Mrs

[Patricia W]

So sorry about Ablett, Lydia - but you never know they surprise you sometimes. If not, I hope she has a peaceful end. At least she is warm

 

It was very very cold here overnight, but is worse now as there is a biting Northerly wind with it. Water is freezing solid in about an hour.

 

All chooks fine this morning BUT I had great fun decanting the 5 that I put together in one cube to keep warm back into the 3 and 2 they were originally! In the dim morning light I grabbed a mismatched pair! So have spent best part of an hour putting chickens back in their right place. I think I'll use food dye on their white top nots tonight!

 

The 3 in the cube are still NOT coming out - room service please.

 

Tricia

[Happy chickens!]

As it's been getting colder more of them have been snuggling in the nesting box - a bit messy, but sensible of them really. am giving plenty of corn at bedtime and warm mash to help.

[chickiepiggies]

i have two ex-bats one still quite bald underneath, both not doing to well at all in the cold. our day time temp yesterday didnt go above -4 they also keep shivering.

 

so now they live in our conservortory i have my own chicken vewing area i can see everything they do from our living room they will stay there until the cold spell ends.

i have put sheets of cardboard on floor taped together, straw and horse bedding down to soak up the poop and 2 pet carriers for them to sleep in. the temp is 5c at night instead of -14 we had the other night and -13 last night and the water doesn't freeze . they all think its a little adventure and were still playing around until 8pm last night.

 

OH thinks i'm mad

[dancing cloud]

With a low of only minus 8, I've got a positive heatwave here compared to some of you, but all seven of mine have been put together in for the last two weeks. It's under the carport, so is free of snow and ice, whereas the which is not sheltered has its egg-port frozen solid. My little lot enjoyed the snow for the first couple of days but the novelty value has long-since worn off and they now complain loudly every morning !

 

With a snugglesafe, where do you put it in a cube and how do you stop them pooing all over it? The one I have is so hot to begin with, I'd have to keep it in its cover or it would melt the plastic. Do you wrap it in eg a plastic bag and put it on the roosting bars? At the moment my little monsters are practising for the new Olympic "how many hens can you squash into a cube nestbox" event and seem quite toasty, but info on use of the snugglesafe would be much appreciated for if we ever get down to minus silly degrees too (shivers at the thought!).

[coco]

I have a plastic sheet covering one side of the run especially by the house door. I have along stick that I thread through two metal loops across the house door as extra security. The end of the stick that was sticking out from the polythene was frozen but the stick in the run wasn't. I presuming that it is actually warmer in the run [and the house] than outside. Hope this makes sense. It was minus 12 here last night.

[sandyhas3chucks]

Dancing cloud, you can safely put it under your roosting bars Naked It is plastisc coated and will not melt the plastc

You could in any case put a nice layer of Auboise or whatever in the base, it will make pooh picking easier ANd give a nice layer of insulation which will both help keep the girls warm & keep the snugglesafe warmer. also dont let the cold air come in through the poo tray it will just cool the air above the snugglesafe making it a bit pointless.

 

Chickiepiggies . I think you are doing the right thing, the exbats whilst robust in some ways have spent their whole lives in 21 degrees and not exposed to so much in nature

Lydia: even I would not be worrying too much about 10 in a cube

I think I might have had 6 in a Piglu out of their own choice but it is not pratival for the 2 very disabled girls, so I ensure they are 3 +3 for warmth. AND all the other things I do

[sadietoo]

I wrap my snugglesafe in two big sheets of newspaper and put it on the roosting bars next to them...so far that seems to have worked fine!!

[cathybc]

i have two ex-bats one still quite bald underneath, both not doing to well at all in the cold. our day time temp yesterday didnt go above -4 they also keep shivering.

 

so now they live in our conservortory i have my own chicken vewing area i can see everything they do from our living room they will stay there until the cold spell ends.

i have put sheets of cardboard on floor taped together, straw and horse bedding down to soak up the poop and 2 pet carriers for them to sleep in. the temp is 5c at night instead of -14 we had the other night and -13 last night and the water doesn't freeze . they all think its a little adventure and were still playing around until 8pm last night.

 

OH thinks i'm mad

 

Love it! Not telling mine as I think they would fancy it but I am not sure how it would work as the cats have to get through the conservatory to come in and may end up being stuck outside as they are scared of the girls!

[Redwing]

Any warmth will last longer if there is insulation under it, some cardboard or bubble wrap in the poo tray under the snugglesafe or hot water bottle will mean that the heat goes up not down

[Valkyrie]

Minus 6 last night, checked the babes and they felt cold, so they were put into the cube with the big girls (doused with talcum powder - everyone was done for good measure). They smelt delightful. All out this morning, but the pekins refused to come out of the cube. Obviously the others complained a little - although Kitty was happily tucking in with the big girls - she knows her place at the bottom. Just Squirt that seems to be pecking at her, although she runs around Apache and zips back to the food. I have sprayed with anti-peck just in case - so now she doesn't smell delightful. Last check she was tucked in between Sioux and Tipsy (Tipsy gets on well with Kitty). Pekins have been transferred back to the eglu and not coming out.

[madchickenlady]

My pekins are not impressed at all! They are staying huddled in the coop and only venturing forth for food. Snowing here again.

[Egluntyne]

My three Pekins are quite happy. There is a good insulating layer of snow on their Eglu and run though.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

My five seem quite cosy in the eglu. They have a heavy plastic-backed picnic rug on top and the tarpaulin blinds for shelter .

[dancing cloud]

Thank you for the snugglesafe advice everyone. Despite more snow here today, we've had a bit of a thaw and all the girls have ventured out at least once , though by and large sticking to the bit of path they can see.

 

If it gets really cold again, I'll now know how to use the snugglesafe in the properly - just have to amputate tubby Puddy from it first or put her in as well as a furry hot water bottle!

[sandyhas3chucks]

Thank you for the snugglesafe advice everyone. Despite more snow here today, we've had a bit of a thaw and all the girls have ventured out at least once , though by and large sticking to the bit of path they can see.

 

If it gets really cold again, I'll now know how to use the snugglesafe in the properly - just have to amputate tubby Puddy from it first or put her in as well as a furry hot water bottle!

what a good idea, remember that for next freeze when all the newbies post the question.

answer. "oh just pop the cat in! )

one of mine will not now use the safely sanded paths. the colour maybe.

They ARE funny things aren't they

[cliveb]

I am feeling really quite guilty .My 5 run around all day in the snow quite happy, I give them porridge and grapes once a day and a couple of handfulls of mealworms. Apart from that they are getting treated just as usuall.

 

I read all about Snugglesafes and ~Hotties and keep thinking do I need to buy one or two?

They seem fine and I guess I will carry on as I have been.

 

PS they are all laying each day