Winter is almost here!! Share your tips and tricks for coping the elements with your chickens!

Hey all. Weather app said -32 F this morning. Oooo-weee. Inside the coop it was -10. Flat panel Radiant heater has been consistently giving me a 20 degree bump. Chickens were shelf chickens today. Staying up in the roost. Down for quick feeding spurts and quick drinks of water. Put some electrolyte and probiotic in water for stress. It's warming up. Doing well. Extra straw on the floor. But I don't like the poopy feet with straw-- I noted today. Lol.
 
6 degrees here in southern IL - my burbon red turkeys are where they are every night, about 3' off the ground on the log roost. Right out side of their coop out there under the stars. They do go in their coop but its only for a few mins a day. They are crazy birds... (but man do they taste delicious) rain, hail, high winds, sleet, snow, ice - it dont matter none to them. They sleep right out there in it. They would not sleep under any roof, let alone in a building. Now when i raised broad breasted turkeys they would go in when the chickens did and roost in the coop right along with the chickens.

All my chickens however are in their coop. They go in every evening just before the sun sets and in bad weather during the day. Only my crazy burbon red turkeys stay out in the weather no matter what kind of weather it is.
 
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I am not sure how old she is - she belonged to a dear friend who passed from a heart attack 6 months ago. My friend obtained her as an adult. There are no frizzled feathers in my coop so I'm confident she is not molting. She looks exactly the same as she did 6 months ago when she came to live with us.
 
6 degrees here in southern IL - my burbon red turkeys are where they are every night, about 3' off the ground on the log roost. Right out side of their coop out there under the stars. They do go in their coop but its only for a few mins a day. They are crazy birds... (but man do they taste delicious) rain, hail, high winds, sleet, snow, ice - it dont matter none to them. They sleep right out there in it. They would not sleep under any roof, let alone in a building. Now when i raised broad breasted turkeys they would go in when the chickens did and roost in the coop right along with the chickens.

All my chickens however are in their coop. They go in every evening just before the sun sets and in bad weather during the day. Only my crazy burbon red turkeys stay out in the weather no matter what kind of weather it is.
Are your turkeys vulnerable to predators, or are they in a secure run?
 
Are your turkeys vulnerable to predators, or are they in a secure run?


Faily secure - 6' high 2"x4" welded wire fence with 2' chicken wire in the bottom 3rd, electric fence wires outside @ 1', 2' and 4' and 1" netting over the top. The 2x4 welded wire fence is ground and the electric fence wires are hot. German Shepherd patrols at night. I've gave many a lesson about electricity to all kinds of critters.
 
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