Rescued Barred Rocks

[tylersfresheggs]

I have bought 30 barred rocks hens from a local that had them in a sheltered barn with no heat. I put them with my 30ish hens and was wondering how long it may take for the hens to start laying. My coop is heated to 50 degrees and they are well feed.

 

[devora]

How cool that you were able to help the BRs out. How old are they? As a California girl, I'd have to say that if I weren't fully feathered 50 would not seem that toasty! But I suppose they all huddle together, eh? But they laying will depend on how old they are and if you're going to provide winter light, I think.

 

[silkiechicken]

If they were "rescues", did you quarantine them first before putting them in with your girls? It can take up to 30 days for diseases to show and if they were in bad conditions, it is not uncommon for them to have mites and or lice.

50 deg is a toasty home for them! Mine are all sleeping outside again in freezing weather.

 

[tylersfresheggs]

I did not quarantine them, I guess I took a chance. The BR's are around 1 1/2 years old and seem pretty healthy except for one thats blind I have a light thats on a timer to give them 15 hours of light to keep them laying during the winter.0

 

[pattycake]

Well -- in defense of chicken owners such as myself -- an unheated coop alone is not necessarily an abusive situation! My chickens have tolerated temps into the teens without heat -- though I do plan on putting a heat lamp out there if it gets below that -- and they don't even huddle together, believe it or not.

They create their own heat when fed corn and keep it in with incredibly thick feathering.

 

[silkiechicken]

If they are healthy and laying fine, I'm not sure they are rescues.

If they do need some repair though, take out that light and let them rest for the winter to build up their systems and stop laying eggs. I too do not heat my coops and they sleep though the teen nights just huddled up.

 

[speckledhen]

Actually, they'll do fine without heat down to near zero temps, as long as they have a draft-free, dry environment. My coops are not heated, although each has a heat lamp that comes on in the morning that hangs directly over the waterers to defrost any ice that may have formed in the trays overnight. You'd think they'd huddle under that area beside the waterer if they were really feeling the cold, but they never do. Three of the coops are insulated, but one is not.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

I have a heat lamp above the water just so it doesn't freeze but, I believe they are better with out one (depending on the breed) Rocks are cold hardy

as
speckledhen said no drafts

 

[jab91864]

I'm in Northern Michigan and neither of my coops is heated. Draft free, dry and lots of pine shavings and straw. I keep them well fed and the water is changed atleast 2-3 times daily. I don't run lights for extra egg laying as I figure it's nature's way of giving them a little break.

I guess what I'm saying is a sheltered barn with no heat doesn't really sound like abuse.

If they are in poor health I wouldn't try to stress them more by getting them to lay. If they are healthy I would think once they get settled into the new digs and comfortable they will start to lay. Could be a couple days or a couple weeks........

Julie

 

[zark]

I live in just about the center of Pennsylvania and have Barred Rocks, two rosters and six hens. The coop is an old Milk House about fourteen by sixteen feet, with cement block walls, and concrete floor. Not insulated, not heated, but not drafty either. This is probably a bit large for eight chickens in the winter. I don’t believe their body heat does any warming of the coop? There is a base heater for the waterier to set on so that is not a problem. What I did so they could roost with more comfort was built a canopy over the roost. The sides are poly and hang down about two feet below the roost. They have a ladder to get to the roost. I keep the floor covered with clean pine shavings. Not sure if this makes much a difference but they seem comfortable so far.