would be a pretty good idea, and they aren't all expensive. We use them in our bedrooms and they have made a big difference.

Three does not seem like that much but it would also depend on the breed. I am assuming they aren't banties but aren't cornish X or Jersey Giants. I would try to find out what those with indoor birds do to handle the dust and smell issues.