Posted in Homestead Barnyard
We are really having cold temp's here in the Deep South this week as is the entire nation it seems. It is supposed to be in the low teens tonight. Here in the South, we usually don't experience this type cold until late January or early February.
Regardless of geography, when temperatures are this low, be sure to keep a close check on your chickens' combs and waddles for signs of frost bite. The tissue will turn a dark brown to black and if untreated can become an open wound. A good preventative measure is to coat their combs and waddles with vaseline to protect the exposed skin from the low freezing temperatures.
If you use a heater in your chicken house or other housing, use extreme caution about placement to prevent accidental fire. Do not sit a portable heater on or near hay. If possible you can suspend small heaters from a hook in the ceiling of your chicken housing. If you have chickens in coops or portable tractors, consider surrounding the coop(s) with hay bales and dropping a tarp over the coop during the night-time hours.
Stay warm and have a great weekend!
You can visit Harriette at:
South of the Gnat Line or Beekeeper Dreams
