Winter is Coming! Checklists, tips, advice for a newbie

[K Epp]

Im the one down south and its mud I'm battling. Its so deep it sucks my boots off as I'm out doing chores.

 

[Rooster Rules]

Im the one down south and its mud I'm battling. Its so deep it sucks my boots off as I'm out doing chores.

Sounds like yall got some clay in that mud, we have what we call Red River gumbo in parts around here. 1 spring my 5 YO Daughter put on her brand new rubbwer boots, walked into a pile of water and mud, sucked the boots right off her. She was crying but ole Dad, retreived and washed the boots like new again....

 

[K Epp]

Sounds like yall got some clay in that mud, we have what we call Red River gumbo in parts around here. 1 spring my 5 YO Daughter put on her brand new rubbwer boots, walked into a pile of water and mud, sucked the boots right off her. She was crying but ole Dad, retreived and washed the boots like new again....

You know it... We've had so much rain since spring I keep expecting the Vampires and Werewolfs from those books to come running out of the woods. I'm a Georgia girl not use to this mess.

 

[coop-er]

In Canada I am subject to -40º cold snaps. I do NOT heat my coop. Murphy's law says my birds will find out what -40 is all about when my hydro goes out. Regardless what you decide feed extra Corn over the winter you will not be sorry. Or something like this may help also; You could even knit a hoodie for those extra cold days..

Feed corn?? Does that help them in the cold?

 

[Hokum Coco]

Feed corn?? Does that help them in the cold?

Definitely corn helps a lot in the cold. I have been raising chicken for years. I have 63 trips around the sun.

In fact if corn is fed to chickens in the heat of the summer in a large amounts chances are you could loose your birds because of the increased metabolism to digest the food.

Birds definitely need extra heat during the cold snaps you can do this by one of two methods supplying extra calories; Supplemental heat in a variety of forms.

 

[Rooster Rules]

Feed corn?? Does that help them in the cold?

Corn is higher in fat, than other ceral grains such as wheat. This fat is higher in caloric energy, giving the birds more energy to keep there metabolism stoked, and to provide more body heat. Corn is lower in protein than some of the other grains, but is a good food source for chickens in cold weather..

 

[Rnbwbrite1207]

Corn does not increase body heat. It is a very starchy high carbohydrate food low in fat that does use more metabolic energy to digest and is low in nutrition. A chickens body heat is controlled by seperate factors than digestion.

 

[coop-er]

Thank you guys for the info-still new to chicken farming and this is my first winter with them. We are getting snow right now, so I,ll be stopping at the feed store on my way home today.

 

[Lizard Lady]

@ thomasboyle:

If you click on my link in my previous post you will see a diary of my chicken keeping through Arctic Conditions for about a week or more.

I was receiving any where from 2 to 4 eggs a day from my six hens last winter without the aid of any light.

I will admit egg production was down but I still had ample eggs for my breakfast table.

I haven't had an egg in a few weeks now. I just started laying out some corn with their crumbles, and started experimenting with lights. During the summer I received 4-6/day (only three of my hens lay), then it dropped to one a day, then one every other day. Now? NOTHING! Any advice or tips?

 

[Hokum Coco]

I started experimenting with lights one a day, . Now? NOTHING! Any advice or tips?

Let me know what you discover I am down to 1 egg a day too! My hens are on their 4 trip around the sun however. Their manure is the main reason they are here. I have vegetable gardens My coop is the metal 4x8 shed.



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