Free Range in Snowy Weather: What do you do?

[Treerooted]

Following!


I'm only (temporarily) looking after 4 ladies right now, and their coop is plenty big, but I still like to free range and I do the same - I scatter hay around, and I've got some large boards propped up in various places to add a few less snowy areas. I also put our Christmas tree (laying down) by the coop for something to play on that won't get completely buried by snow.

This spring I'll get my first batch of chicks, so next winter will be different. Loving the ideas!

 

[Mezzy Chicks]

My chicken don't free range but they don't have a covered run either. They are in an area that was fenced for dogs previously, about 25' x 55', but contains chickens - if you clip their wings. After it snows, I go out and shovel their 'patio' area, then I shovel what looks like a rectangular 'racetrack' in their yard. Most of the time I sprinkle some scratch around the track to encourage them to utilize the whole space. We've even caught them racing each other around it. At least it gets them out of the coop! ...and I get some exercise too!

 

[zman173rd]

I have a door leading directly out (to the snow) and another that opens in to the goat pen. The pen is roofed and walled on three sides, with a good covering of hay and an opening to the south.. It also has an infrared lamp that everyone shares. When the sun is out it's where they go. Otherwise a 3X8 portion of the south side wall of the coop is covered with clear plastic roofing material, so the daylight or sunlight can come in. I think, over time, we all get used to the cold and snow. including the chickens.

 

[lcertuche]

I have 5 pullets and a cockerel that decided to stay in the coop when we had a couple of inches this year. Day 3 when a good deal of snow was gone I literally threw them out of the coop. They foraged for a couple of hours and went back in. By day 4 they decided to come out as usual. I only had one pullet laying at the time and she went on strike for 4 days. In Arkansas we really have little snow compared to many Northern states, some years no snow. We have many sunny days even though it may be cool at least it's bright and sunny.

 

[poodlechicks]

I always "free ranged" my flock. They loved it, even though they didn't know they were contained in 1 acre. This year, by the time my new coop was done, the ground was already frozen and we couldn't put up the run. I can only let my chickens free range when I'm around because my area is flocked with predators now. There were always raptors around, especially this time of the year, but now I have to worry about raccoons. Last month, my flock of 12 was almost decimated by a raccoon. I'm left with 5 hens. I let them out every morning and they go under the coop to scratch and dust bathe. They do miss free ranging, but until I put a secure run for them, I won't take the risk of leaving them alone.

 

[MaryOos]

I have a covered pen which gets polycarb panels screwed to the sides late fall for a fully enclosed pen. I also put straw down on the floor of the pen to make it extra cozy and to give them something to forage through. They have a peck-o-matic feeder and 2 dust baths in the pen - one concrete mixing box and one very large flower pot for options. Their heated waterer and a hanging flock block are inside the coop. The birds have 0 desire to walk out on the snow. If we have a several days with no snow in the forecast I will rake the old straw out of the pen and spread over a shoveled area outside their pen to coax them out. They seldom stay out long though. Then I place a fresh hunk of straw bale in the pen after they go in to roost so they have some entertainment in the morning. With the mild winter we are having in MI they have had many opportunities to get out and free range. My girls get little in the way of fruit in winter. A few diced up grapes or some berries but I concentrate more on greens and protein in winter. They always get some seeds, scratch and mealworms shortly before they go in to roost so they have a full crop of fat and protein to keep them warm when the night time temps drop.

 

[BantyChooks]

It is snowing here, and I have about a foot of snow on the ground, and chickens and I are new to how to be chickens in winter.

I am not shoveling much, so what I have done is scatter straw to make little pathways. They are following the paths and foraging in the wheat straw. They have creatively made a dustbath in a non-snow-covered garden bed behind their coop and run, and the chickens always want out and spend a lot of their day there these days.

I also have a mountain ash tree with berries on it still, and I pull some down for them every day or two so they get some semblance of foraging.

I scatter a little cut up fruit on the straw also or other goodies. They are starting to walk on the snow a lot more and are venturing out now...

What do you all do to keep your chickens out and about? So they aren't so penned up? It has already been a long winter (IMO) but we are getting through it!

I kick them outside and tell them to tough up....

 

[Coop de Grass]

Cute, little dogs do have a purpose. Mine just tries eating them whenever I pick one up.

So glad that I'm not alone in this. My 6 month old Cavachon puppy thinks that chickens are for chasing, and I don't see any sign of that changing.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

So glad that I'm not alone in this. My 6 month old Cavachon puppy thinks that chickens are for chasing, and I don't see any sign of that changing.

Keep at your pup, telling him no and try to block him. I have had good luck using a shaker can to startle them. He? She? is still a pup. They get worse before they get better. Mine doesn't chase them unless I'm catching or picking them up than she tries to grab a chunk of chicken. Otherwise she's respectful. I guess they all have their breaking point, and some remain stinkers.

 

[centrarchid]

So glad that I'm not alone in this. My 6 month old Cavachon puppy thinks that chickens are for chasing, and I don't see any sign of that changing.

Give pup an additional year before expecting is to leave chickens alone. During that time work to control it a bit better around the the chickens.