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dahlia my chicks are fine one set is cozy under their mom on a bed of straw and my others have a 100 watt bulb in their brooder pen.
My older chickens are to old for lights but they have nice inclosed roost to sit in so all is well.

This is strange to have this cold of temps here this time of year though.

What about llama?

It is cold down here!!!!!! Hope all y'all and your critters stay warm.
Sandy

How cold is it Wren?

38 here

My back yard term. says 32 , the one on the carport says 45 degress the tv says 39 take your pick.

lol I think I would pick 45 if i had to pick :)

30.2 here....BRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Me to!!!! We are not use to this and usually we do not have this kind of weather until after the New Year. By Sunday it will be back into the 70's.

same here first frost yesterday but up to the mid 60 and today will be 72 and mid 70's all week.

Very weird weather. We are usually 5-10 degrees warmer that the predicted temps., but we dropped down way down. And for three days which is very unusual.

Our cold is different that the cold in other areas. Back when I worked I use to get a kick out of the reactions of those transferred here. One was from Denver, Co. The first winter he said it was not cold here, the second winter he said it was D---m COLD!!!!! here.

I have been out to make sure the wild birds have food.
Sandy

My mama worked with a man who moved here from california he swore it was freezing when it was 60 degrees heck i'm out in the garden or messin with my chickens in shirt sleaves on a day like that.

Wren for some reason our cold is more intense than other places?

I think it is the high humidity. My DD was in the navy stationed in Alaska he told us that they would run around in tee shirts up there in the snow most days but down here he felt like he was freezing.

yes I use to live in alaska. the 1st year we were there, it was 30 below for about a week days before christmas then christmas eve it was 40 above a 70 degree difference, we were out making snow angels with no coats hats or gloves. It is a total different cold there and here.

Water for my wild birds is becoming an issue now in my garden. Its bone dry and no precipitation predicted in the future. I must add warm bird baths to my bird regimen soon.

Harmonyplace,

I'd think your poultry (other than the recent chicks) would not require any kind of heat assistance in their coop unless the temperatures were below 20f degrees. I don't think there's an agreed upon standard low temperature but with the dry cold here our birds are perfectly fine in temps above 10f degrees.

Do you have a bunch of fragile breeds? I can see Cubalaya needing heat and maybe the Bantam OEG's. My large fowl Orps, Welsumer, Wyandottes, Cochin are tough ole birds.

Kelly in Moxee

dahlianut,

You've got a lot more time & love for flowers than me. I plant them and weed ... digging and replanting ... not for me. Zone 3 ... I suppose its do what you do or almost do without flowers. My place is Zone 4 and the dirt has no mulch ... just a hard sand that dries up.

Kelly in Moxee

I have OEG's and they do well even when it snows the only ones i get concerned with are my chicks and rabbits.
As long as they have a place out of the cold wind my OEG are very cold hardy but the very low temps in the colder regions they would definately need heat.

Harmonyplace,

Just my opinion ... but I can't imagine any chicken needing heat assistance in Georgia. The temps there just aren't that cold.

We had -20f degree nights and it warmed up to -12f for about a week. I had a heat lamp in the henhouse and my birds were fine inside a 750 cubic foot henhouse with 50 chickens. Think of North Pole temps and its then that a chicken needs assistance. I'd say pretty much anyone south of the Mason-Dixon line is wasting electricity on chickens in the winter if its for heat.

Kelly in Moxee

I don't have chickens but I can tell you it does get darn cold down here. And I have been up near Atlanta when it was freezing. The problem is we and our animals can;t get use to it becouse in comes and goes.

Sandy in n florida

Thanks Wren....I will second that....Unless you have lived in the south and know its habits and how the weather fluctuates, you have no clue...I was raised in NC, have owned property in FL and GA...and lived there for years...They don't build shelters down there for livestock to withstand temps for birds that are not accustomed to those freezing temps...North GA gets snow and alot of it...Black ice from that warm place...There is a Ski Resort at Scaley Mtn, NC on the GA line...I have had freezing temps on the GULF side of FL in the Tampa Bay area that killed everything that was in the ground...Plant wise...Animals suffered or died from those that didn't have them heated or well protected...
It has been colder in Alabama this week than it was here in OH...I do believe that is a bit South of the Mason -Dixon line...

50 Birds in a 7x10 space would sort-of create its own heat I'm sure... How many birds would you have to have to fill a 24x 32 foot **Coop** to maintain heat???

my chickens have slept with heat lamps since sunday. 30 degrees is way to cold for chickens that are use to 70 as a nitel low

DustyDS,

I'd estimate more than 400 birds. That is a monstrously large shed for a poultry hobby.

Kelly in Moxee

I'm always prepared for our crazy GA. Weather 1 week it's 74 and i'm fishin 3 days later we had 3 inches of snow.
I have lights, Straw, wind break cloth and small portable fans LOL

Or in the morning it is in the low 30's and by afternoon it is in the 70's. I have even gone swimming in Dec. or have a weeklong freeze.
It has even snowed on March 1'st one year.

I know exactly what you mean wren the weather here is always changeing we could be freezing now and gettin a tan on christmas day.
I don't think we ever really have a normal winter or any other season.
Some people love Ga.weather and others hate it well for me i love the fact it may be 30 degrees today but i could be fishin by the weekend LOL

Kelly ... that *Shed * is a poultry Brooder house built in 1905...It never housed more than 50 birds, and it is outfitted with a stack for the small 4 ft tall mini pot belly stove, that is now located in the milk house...It was stoked with coal every night and wood during the day, when temps dipped below 40 degrees according to the Farmers wife who was born here in this house 73 yrs ago...as was her Dad and his dad built the house in 1847...with the original barns and an old Brooder house that was replaced by the one pictured...

Dusty, trade ya a really cute llama baby for your hen house! LOL!

NOT!!!!! Ninja Dahlianut reminds CPO Moxon that the baby llama must be kept to increase the herd who are watchllamas for the alternative life forms. If Sir messes with the llama order of things there may be havoc. General Dusty Ma'am/Sir, my training at the undisclosed 'Can't Tell You Or I'll Have to Kill You' camp has taught me that the llama family must stay together to protect the new life forms until acclimatized. The 2nd 'Cute Little Baby Llama' may be dispursed to alternative camps or LZs. Its in Clause 191(6)(b) of the regulations sir/ma'am. Sorry just thought I would bring that to your attention. Over, out and back to lurking sir/ma'am.

NinjaNut.... I may remind you I am Commander and General of this fiasco...My Orders Superceed any of yours....IF the LLama child is a MALE Child.. HE IS MINE to Command, and abscond with!!! If it should be a female child, she will remain with the original flock of Moxons and I will await the next Hatch... ;-P

Moxon.. I wish I could just ship it to you since I will be abandoning it....

Oh, sorry Ninja Dahlianut. I got over-exuberant about the chicken house.

Geepers, you really know your regulations down pat. Congratulations Ninja. I think you deserve a promotion for that. You are now hereby Extreme Ninja Dahlianut.

CPO Moxon notes that if baby llama is of the male variety, inbreeding must be prevented and thus the baby llama must be disbursed at a time before 6 months of age, to prevent impregnation of his mother or aunt. It is only appropriate...of course. This is of course in Claus 191 (6)(h).

Thank you, Extreme Ninja Dahlianut, for bringing us all back to reality!

Claire could you just put him in a different fenced area and keep him.

Tha Genrul Whacks Moxon upside the Haid!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO She Cannot!!! He must be Removed and brought under MY Command....

If new, unrelated Females of his species are arriving, he may visit at a later time for the appropriate *meetings*, but HE goes home with his Momma... er Genrul....

Harmony - technically we could do that, but it would be a better proposition in all honesty to sell him and then have another unrelated male. It wouldn't be very fair to house him by himself (they are herd animals to an extent) and we would rather have a male that we could use for breeding if in fact we have a male at all. The males can be a little more cantankerous than the female llamas.

Hey Moxon--have you read the bit about not getting too lovely dovey (not that you EVER would) with cria (sic)? Apparently they are terribly engaging--but so hierarchical that as they mature they will become extremely difficult and challenging if they don't "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" you. I read it in a cautionary livestock article in Hobby Farms.

But how could you not? They are soooooo cute.

Ummm...no. I haven't read that. You are so raining on my parade and pooping at my party. So I have to be stern with my crias? *sob*

CPO Moxon sir methinks General Dusty is losing it. It might be best to give her the "First Male Baby Llama". Sir I am always available to reconn the Generals coop to ensure that things stabilize. No one has offered me chocolate in a VERY LONG TIME so I'm focused sir.