Keeping a rooster in Houghton Michigan...and he is a Hawaii rooster.

[beachbumbecks]

Hello,
I may be moving to Houghton and I have a pet rooster - he is a little guy, typical game fowl we have in Hawaii. Big red comb. he stays indoors when I am not home, but goes outside when I am home.

He is not a cold breed, as we are both from Hawaii. And I have never lived where there is that much snow! And cold.

If anyone can help with how you take care of chickens in that climate, would be very helpful. I also don't know the rules and regulations for Houghton on roosters and hens. Anyone can help?

Thank you!
Becks

 

[peopleRanimals2]

Hi! I can't help with all of your questions, mostly because I live in RI, but I can tell you a little about keeping chickens in colder climates.
Here is a thread on this site that will tell you a little about Michigans laws- don't worry, I only read the first and second pages and I got all of the information that you might need.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/182280/michigan-right-to-farm-law-what-does-it-mean
It's from 2009, but most of it still probably applies the last page is from 2016! It went for 7 years!

Anyway, about the cold weather. Mostly, you need a good secure cold-proof coop, that still has ventilation. I'm not sure if it's illegal to keep chickens in your home in Michigan, but it is in my town in RI. We have some very strict chicken keeping laws
Other than the coop, I would just recommend keeping all of your supplies either in a garage, mudroom, or close by to the coop for easy access. It makes things a whole lot easier in the snow. I have a heated waterer, and I think it's worth the expense to not have to go out in a snowstorm every hour to make sure they have water. That all depends on you and your electricity access, though.
You also may want a snow shovel for the coop, to give your rooster a little path outside when it isn't snowing but there's still snow on the ground.
To prevent frostbite, you might want to put Vaseline on your rooster's comb and wattles when you know that the temps are going to drop or there's a snowstorm coming. This will save you a lot of worrying, especially because he will be especially prone to frostbite with a large comb.
Before a snowstorm, what I do is put the food inside the coop, drag the heated water as close to the door of the coop as possible, and put in some extra bedding. You could use a heat lamp, but be aware of the fire hazard.

Okay, I think I covered mostly everything. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!
-M