Summer is drawing to a close, and cooler, shorter days and daylight hours are in store. Mice and rats begin to seek out warmth to survive the coming winter months. As a bonus, fall brings berries, hips, and harvests. So, what should we do this season to maximize positive aspects and minimize negative ones for our backyard chickens?
We've put together a list of six great ways to keep them safe and healthy this fall.
1. Supplement feed with healthy, seasonal produce.
Our chickens have been receiving healthy foods throughout the summer to help boost their immune systems and improve their overall health. Throughout the garden, there were abundant flowers, fruits, and weeds. As a result of such growth waning soon, we should have some treats in store that are more suitable to the foods that we can find with the changing climate.Fortunately, it is harvest time, with abundant bounty around us.
How to locate inexpensive bounty sources.
As a low-fat, vitamin-rich fall treat, wind-fallen apples and pears are more than acceptable.You can find free berries in hedgerows or plant your own for next season. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and cranberries are all packed with antioxidants and vitamins C and K, which boost the immune system and repair damaged cells.
Examine the rosebushes in your garden. Are there hips there? They can be crushed and are a good source of vitamin C.
There is, of course, the classic fall food: pumpkin. They can be chopped up or spread on the ground or in the compost. It won't take long before they're snaffled up!
Treats should be fed in a container when the ground is wet to prevent mold.
When you do not have access to your own fruit and berries, keep your eye out for shops selling damaged or bruised fruit at bargain prices at this time of year. Some even discard it if it's been damaged during transit. In addition, there are plenty of cheap leftover pumpkins after Halloween!
Don't be afraid to talk to your neighbors. There may be fruit trees there, in which case you might be welcome to collect their windfalls!
Plan your sunflower garden for next year. You can grow the large ones on a sunny balcony, while the dwarf can sit on a window sill in a pot.
What is the appropriate amount to feed?
Be sure to stock up on fruit while it is abundant, but do not overfeed. The 90/10 rule is the most important rule to remember. Essentially this means chickens should receive 90% of their food from commercial feed, and the remaining 10% should be left for treats like fruits, veggies, and other table scraps.2. When caring for chickens in the fall: watch for molting.
Molting chickens can be pretty alarming to those who have never seen one. They lose most or all of the feathers they had this year and grow a completely new set of feathers. This occurs both to hens and to roosters.This makes perfect sense. To protect against falling temperatures, feathers need to be in prime condition in cold weather. Feathers that are worn provide less insulation.
When you see your chickens beginning to look dejected and like they have turned into pillow explosions, don't get alarmed! They're not sick, they're just molting.
During the molting process, you can also expect egg production to drop drastically.
3. Provide more protein-rich treats.
The weather during and after a molt, particularly during cooler, damper weather, requires that we meet the flock's needs. As fall moves into winter, the ground is more likely to become soggy and freeze due to moisture.In the spring and summer, they forage freely, but they are unable to forage so freely this time of year, so we have to supplement their diet with the nutrients they find for themselves.
Our best bet is to begin stocking up on treats that are higher in protein than the summer feed. Mealworms are an excellent example.
Although high protein treats may be given even in winter, moderation is recommended.
4. Protect your chickens from pests.
When the weather gets colder, rodents in particular look for a comfortable place to nest in order to continue to breed.It is harvest time, so their spring and summer food sources are gone, so your chicken coop & chicken run might provide them with a ready supply of grain.
If rats get the chance, they will chew on your baby chicks, chickens' toes and eat your chicken eggs. So do not automatically blame your hens when you find broken eggs with the insides gone!
5. Make sure your chicken coop is clean!
You can also prepare your chicken coop for winter during the fall. Don't wait until it's snowing and your fingers are freezing!- Check your coop to ensure it's secure so that predators looking for food won't succeed in catching chicken dinner in times when food is hard to come by.
- Make sure your fence is free of holes and has strong connections, including locks. Predators such as raccoons will surely take advantage of this situation.
- Make sure your overhead covers are tight and free of holes and loose ties so birds of prey will not be able to fly in.
- Be sure there are no holes in the coop's floor and walls. Mice and rats are able to squeeze through the smallest cracks.
- Ensure proper ventilation! Above the heads of the chickens, air should circulate; below, there should be no airflow or draft. Winter is a time when there is a lot of condensation, so ventilation is very important. When humid conditions exist with subfreezing temperatures, frostbite can form on the combs, wattles, and feet.
- With winter coming up, this is also a good time to make sure your chickens have toys or boredom busters since they might be cooped up for most of the winter.
- The last thing you need to do is to clean out the coop by the end of the season. Replace old bedding with new bedding after you sluice it down with some apple cider vinegar and let it dry. You may also dust it down with diatomaceous earth powder to deal with parasites such as lice & mites in your coop.
6. Fall leaves and chicken care.
Foraging among leaves is a favorite activity for chickens. Aside from the worms and insects, they even find frogs in there. When there isn't much else to forage for, they're perfect for keeping your flock occupied.For your run that lacks trees, you can gather up leaves from your garden (or from your neighbor's - they'd love to get them off their hands). Spread them in the coop and let the chickens go at it.
Once they are done with them, bag them up and let them rot down for the garden or veggie plot for next year.
As a rule, always use dry leaves for bedding. If your coop gets damp in the fall, your flock could have respiratory problems.
