Please say it isn't so.....

[NovaAman]

navy, if you need mire assurance, come join the Michigan thread... Very informative michiganders there. But, I think you are going tobe just fine. You've got good selection of birds. And you've got byc to give you better answers than that load of rubbish.

 

[terrilhb]

Your coop is beautiful. Your chickens are very lucky. I agree with all the other posts. They will be fine. Don't listen to the garbage people tell you.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

He's got or has had, some other problem in his flock. It's not the cold. Either there's a problem with the coop, the diet, an underlying disease or the stock he buys. Any of those can contribute to an early death.

Take good care of your chickens and you can have them for many years. Try not to worry too much. With good basic care and a little protection from predators, chickens are really quite hardy.

 

[anderson8505]

Quote:
He's probably "old school ignorant" not just old school.

Does he also just feed his birds straight corn because "that's how my grandaddy did it???"

You're on the best chicken education site in the WORLD. Continue to get advice from these AWESOME folk on HERE, and just smile and nod your head when he brings up his chicken opinions.

 

[teach1rusl]

Many folks process spent layers in the fall, since 'older' girls tend to take a long time to come out of their molts and begin laying again. His birds are of the age when that's often done - after the 2 yr. mark. Maybe he's telling you that silly story to feel better himself, or maybe he's telling you that silly story to make you feel better about his actions, or maybe he truly believes it???? But it's not true. I HAVE found that molts seem harder on girls that age (because I've seen it with my older girls), and they often do take longer to come out of their molts. But as others have said, they'd have many years of winters ahead of them if they weren't being dispatched.
If your girls are pets, barring illnesses/accidents, they will be with you for MANY years

And your coop is adorable!

 

[sourland]

FICTION! It isn't so.

 

[easttxchick]

You'll get as many different opinions(lots of unsolicited ones) on keeping chickens/waterfowl as there are people that keep them.
Lots of advice you get from "old timers" is sheer nonsense(i.e. the idea of feeding them styrofoam to make them lay better) and lots of it is pretty sound-the challenge is to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Your birds should be fine if they have a good diet and decent living quarters and they're healthy. Obviously, sick birds have a very difficult time surviving under the best conditions and extremes in the weather, whether it be heat or cold, can stress them beyond saving.
No worries, they'll surprise you with what they can tolerate.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

This is my beloved hen, Ethyl. She's a 6 or 7 year old partridge chantecler. She actually lays better in the winter.

 

[Sandy16]

I love your coop! I also love that you named 4 of your hens after the Golden Girls.

 

[GAchick]

Awesome coop, Navychick... Simply awesome. We don't get very cold here in the winter. VERY occasional mid-teens. But it does seem to me that our intense heat/humidity in southeast Georgia can be pretty rough on them. But, I agree with the others. Read the thread about the person in Alaska who doesn't heat their coop... and smile politely at your neighbor, nod your head, and completely ignore his bad advice....