| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| hipmamato4 |
Posted - Dec 15 2008 : 6:37:47 PM
Against my better judgment I decided to order some new chickens with a friend who was placing an order. Because it was last minute I had to order quickly and just got an assortment of bantys and heavy breed layers. I got 17 about six weeks ago and until a few days ago they were all doing fine. They were in my basement where it was warm, but I was getting tired of the smell and such so I figured I would soon put them outside with a heat lamp. About four days ago we had a LOT of heavy rain and I forgot about the basement of our 200 year old home flooding. Before I went to bed I checked them and found freezing cold rain that was inches deep because the sump pump was clogged. While unclogging the pump I realized that the chickens were in the water and in fact, I had already lost 4 anf 2 more were almost dead. I spent the next 45 minutes drying them off by the woodstove until they regained life.
So... I REALLY want the out of my basement, but now I am worried that I have just committed myself to a full winter with chickens down there. I am afraid that they won't be warm enough in the barn even with a heat lamp. Does anyone have any guidelines on when the chickens can be outside or better yet, what temperatures they would be ok with, inside a cozy bank barn, where the water almost never freezes. What was I thinking ordering so late in the fall??
Homebirthing, home-schooling mama to 4 awesome kids, living an idyllic country life in Pennsylvania |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Dec 28 2008 : 12:19:16 AM
lisa we have about 30 below zero tonight and my girls are in totally unheated and uninsulated coop. they are doing just fine and even starting to lay some eggs for me!! chickens are birds and they are a lot stronger than we give them credit for! cull means to kill the sick ones. i would waitto see if any mroe of them get sick. it might not be contagious, but if any more get sick i would at least seperate them by as much space as you possibly can. i sure hope they get better so you dont have that worry along with the "cold" southern california temps! *wink*
peace connie in alaska |
| LisaLu |
Posted - Dec 27 2008 : 9:24:16 PM
Ladies, please give me some comfort....I'm worried sick about my chickens, I'm in Southern California, and they just said we were going to have freezing temps tonight, are my girls ok? I think I have a sick chicken out there, and no way to heat things up.....I found another website about chickens, trying to educate myself, and someone is telling me that I may have to "cull" so the other birds are not infected. What does cull mean?
My "Bumkin" was wheezing today, and acting like something was caught in her throat. Any words of wisdom or comfort?
Happiness is homemade... |
| hipmamato4 |
Posted - Dec 22 2008 : 7:32:54 PM
Thanks ladies--I just LOVE that I have found a place where people don't think I am bizarre for having chickens in my basement. Heck, the basement seems pretty tame compared to chickens and goats in the sewing room! LOL
So, what ended up happening is I couldn't take it anymore and before the responses came through, I moved the chicks to the barn and just hoped that they would be ok. We're in PA and that happened to be the coldest day we have had yet. I put in a lightbulb for heat (a normal one) and after a few minutes two of the chickens got all ruffled up and laid out FLAT (like a dog!) with their legs stretched out right under the bulb. Well, I panicked, thinking they would freeze, ran in the house, got on the phone to find a store that carried heat lamps (lots of places carry bulbs, but no had the holders), and then jumped in my car, assuming that Lowes would definitely have them. They had one brooder left, so I bought it, drove home fast, and then set it all up for them.
Obviously, they were fine. They are living with my pony in her stall. She's about 9 hands and is very good around other animals. They stick mostly to one side of the stall and she the other. They do mingle in and around her legs, but so far they are all safe. It will only get safer as they get bigger too. So thank you again. Experience is the best teacher I guess. :)
Homebirthing, home-schooling mama to 4 awesome kids, living an idyllic country life in Pennsylvania |
| La Patite Ferme |
Posted - Dec 19 2008 : 9:49:09 PM
I don't have chicks right now, but I have always had good luck wintering with a nice layer of shavings topped with straw. We usually clean out DD stock trailer at the end of show season in Sept and use that in the boxes and floor. Then as the weather cools I buy a bale of straw (broken if possible cause they give me a discount) and spread about 3-4 inches on the ground and repack the boxes. We've had night temps in the 20's (real cold for us here) and everyone seems quite content.
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| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Dec 19 2008 : 5:39:31 PM
I hope you have good ventilation in your sewing room! What a mess. I would think they are a little small right now to go out, but I don't think you should have to keep them in til spring. Maybe at least another month at the most.
I just talked to my friend in Livonia, Mi. last nught. She said they have so much snow and will be getting more this weekend.
Kris
Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. Maori proverb |
| happydaze |
Posted - Dec 19 2008 : 5:00:29 PM
Now I dont feel so bad! I hatched 8 buff orpingtons a few weeks ago here in Northern Michigan!!What was I thinking? oh yeah I wasnt thinking at all. The brooder is in my grandson's bedroom, (he's on vacation down south) and the chicks are really geting too big for the brooder there in- I'm not sure if I want to chance them in the hen house outside with the other full grown hens as I also have 5 goats and a mini hourse living in that space. They may get stepped on. My friend, a small animal expert said I had to keep them in until Spring...but I just cant. Its not even officially Winter yet, Spring is just too far away.I will have to sacrifice my sewing room again , for chickens and be very careful to keep the cats and dogs out. Ugh Here I go again another winter with poultry in the sewing room.....last year I also had triplet goats in there, so maybe it wont be so bad haha |
| frolicnfibers |
Posted - Dec 19 2008 : 3:22:12 PM
My chickens are full grown, but they have been out in their little chicken house/yard since it turned cold, without a heat lamp and they have been fine. It's gotten to way below freezing here, with lots of snow and rain. They do huddle up together and they like it so much that today they wouldn't even come out of their house...lazy chickens:)
Diana
Please come visit my animals and my Etsy store on my new blog!
http://www.frolicnfibers.blogspot.com |
| stacyluu |
Posted - Dec 18 2008 : 7:43:05 PM
hey chicken mama!..don't worry so much...i have done the same thing...late fall..can't resist..(what was i thinking) soooo..if you have ANY kind of a shed outside, i used an old dog traveling crate, covered it w/ a tarp so no drafts..zip tied it to an old guinea pig cage w/ a heat lamp, food/water...worked for them...heat lamp and no big, cold drafts and they should be fine...good luck! |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Dec 15 2008 : 8:31:14 PM
Danielle, I had some chickies that hatched in an incubator 8 weeks ago. I gave them to a friend and they are out in her little chicken house now. I saw them today and they are doing great. No heat lamp at all. I only had the heat lamp on them in here for a few weeks and they did ok. But now they are outside and we have had snow, rain, freezing nights, and lots of water.
I think as long as they have feathers and are in a dry draft free place they should be ok. They are about 6 weeks old? They do huddle up together to stay warm, too.
Chickens are pretty tough birds. I have never lost any to cold weather. Of course you are "up North" so your temps are a lot colder, but someone on here lives in Alaska and she has chickens.
The new Mother Earth news has an article on how to keep chickens in winter. Good luck with yours. I am sorry you lost some of yours. I have guineas now and 2 ducks and 1 rooster left. It's a mud pit out there right now and they are all fine.
Kris |
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