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

[Alaskan]

Well, how cold has it gotten?

Also, with it cold, it is hard to make sure that they always have water.....since the silly stuff keeps freezing.

Any water restriction and the hens immediately stop laying.

Also, we are creeping up on the shortest day of the year.....if they haven't been getting supplemental light the girls will sometimes decide to strike.

 

[minmin1258]

It's awful cold here! 20* rt now. I just slipped on ice on my concrete sidewalk, took me 20 mins to get up and another 15 t get back inside. Think Im frozen t the bone!!! I had a nice heavy coat, boots and gloves on! I can't imagine what my poor birds are going through! Their coop is 40* inside though without any heat source other than chicken bodies, so I guess they are ok. Now where are my pain killers??? Lol and heating pad.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

In the last week or two I've hit -5 to -10 in the coop a couple times. Outdoor temp -25 to -30 temps. I don't like that its been such an extended stretch of cold. One night or so...is doable but for so long it is more worrisome. They barely want to come off the roost for food and water...they eat minimally when they do and get right back up and hunker down. Tomorrow we'll be in the 20's...Phew....Thank goodness.

 

[fenwickchic]

Mine gave stopped laying..l think because of the cold..is this true???
I was getting 7 eggs each day..7 hens...4 leghorns..3 Isa Brown..yesterday 1 brown egg..today nothjng.

 

[fenwickchic]

I have 5 hens who are not yet a year old. Their laying has tapered off a bit but I am still averaging 3 eggs a day and the weather is between 20 and 34 degrees and very humid because of snow and rain. I think they are still laying well because of fermented feed, greens and other raw fruits and veggies I chop. My neighbor has had kale, spinach, cabbage, and broccoli that he shares with me. Had plenty til this snow. So we'll see. I may start sprouting for them. I also have a clear panel roof so they get maximum sun.

 

[Rettarain2]

Mine get oatmeal...a large variety if veggies daily and also have 16 hrs light.a very large pen to hang out in ..dont want to go outside though..they were laying like crazy till the temps dropped below 10 degrees. Up jntil then..7 a day..
Thanks for your input..

 

[Rettarain2]

How many birds do you have ??? How do you keep it at 40 degrees without a heat souurce???

 

[Alaskan]

I have 5 hens who are not yet a year old. Their laying has tapered off a bit but I am still averaging 3 eggs a day and the weather is between 20 and 34 degrees and very humid because of snow and rain. I think they are still laying well because of fermented feed, greens and other raw fruits and veggies I chop. My neighbor has had kale, spinach, cabbage, and broccoli that he shares with me. Had plenty til this snow. So we'll see. I may start sprouting for them. I also have a clear panel roof so they get maximum sun.

I really think that how well chickens lay is greatly determined by breed and age

Bad nutrition and any restriction of water will reduce laying........

But I think that your high quality feed is helping them be healthier overall, perhaps have a healthier and longer life, not increasing egg laying (or at least not by much).

But, the better diet for the chickens is probably making the eggs be better for you.

My chickens get standard layer, with some scraps, and oyster shell on the side, and my leghorns are laying almost every single day.

They have no heat or light, BUT, they were hatched just last spring, and they are leghorns.

And, where my chickens are housed is pretty dark, added to the fact that where I am is very dark too.

My other breeds aren't laying as well as the leghorns, even though they are the same age (well, most are the same age), in the exact same conditions.

I think that how much the light, cold, and feed effect the amount of eggs you get, is determined much more by the breeds you have, their age, and their overall health(so the last one might be improved by the good feed too )

I haven't been using anything electric for the chickens, but I am getting super tired of two to three times a day water trips for four different poultry houses (the other three are ducks and geese), so I am thinking I need to see what electric deicers still work.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I really think that how well chickens lay is greatly determined by breed and age.

You said it all in that sentence as far as I am concerned!
Anything else you do is like organizing the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Chickens have a shelf life mine have a 4 year one mostly (few exceptions).
I value their manure as much as eggs/ Good water and feeding practices goes without saying.
I do not believe in extra lighting and pampering my birds needlessly.

For Small flocks it just does not make ¢ in my line of thinking (pun intended)..

Watering
For along time I used heater tape around a bucket with chicken watering nipples. It worked excellent. However me being me I neglected to change the water as often as I should. This is what it looks like and it thermostatically controlled to come on at just above the freezing temperature. You would have to wrap it to suit your particular application if it is viable for your set up. It is available at Home Depot in Canada.

 

[minmin1258]

Rettarain: I think you were talkin t me about the 40* temp? It was still daylight when that temp. I keep it warmer inside the coop by using 2 5 gal buckets of very very hot water with lids on them. They help keep the heat inside the coop nice n cozy. I have to carry water out about five or six times a day. But my happy birds are worth it! They are a little crowded in there too but that will be fixed come spring! : )