Chickens who HATE snow?

[Searsmom]

We had a dry year last year. We are now getting tons of rain. I'm finding out that they feel the same way about water that they do about snow. Takes them the same amount of time to get used to it.

 

[yellowchicks]

Usually when I open the run door, all our chickens were ready for a jail break. This morning, after the northeast "Blizzard of 2015", they came out for a walk, got cold, all flew up thinking they could make a quick dash back to the run, but instead landed in 3.5" of snow. All four of them stood in the snow frozen with shock for several minutes. Eventually, they figured out that they could just pick up their feet and walk back to the run. Now when I open the door, they venture out much slowly, in case of the "white stuff". Silly girls. I am pretty sure that they would get used to the snow soon and break out every chance they have like before.

 

[mainechicklet]

Yellowchicks, we're in Maine and getting NAILED!! I've trudged out to the coops several times today and there is no indication of my efforts due to the 18" of snow and blowing drifts! Thank goodness I've enclosed the runs with clear roofing panels so at least the interior is dry and clear with only a periphery of snowfall. But yes, there was a bit of snow on their ramps which totally threw them for a loop. Pic is taken from my dining room and I'm heading back out momentarily. )

 

[lazy gardener]

Quite the impressive pic! Love how you're set up. I'd like to make a covered run before next winter! This year, we barely got the coop closed in before winter, so I don't even have a proper run for them, but they get out to free range a bit during the nice days.

 

[mainechicklet]

Quite the impressive pic! Love how you're set up. I'd like to make a covered run before next winter! This year, we barely got the coop closed in before winter, so I don't even have a proper run for them, but they get out to free range a bit during the nice days.

These panels have been a LIFE-SAVER! They almost completely eliminate the wind chill factor which is significant and once I get in, there is no snow to shovel, the hay, food and heated water are clean and dry and I just can't even express how much I love it!! I just wish my coop man-doors were inside the run. I have to shovel a long pathway around both coops to access both doors. Oh well, my first coops ever......

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm thinking about putting my hoop green house beside the coop this spring, buying a green house tarp for it, so it'll be ready to go for next winter. They had access to it last winter, as well as a "solarium under the loft of their hoop coop. That was nice for them. Always improvements to make.

 

[Concerned01]

My girls don't have snow right now, it is ice. They walk very carefully and fall on their feathers. Poor Gobbles my turkey is just beside himself.

 

[Hooligans7]

Consider pallets! We had ice, then goopy mud when it melted, so I put down wooden pallets for us humans to walk on our paths through the yard, sort of like a boardwalk. Then it dawned on me to place pallets around the coop to give our girls and boy a place to walk with firm footing. If snow or sleet threatens, I take them up, then put them back down when the sky clears, right over the snow unless it's very deep.

Pallets with two middle supports are superior to those with one middle support, but we've used both. Generally, pallets are either free or very inexpensive. If they're a little bit broken, they're easily repaired. After you've used them up, you can use them for firewood.

 

[mainechicklet]

Here's the inside of my two runs. Nice and cozy in spite of the blizzard. (see my exterior pic above in the middle of the blizzard, post #143.) Unfortunately, the doors to the coops are on the back side which gave me a good 3 hours of shovel time this morning. Snow thigh high but I wouldn't dream of not cleaning the coops.

 

[mainechicklet]

Quite the impressive pic! Love how you're set up. I'd like to make a covered run before next winter! This year, we barely got the coop closed in before winter, so I don't even have a proper run for them, but they get out to free range a bit during the nice days.

So?? Have you built your covered run yet? Remember last year......the horrid snow storm of the century on Nov 2nd. That's only two weeks from today!

I had two automatic solar powered photo eye chicken doors installed last week. They are AWESOME!! Now they can come out at a 430 sunrise in the summer and they don't have to wait for me to shovel out to them in the winter. So wonderful! Send pics of your set-up!