Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Gelbel]

This morning I took out fresh water to find that has ALL the water in the girls 3l water 'bottle' frozen solid - normally it's only the water at the edges that freezes - now that's what I call cold.

 

This is it 6 hours later after sitting in the sun in the conservatory and defrosting a bit.

 

 

And it's that cold the girls have refused to FR today - even for mixed corn scattered on the frozen earth.

[Space Chick]

It was -4 at 11am here according to my car.

 

This morning, even the drinker that has a heater under it was frozen

[Gelbel]

It's that out there now - up from -5. And the sky's gone a funny colour - I think it's full of the white stuff.

[percy049]

about -1 at 10:30 this morning according to the car here on the east coast

[Tweety]

Have just been mucking out the Cubes and Eglu, which are inside a stable, and the poo is frozen to the the roosting bars and in the poo trays! Poor girls are not impressed with this weather.

[Trougher]

I've just been out to check the water in the run, and I feel terribly guilty because even though it's quite big and I cleared the ice this morning, it is completely frozen. When I defrosted it and refilled with warm water, the chickens rushed to get a drink - they must have been really thirsty. If this weather continues clearly I am going to have to do the water during the middle of the day as well. Poor chickens!

[Chicken Licken]

minus 10 here last night. I must go and get the water in as the temperatures are plummeting again - no snow mind!!

[chicken bark]

It has been bitter here today and the water froze during the day. It has since snowed and the only good thing about that is it is now only -1 or -2 rather than the colder temperatures from earlier today.

 

Oh I suppose the other good thing is that it is easier cleaning up frozen poo that sloppy poo.

[Blue-DiamondChick07]

The ice split my drinker another trip to the farm, and thats dangerous

[LeeMeadfan]

It was -6 here today. the grils' water kept freezing but luckily only round the edges and a thin layer of ice on top.

 

They did FR as sun came out but still mut have been -3 or so!

[madchickenlady]

Freezing here, too. Had to defrost the water three times today, and took a wallpaper s"Ooops, word censored!"er to the poo frozen to the roosting bars

[brambles]

More frozen poo here. Had to leave the trays in the sun to loosen it! Currently minus three here.

[debbie9946]

it was a mind blowing -7 here last night. I feel sorry for my girls.

[poppers77]

It's so cold here my black car is frozen white & it's not snow!! Girls have come out including my broody one though. They have magnificent white duvets and looks quite happy. But i agree the water freezing is right pain - especailly when it refreezes durinng the day! I have been popping a snugglesnooze under their perch though! big softie i am!

 

L

[Pharaoh]

Inside the run the water in the glug has not frozen, just a few bits due to the insulating effects of snow. My girls are in an eglu with 1 metre run completely enclosed by clear tarp and so covered by a deep layer of snow. I had to go out at 11pm last night and lift up the tarp at the front of the run as I feared they were going to suffocate. Let them out yesterday and today and they went back to bed and within half an hour had each laid an egg!

They normally free range so no need normally for a longer run but not keen to venture on to the snow. Some sunflower seeds and porridge near the door did tempt them out. I had held the tarp up at the front to that there was a canopy.

[stehaggan]

Has anyone made any sort of solar panel heaters for the runs?

[Smudge]

The temp dropped to -7 here on Saturday night in our bubble-wrap insulated and heated greenhouse, and then it never got above freezing all day yesterday, so with the thermometer already at -5 at 6pm last night our neighbours would have had a laugh watching us chase the chickens round the garden in the snow, trying to catch them after they escaped when we were trying to put them in a cardboard box to spend the night in the house. Thought they'd be nice and sleepy but they decided to explode out of the box in that chickeny way, just as we thought we were home and dry.

[StephenW]

Poor chickens didnt know what to think of the snow. They just stayed under the coop most of the day

 

 

 

Stephen

Edited November 29, 2010 by Guest

[lillybettybabs]

Has anyone made any sort of solar panel heaters for the runs?

 

Well i have have thought about it as the kennels need some thing to stop the water freezing aswell.

I haven't got any further than look at the price of the solar kits.