Birds are smart, yours are extra smart.
Those are really nice pictures.
I must have a somewhat impaired duck around.
He was flying high this morning and quacking away, no response, so sad.
He is really lost, all went South long ago!
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Jumping into this late even though the direction of the conversation has changed.
But my 50’ expandable pocket hose is the real MVP in the winter. So much better than stressing over draining the full size hose. It was around $20 from Amazon and fits into a tiny drawstring bag that comes inside with me.
I’d also like to shout out my Smartpak bucket cozies. A couple years ago they went on sale for $30 something each and I bought one for each horse’s stall. I don’t even use the top cover part, but they help considerably for those of us in climates where polar vortices are temporary. My horses have free access to their stalls in bad weather, and instead of dealing with my outdoor electric tank deicers in the paddock troughs, I’ve just been filling the insulated buckets in their stalls.
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Looking like we’ve got some BAD weather coming for so many of us. Please check in with how it’s going for you. During college I worked in the ER (and we got life flights too) and saw some very bad things. Stay off the roads if you can. Just.don’t.go if you don’t have to.
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I feel so sorry for all you people in the path of this storm.
All I have to deal with is rain.
Stay safe people, it sounds like it is going to be a rough ride.
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Frostbitten combs are fairly common in chickens, unfortunately. Some breeds do get frostbite easier than others. Generally, cold hardy breeds will have a smaller comb, but that’s not always the case. (I have breeding flocks of 2 rare breeds from Sweden & both have normal, single combs. Go figure!)
As you know from humans, it is the moisture in the air that will cause the frostbite before the cold air itself. Just do your best to ensure that their area is well ventilated. I worry about lamps, but I have used them in extreme cold. I like the heavy duty ones from Premier 1 the best. If I have to use a regular lite-duty feed store lamp I rig a panel of hardware cloth under. That way, if it falls, it lands on a metal surface & not bedding.
If I ever end up with a flock of several hundred birds again, I want to install the big propane heaters that they use in commercial scale brooding barns. The Amish use them too to get around that pesky electricity thing! Lol. Much more efficient at warming large areas & much safer than lights.
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They would have gotten it in the coop more than outside. It’s the trapping of the moisture indoors that does it. So especially if you leave their water inside, you’ll get it more. You want as much ventilation in the coop as possible, as high up as possible.
I’m still getting frostbite on the roosters’ combs here and I know they’re well-ventilated, sometimes it just happens regardless. But I have some plans for next year to make things even better.
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Not totally farm:
We got buried in S Chicago last night. Still trying to triage the plant, so many trucks are stuck out on the roads and won’t be loading. Easy 15" here.
Farm is about an hour south and got 12".
Sorry this hit you so hard, take care!
We were -13F yesterday, -4F this morning and wind blowing snow around.
Only had 5" very light snow, measured a measly .25" moisture.
Still, not really used to that cold, friend came borrow two well house heathers yesterday.
His had quit and two were frozen!
Got them running before last night, so livestock has water.
This morning we had our first hour of black out, courtesy of the electric company.
We have a generator, so all was well, but this cold, it doesn’t take long for stuff to freeze.
You guys are getting nailed in a way I can’t even imagine. The electricity on top of everything else - wow. When I heard Motiva (or whatever it’s called now) closed down, I know you guys were really in a bad spot.
I think East TX has it worse, ice on everything adding to their problems.
Once all that is freezing defrosts, there will be a lot of damage to fix it all.
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And I think of all the more southern homes that weren’t constructed with extreme cold considerations in the design. Frozen plumbing is no treat.
At least in New England we give bad conditions a passing thought. We don’t always prepare enough, but most building codes require minimal efforts.
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A friend moved a really old house and, as they were checking the wiring, found out that the walls were insulated with grass hay!
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Agreed for sure. We’re ready because we anticipate this type of weather. Those in the south, not so much! And now to not even be able to blast an electric heater to make up for shoddy insulation - what a nightmare!
I feel for the frozen southerners also. It’s miserable hear near Chicago, but we expect this.
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I second the “hothands”. They are little pads that heat up when exposed to air. The heat lasts a few hours then you throw them away. I put the larger size made for feet in the BACK of my gloves, that way I can still use my hands for chores.
If I didn’t have really good gloves I’d put one on the back and one on the front.
In a pinch - put rice in little socks so they can still lay flat. Rubber band and microwave. Start with 30 seconds and test the heat. Will probably take longer. The rice stays warm quite awhile. I’ve put those in my gloves. Not as nice as the hothands, but you might have the rice 
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That’s a great idea.
A week or so ago I ordered a bulk pack of the ones made to stick on the bottom of your feet. They’re a godsend. My horses haven’t been ridden in weeks at this point… the young one is bored, the old man is thanking his lucky stars lol
I’ve never heard of that in the walls. In my old farm house I think they were just cold, but without indoor plumbing when it was built, I guess it was less of a worry. 
So it was 17 in central Alabama this morning. I think that’s the first time that the coffee I carried to the barn hurt my teeth lol. Horses are fine with ample hay and blankets (yesterday we got downpours in 37 degree weather). chickens are mad (gave them cracked corn this am and fresh water). We had a skiff of dry snow overnight and that’s all melted off now. Kittens are not impressed. Glad we kept power, I feel terrible for those in Texas.
When we were renovating our 1720’s house we found that seaweed had been used as insulation. It was pretty crispy by the 1990s!
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Bet it was! 
