Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[babylady4]

Picking up some straw myself today, if the guy has any left. They want $5 a bale up here for oat straw, but I found a guy who is selling soybean straw bales for $2.50/bale. Since all I need it for is to build up a windbreak around the duck pen, it should work. I am very concerned for the ducks with this bitter cold on the way. I think they may have to come and camp out in the house with us over the next few days. I do not think that three little ducks will generate enough heat to survive temperatures of -27 and with wind chills over -50...... good thing I took the tree down yesterday!

Christmas at my in-laws today. I better get moving if I am to bake a batch of brownies and get everyone over there by lunchtime.

 

[momgille]

Going soft here too and put a heat lamp in for the girls... For all the complaining DH did when I went over to neighbors and came back with chicken plans 1 1/2 years ago,he is far more of a Mommy to than I.
Work Christmas parties, I remember them! Now we have Holiday Parties and in February... Sadly this is the 2nd year in a row we have not had the party due to lower sales. But I can't complain. We do have a golf outing in July and I have won 2 flat screens and a Kindle over the last 5 years. Also they awarded my daughter a scholarship of $2000/yr for 4 years. So my suggestion when going to the spouse party is sit back and be a people watcher always interesting!
Well I am going to reduce the mound of poo at the back of the coop, obviously they are eating well and what goes in is coming out. Also going for a walk... take advantage of the 20 degree weather will feel warm compared with what is to come!
Also TO love the jammies

Hope, however, you do not climb to the roof and spread your wings attempting to fly south for the remainder of the winter or pretend to be a weather vane.

 

[Angiebubs]

I havent been on in a while and almost 100 pages behind!!!! I wanted to check in to see what everyone is doing to prepare for the cold snap coming?

I received a large ceramic wall tile heater for xmas but the coop is too big for it to make any difference. Last night I bought an oscillating fan heater. I have a small area (maybe 4 by 4 by 4) sectioned off inside the coop right under where they roost at night. It has a cement floor, cement back wall, one side wood wall, and a plastic covered wire wall. The front is chicken wire facing into the coop. I cover this with a wire in a wood frame, then covered in plastic (Use this area for when I have chicks). I am putting the fan inside there. My thought is this will warm up the roost area on top for them and blow out some heat directly in front of this area to slightly take the chill off for the next few days...plus its as safe as I can make it. The chickens can't access it this way, and the heater has a safety switch that turns off if it gets knocked over too. I am crossing my fingers this will be enough. I have two chickens that have frozen icicles on their bottoms-looks like pee-sorry to be graphic. I was able to cut off one of them....but yuck! It can't be comfortable and it worries me why its there in the first place!!! I will take some pics in a little bit and post.

Good luck to all of you and your chickens!!!

 

[Angiebubs]

Delish: This is Xanadu my sassy girl from you

Sorry this one isn't PG13 LOL Diesel decided it was a good time to love one of his girls You can see brooder area in back left

This is the brooder area I set up the heater in. Think this will work? THey roost all around the top of that.

 

[delisha]

Delish: This is Xanadu my sassy girl from you
Beautiful color on Xanadu..Good wide tail feathers too..nice leg color and comb..
This is the brooder area I set up the heater in. Think this will work? THey roost all around the top of that.
This looks like it will work great!!

This black girl looks like an English from the rear..nice and wide,,

 

[Celtic Chick]

I don't know how comfortable I'd be with the plastic film on the top, Ang. Do you have a piece of plywood or even a thick piece of cardboard? I suppose it is a horse apiece since they all could burn, but I don't think the type of heater you have would get that hot. (There I go, overthinking it again.

me ). Other than that, it looks good. I think any extra warmth in the roosting area is a good idea for these brutal temps we are going to be having. Your birds look very healthy & happy. As for the buttcicles, my birds have been pooping alot of watery poo lately. Upon alot of observation, I think it is because they are drinking so much water lately. On the coldest days, my birds are really guzzling a ton of water, maybe partially because it is warm? Because of this, I have been giving them a lot of vitamins and electros in their water to prevent dehydration. HTH

Huntress, I think Cind is talking about this kind of heater?

http://www.menards.com/main/applian...elonis-oil-filled-heater/p-1863489-c-5617.htm

I have a small shed inside my big coop where one of the heat lamps is. It is hanging, very securely, from the rafters maybe about 18" or so above the highest roost (which is pretty high). There is no room for a bird to get up there. The nest boxes are also located in the shed, which helps keep the eggs from freezing. The other heat lamp is wired into/onto a fence wall about 20 to 24" above another roost. Again, my birds are way too big to try to jump on top of the heat lamp, and I don't think it would feel too good to stand on it anyway.

They aren't very large lamps and they are really smooth, so I would think if a bird tried to jump up on one, they wouldn't be able to get a firm footing. Plus they would probably be pretty hot on top, I would think. In any case, just make sure you have it hanging really securely with the cord up out of the way so no birds try to jump on it. I know I don't have to tell you that, but newbies might be lurking.

I am glad your lavs are doing good. What a loverboy!

Are ya ready for some football?

 

[Angiebubs]

Delish Xanadu is such a fu sassy hen!! She sneaks behind me and pecks at me then runs LOL but loves when I do pick her up and cuddle her! That black orpington is one of several from BlackBrookPoultry-all of them are littl healthy butterballs!! Thanks for the feeback on the heater...crossing my fingers this works. Put the barn cat in with them with a carpeted enclosed bed....she loves hanging out with them-she also eats their eggs LOL but for a few days to keep her warm-this should work.

CC: Thanks for the input!! And I am so glad you mentioned this with the poop sicles!! That would make sense as mine are going through a lot more water lately too. I keep over stressing the fact that I still havent wormed them (roundworms) but dont want the added stress during all this cold weather

 

[delisha]

Preps for the coming cold front:

I put up plastic on the north facing window today. I also purchased a few bales of extra straw. Joe did get me wood for the fire places if i do need to fire them up. I have a pot belly stove in one of the coops if i need extra heat. I will just haul chickens to that coop if i need to. I do have heat lamps and I do not usually use them but if it is an emergency I will fire them up. I am not going to unless its an emergency. I have the new chickens in that coop and they are still in quarantine for another two weeks. I would have to move those into the basement if I move birds in there. The 5 week old chicks seem to be doing fine with out mom. They had full crops this morning.

 

[Hens and Roos]

So our first hatch is finished, we ended up with 17 chicks that hatched but 2 didn't make it so a total of 15 chicks; they are doing very well- eating and drinking and staying warm.



Plan to clean up the incubator and set another round of eggs and see what DD gets. One of DS(8)'s MG pairs has been working on laying eggs and starting a nest- we will see if she sits on them.

DH is dealing with another water issue again tonight via phone(not a building we manage but someone we do projects for) as he has been fighting off an upper respiratory infection for a week now and is trying very hard not to have to go in. Well looks like he is headed in

. Friday, he was planning to stay at home and rest until one of our tenants called because a pipe broke in their basement so we went and worked on cleaning it up- thankfully not much water and the basement isn't finished. I can only hope that we make it through the next few days with out more problems.

Stay warm everyone!

 

[Terri O]

I always thought You and your hubby were the sort that played "dress up"

Is his a rooster get up?

Kinky! I like it.

Yeah, I told him what you said...he said "Yup-I am the big cock!" Filthy man.
BigZ this get up came directly from Japan! All the writing on the package proved it! I cut off the bottom portion of the photo but the crotch of these things is at my KNEES! Way funny to walk in for sure!

Hi All!

Cute outfit Terri! You and Jim should greet us at the next bash in your spiffy outfits!

Nothing to say again....'cept it's too d@mn cold to try to do more than you have to and it ain't gettin' better for awhile. [insert shivering chicken]

Night All!

OK--I will do it if Jim will! These might be a bit warm for May...maybe I will wear them around the campfire!

LOVE your outfit Terri. Really rather spectacular, that!

I just made scrambled eggs for my chickens. I brought them out still hot. I hope noone burned themselves. How are those chickies doing it?

I'm going to read up on Jim's heating notes... I want to know how Jim keeps things hot in his life.

BigZ, I WILL send the knitting pattern!
scanner, computer, this and that, blahblahblah, you know when you leave the room waiting for something to download cuz it's taking so durn long and then well, ferget about it? I'm going to take a 3rd stab at getting it to you and we all know 3rd times a charm!

Glad you are keeping up with us MXM! We need to make a date soon!

We are nearly out of HM kraut...of course I just LOVE it! I am thinking that when cabbage goes on sale we might make some more to last until the fall. We dont eat too much in spring/summer but I got a bunch of recipes that use kraut in salads and other chilly things!

Off to bed for today--very loooong day and now I am done! Nighties! TerriO

When DS was here for dinner he asked me my plans for the chilly weather coming up...I just figure I will feed them all up and hope for the best! I did make some boxes for the quail and moved the tethered goat to the other side of the shed...will blanket the other horses but other than that--they have lived in cold before....after I saw my feed bill totals for the year and see how much I have "made" they better just be happy having a roof over their heads!