Debbie's Silkies

[Debbie292d]

We're bracing for sub-zero windchills tonight and tomorrow. Tonight the low is 2F, tomorrow night -2F and windchill will be -16 tonight and -25 tomorrow.

There's not much to do in the coop except tonight we'll jack the heat up a notch.

We made sure the temp/breeding pens are secure and tarps are tied down well to keep heat in. The only ones in the pen in the yard are three roosters I got tired of seeing beating up on Mocha. Pierre, Cole (black ones), and an unnamed white one. Cole and the white one are two months younger than Mocha, so that's hard for me to understand.

Mocha just finds a corner and sinks down to take it. He doesn't even try to fight. Yet, if left alone, he'll take off after a pullet/hen and in a rather rough manner.

These penned roosters we'll let out tonight so they can go in the main coop. They've been in here just a couple of days so hardly enough time to expect things will be any different. It'll warm up again after tomorrow, into the 20s to 30s so they'll probably all three be right back here again.



The rest outside in the four seasons and aviary have Cozy Coops in their hutches we'll turn on high for a couple of nights.

 

[2ndTink]

She lays here at night sometimes while I type, until Stella the cat comes as that's her bed. Then Myra goes back to the brooder.

That is completely adorable!

Louie, the only normal one of the 1/6 hen-hatched, Myra's sibling; Nosy, the crossbeak, also their sibling. Tina the buff belongs with the other seven who go to the coop, but she stays with these guys. In front is Iris, the partially blind pullet. To the right are Missie, a partridge, and Pete and Patty, the paints.

You have a really pretty flock there Debbie

So that means he, being the crossbeak, must be getting enough water from the nipple bucket, or he'd surely have shown he was thirsty by now as I've been doing this for a few days. That's good news to me! Iris, well, she's just going to have to figure it out then, and maybe already did as it's not like she's dying of thirst when I set it down either. I'll keep doing it through the weekend though.

Maybe she's just showing you her appreciation for the fresh water I have a couple who will ALWAYS drink if you give them fresh water, and then of course the opposite crowd thumbs their nose at clean water but can't get enough mud puddle slush...

 

[2ndTink]

We're bracing for sub-zero windchills tonight and tomorrow. Tonight the low is 2F, tomorrow night -2F and windchill will be -16 tonight and -25 tomorrow.

Those windchills!!! I hope you and the silkies can hunker down out of the wind until it passes!

The rest outside in the four seasons and aviary have Cozy Coops in their hutches we'll turn on high for a couple of nights.

I have a few Cozy Coop heater lovers as well

 

[Debbie292d]

Those windchills!!! I hope you and the silkies can hunker down out of the wind until it passes!

I have a few Cozy Coop heater lovers as well

Those are so nice and if anyone is ever questioning heat vs. no heat, putting one of those in their coop is an inexpensive and safe way to provide warmth to those that might be suffering a little from the cold.

 

[Ponypoor]

We're bracing for sub-zero windchills tonight and tomorrow. Tonight the low is 2F, tomorrow night -2F and windchill will be -16 tonight and -25 tomorrow.

There's not much to do in the coop except tonight we'll jack the heat up a notch.

We made sure the temp/breeding pens are secure and tarps are tied down well to keep heat in. The only ones in the pen in the yard are three roosters I got tired of seeing beating up on Mocha. Pierre, Cole (black ones), and an unnamed white one. Cole and the white one are two months younger than Mocha, so that's hard for me to understand.

Mocha just finds a corner and sinks down to take it. He doesn't even try to fight. Yet, if left alone, he'll take off after a pullet/hen and in a rather rough manner.

These penned roosters we'll let out tonight so they can go in the main coop. They've been in here just a couple of days so hardly enough time to expect things will be any different. It'll warm up again after tomorrow, into the 20s to 30s so they'll probably all three be right back here again.

View attachment 4005243

The rest outside in the four seasons and aviary have Cozy Coops in their hutches we'll turn on high for a couple of nights.

Getting cold here for a few days also, last week I started moving everyone into the Hen Houses at night. But the youngsters just didn’t get the memo to go in there and roost at night. I have haul their fluffy butts in there every night!

It’s odd that Mocha just takes the beating, how strange? Poor wee fella!

 

[Ponypoor]

Those windchills!!! I hope you and the silkies can hunker down out of the wind until it passes!

I have a few Cozy Coop heater lovers as well

I have a Sweeter Heater and all my ladies take turns under it during the day. I wish I could afford another one or two. It’s just miserable for the older ladies in the winter.

 

[Debbie292d]

Getting cold here for a few days also, last week I started moving everyone into the Hen Houses at night. But the youngsters just didn’t get the memo to go in there and roost at night. I have haul their fluffy butts in there every night!

It’s odd that Mocha just takes the beating, how strange? Poor wee fella!

It's hard to understand why he doesn't stand up to fight for himself but he started this months ago refusing to integrate to the coop. He kept going back to the aviary where the younger ones were and since he got along with them we just let him do it. That went on for a month until that group was ready to go to the coop so he had to go with them. He's the only chocolate (the chocolate hen is in the breeding coop) in there so I thought perhaps that had something to do with it.

 

[Jenbirdee]

We're bracing for sub-zero windchills tonight and tomorrow. Tonight the low is 2F, tomorrow night -2F and windchill will be -16 tonight and -25 tomorrow.

There's not much to do in the coop except tonight we'll jack the heat up a notch.

We made sure the temp/breeding pens are secure and tarps are tied down well to keep heat in. The only ones in the pen in the yard are three roosters I got tired of seeing beating up on Mocha. Pierre, Cole (black ones), and an unnamed white one. Cole and the white one are two months younger than Mocha, so that's hard for me to understand.

Mocha just finds a corner and sinks down to take it. He doesn't even try to fight. Yet, if left alone, he'll take off after a pullet/hen and in a rather rough manner.

These penned roosters we'll let out tonight so they can go in the main coop. They've been in here just a couple of days so hardly enough time to expect things will be any different. It'll warm up again after tomorrow, into the 20s to 30s so they'll probably all three be right back here again.

View attachment 4005243

The rest outside in the four seasons and aviary have Cozy Coops in their hutches we'll turn on high for a couple of nights.

debbie what do you do if the electricity goes out? back up generator?

 

[Debbie292d]

debbie what do you do if the electricity goes out? back up generator?

We have one, but we've only ever used it for the incubator and brooders. Aliant Energy is excellent in that it only goes out about 3-4 times a year, always in the summer, and always under an hour.

If the power went out today, because of the windchill and negative temps, we'd probably run the generator for them in the coop, close the breeding hutch with those 8 in there, and bring the 7 younger and handicapped ones (3) in the house.

On a regular winter day, we'd do nothing. Say for example it's 0F outside, the coop is 40F, and the power goes out. It's insulated and full of chickens, so that temp will drop very slowly. It wouldn't get down to 0, probably 5 or 10F. That would cause no problem to them other than the eggs and water would start freezing. I'd have to check the molting and frizzles, though, to be sure they were okay in 0F for a bit, but it usually doesn't last long.

 

[Jenbirdee]

We have one, but we've only ever used it for the incubator and brooders. Aliant Energy is excellent in that it only goes out about 3-4 times a year, always in the summer, and always under an hour.

If the power went out today, because of the windchill and negative temps, we'd probably run the generator for them in the coop, close the breeding hutch with those 8 in there, and bring the 7 younger and handicapped ones (3) in the house.

On a regular winter day, we'd do nothing. Say for example it's 0F outside, the coop is 40F, and the power goes out. It's insulated and full of chickens, so that temp will drop very slowly. It wouldn't get down to 0, probably 5 or 10F. That would cause no problem to them other than the eggs and water would start freezing. I'd have to check the molting and frizzles, though, to be sure they were okay in 0F for a bit, but it usually doesn't last long.

ok sounds good . you have a plan.