Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?

  • 28 Replies
  • 5764 Views
*

Toosje

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: Huizen, NH, Netherlands
  • 116
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #15 on: March 02, 2018, 09:18 »
I have often wondered how people with a job away from home keep up the water supply. I change it about 5 times a day with warm bowls for the chickens and the rabbits (they have their own drinking system).
Here also, every time there is a thick layer of ice on it.

Do people put it on a rechaud?

 

*

New shoot

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Reading
  • 18327
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #16 on: March 02, 2018, 09:36 »
We are just changing the water as often as we can depending on who is home and when.  We are also using hot water to fill the drinkers, so they stay defrosted for longer.  Bringing the drinkers in overnight helps as well, as they are not freezing when you fill them in the morning. 

Mine are all in the coops and were yesterday as well.  I've just tempted them out with corn and mixed seeds.  After a good feeding session they have gone back into the coops.  Predictably (for those on here who know my chickens) Alphie is making the most fuss  ::)  He was trying to fly and not get his feet on the snow to feed.  He is only very small, but the hummingbird impression didn't work and he had to admit defeat and land  :lol:  The withering looks from his 2 girls Naomi and Eva were priceless. 

He is a massive eater for his size, so has now wolfed down so much food he can hardly see over his crop and is in the coop nodding off  ::)

*

grinling

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Lincs
  • 3673
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #17 on: March 02, 2018, 10:17 »
Hot water freezes quicker than cold, so I only use cold. I use washing up bowls as I found water drinkers could not cope with water freezing

*

jaydig

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Worcestershire
  • 1729
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #18 on: March 02, 2018, 11:51 »
I laid a trail of tomatoes into the coop yesterday, and when my girls followed them I closed the outer door to keep them in.  They have an enclosed house and a small outer run to use while the weather is  so cold.  They don't like it much, but if they don't have the sense to go inside at night, then they'll have to put up with it for a few days.  I'm not their favourite person at the moment, but at least they're safe.

*

New shoot

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Reading
  • 18327
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #19 on: March 02, 2018, 13:25 »
Hot water freezes quicker than cold, so I only use cold.

Hot water just seems to work for me.  A lot of my working days are spilt into 2 sections between 2 jobs, so me and OH are in and out of the house at different times.  If he puts hot drinking water out first thing, it doesn't freeze by lunchtime, then I do the same for the afternoon.  Cold water put out around 7am has been frozen by lunchtime this week, but hot lasts.

I'm not their favourite person at the moment, but at least they're safe.

Well safe is the priority, so they will have to grumble and get on with it  ;)  :)




*

Sassy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: North Yorkshire
  • 2553
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #20 on: March 03, 2018, 10:48 »
I have read about people using a tealight under the water to prevent freezing, not sure about the safety aspects of this but could work in the right environment. I used small buckets such as the ones horse supplements come in. It is easy to get the ice out and refill. In fact I started to use them all the time as they didn't get knocked over or filled with dirt. :)
An alternative is to use a plastic milk carton sliced diagonally opposite the handle. The handle can then be used to tie to the coop. No cost, recycled, throwaway and replace as necessary. :D
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted!!

*

Toosje

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: Huizen, NH, Netherlands
  • 116
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #21 on: March 03, 2018, 15:56 »
I have been using hot water as well. Especially the rabbits seem to enjoy it. They start drinking from it right away, even when the cold bottle is still 'going' but cold.

The milk cartons you mention Sassy are not as common here as in the UK. We don't drink milk anyway, but most of them come in rectangle cardboard packs.

I am still looking for a good feeding system though. I used to just put bowls under the coop: I had tiles put there so marters couldn't dig their way in. Since my ladies tend to eat the cream of the pie and not the pie, I feed them every other day: they have to finish their meal ;) There fore a feeding system with a supply? doesn't work.
Especially the big ones tend to knock over the bowls I am using now.


*

snowdrops

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Burbage,Leics
  • 19511
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #22 on: March 03, 2018, 17:35 »
I have been using hot water as well. Especially the rabbits seem to enjoy it. They start drinking from it right away, even when the cold bottle is still 'going' but cold.

The milk cartons you mention Sassy are not as common here as in the UK. We don't drink milk anyway, but most of them come in rectangle cardboard packs.

I am still looking for a good feeding system though. I used to just put bowls under the coop: I had tiles put there so marters couldn't dig their way in. Since my ladies tend to eat the cream of the pie and not the pie, I feed them every other day: they have to finish their meal ;) There fore a feeding system with a supply? doesn't work.
Especially the big ones tend to knock over the bowls I am using now.

My daughter made a feeder from some waste pipe that she fills from the outside (it has a top on it to stop it getting wet, as they eat more drops down into a hopper
A woman's place is in her garden.

See my diary pages here
and add a comment here

*

grinling

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Lincs
  • 3673
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #23 on: March 03, 2018, 19:31 »
have you tried pellets instead of mash?

*

Toosje

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: Huizen, NH, Netherlands
  • 116
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #24 on: March 08, 2018, 12:47 »
Snowdrops, I had a feeder that worked like that but what they do is, they throw out the grains (and corn) they are not to fond of and only eat what they like. So there is a heap of grains around the feeder, the feeder is empty and they start screaming their heads of because they are hungry.
This started after I went from 'baby chicken food' to grains and pellets.
Now I ferment the grains two days and thus feed them every other day. In the mean time, they have to finish what is there. The fermentation takes care of to big differences in taste so they are less fussy now.

Grinling, I can't find where I wrote that I am using mash.. What is it? :)

*

Mr R Design

  • Full Member
  • **
  • 67
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #25 on: March 09, 2018, 06:44 »
Make a feeder out of some drain pipe I have done so and it works. The objective is that they can easily see the food but because they have to stick their heads into it they can't flick the food out. The stuff that is currently ending up on the floor will actually then end up getting eat.

I have even set mine up so that you can top the feeder up from outside the run with your slippers on. Look at the pictures in the below link there are lots of different ways to do it.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=chicken+drainpipe+feeder&client=firefox-b-ab&dcr=0&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi286680N7ZAhVjFMAKHZDMAkUQ7AkIVQ&biw=1366&bih=654

*

grinling

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Lincs
  • 3673
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #26 on: March 09, 2018, 09:13 »
mash is a mixture of the grains, whereas pellets is the same but squeezed together so they eat all the grains as the pellets are identical.

*

Toosje

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: Huizen, NH, Netherlands
  • 116
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #27 on: March 09, 2018, 11:03 »
There are some handy feeders Mr R Design! I will definitely try one of theses when I am setting up a new feeding system. I saw you can make one with openings on 2 sides! This will be the most handy because we want both runs beside each other. That way we only need one feeding spot.

At this moment they get both Grinling. What I can find about the composition: the pellets are a little enriched with calcium and proteine. That's why I added it to their diet. I can see when it is finished: the egg shells get a little less strong. Little white and brown (Toosje and Teuntje) hardly touch it, nor the grit but it seems to be enough for them. The black one (Katrijn) eats it regular. Sometimes I think that is why she is so much heavier and more compact then Toos and Teun.
The big ones are very fond of it, even Otto the cockerel. They start scooping it up first thing in the morning and then go to the fermented grains or greens.

Do you suggest I skip the grains? 

*

grinling

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Lincs
  • 3673
Re: Urgent: chickens inside with this temperature?
« Reply #28 on: March 09, 2018, 17:32 »
I only give pellets and if they are good a couple of handfuls of mixed corn.
I provide crushed oyster shell in a pot, they also have grit in a separate pot.



xx
Can Chickens Eat the inside of a pumpkin?

Started by ben89 on The Hen House

4 Replies
2254 Views
Last post October 30, 2011, 11:21
by RichardA
xx
Lowest Temperature Chickens Can Survive?

Started by henamoured on The Hen House

16 Replies
7851 Views
Last post December 08, 2010, 14:11
by Haychee
xx
URGENT HELP - Somethings killing my chickens

Started by SJC on The Hen House

4 Replies
1758 Views
Last post July 18, 2013, 23:05
by ANHBUC
xx
URGENT HELP PLEASE!!!! My dogs attacked my chickens

Started by Carla on The Hen House

58 Replies
19614 Views
Last post November 05, 2010, 19:37
by Carla
 

Page created in 0.356 seconds with 51 queries.

Powered by SMFPacks Social Login Mod
Powered by SMFPacks SEO Pro Mod |