How to Prepare Your Flock For Winter 101 *Official Thread*

[judys6chicks]

help!!!
i could use all the info on winteriziing my chicks..i live in PA and we usually have cold winters. i'm a new chick mom and want to know how to keep them healthy and warm..
thanks for now for all the help....

I'm having a blast w/my new chicks..oh also they are a year old,,i have rhode island reds.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:

Without going into alot of detail I can tell you that RIRs are very winter hardy birds. Provide them with a dry coop that has good ventilation, but no drafts and you'll be good to go.

 

[WiscoChiko]

Hey guys/gals thanks for all the tips! Here in wisconsin we are known for our hard winters, but even though this will be my first winter with my girls

I think they will be just fine they have a nice coop(I will put a tarp around it), heated 3 gallon waterer, and part of the run is enclosed! My question is when do I need to start running lights tomorrow there is a high of 55 here and it seems as if production is already slowing??? I'm not gonna push them to hard but have read that they need enouph daylight?? Thanks, W.C.

 

[LiLRedCV]

I have my lights set up on an automatic timer. Right now, it's programed to turn on at 5am and turn off at 8am with another round coming back on at 5pm and stay on until 10pm. This way I don't have to worry about when the sun goes down or comes up - my girls should have the appropriate lighting as it darkens earlier in the day. As for keeping the coop warm? Deep straw bedding and their body heat should keep 'em toasty. If the cold becomes too much of an issue tho' I'll add a ceramic bulb heater.

 

[chicksalot]

This worked for me last year: Wrapped the sides of the run with clear plastic sheeting (4 mil) to serve as a wind block (also helps keep out the snow so I don't have to shovel inside the run), Used a heat lamp in the coop on the nites the temp falls into the sub-zeros, Thick bedding - about 5 inches - to insulate the floor, and Closed cell insulation was applied to walls & ceiling.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Well, I'm still reading through this thread but here is how my winter prep is going:

Upped the fat content of the feed by adding BOSS, also throwing in some Calf Manna to up protein since they won't be getting as many bugs and fresh foods.
Working on how to enclose my completely open run/coop. Essentially, the chooks have been living in a large, well fenced dog run all summer with one third covered by a stout tin roof on large posts. I'm thinking half of this will be closed off with tarps or OSB, whichever I can afford!, and there will be a people door and a pop door to let the birds out under the remaining covered portion for outside time.

Heard today from WolfWoman that Christmas lights are a viable option for supplemental lighting, so I'm going to get a string or two of my extra white LED lights on a timer. Pop in some 2x4s for thicker roosts so they can keep their toes warm. Will do some variation of the cookie tin water heater, or maybe just order a heated livestock water bucket online. Deep litter method using Sweet PDZ and good ventilation to keep moisture and ammonia at bay. No supplemental heat. Maybe build some new nest boxes out of blueboard insulation to try to keep from having frozen eggs?

It's very important to me that I have winter hardy birds, so I hope to take good care of them without babying them. I don't want any wimps around here for breeding season!

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
*Trys to crack egg ... * Doesn't work .... gets a hammer and starts banging on it ... *Dear why won't the egg brack?* ... Oh, forgot to tell you .. they're frozen ...

 

[sunflowerenvy]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

Quote:
*Trys to crack egg ... * Doesn't work .... gets a hammer and starts banging on it ... *Dear why won't the egg brack?* ... Oh, forgot to tell you .. they're frozen ...

laura​

 

[HeatherLynn]

I don't feel ready for winter at all. We were still in the 90's last week. This week its dropping fast. Down in the 40's and 50's at times. We have rubber roll roofing and barn siding that we have on one side of the coop. We reapplied this to the other side. It has a nice sturdy metal roof so no need to do anything for that. Cleaned it out. Payday I have to go get some more DE and Pine shavings and put a thick layer down. The hubby is putting up rubber on the bottom half of the human door and clear plastic on the top. Another side is still waiting for a bit of clear plastic. There is ventilation at roof level around the entire coop so I think I will be ok there. A bit worried about sufficient light but I can always take flip the rubber roofing down and expose the mesh covered areas during the day if need be. I saw the tip on christmas lights. I might be able to pull that off. Not sure yet. In a bit of a fight over having electric to the coop for the winter. I have been told no but we know that can change.

Not sure what else I need to do yet. I have been offering cat food again a couple times a week, they have cracked corn, and layer feed. The geese and roos mostly hog the cracked corn though. All my veggie scraps go to them and we are planting a cover crop( like winter wheat) in the garden and opening the gate to give them more area to range in. I even considered raising meal worms.

What is BOSS btw

 

[sunflowerenvy]

Quote:
boss is black oil sunflower seeds