I have not
NY chicken lover!!!!
- Thread starter peggym
- Start date
Welcome!
I agree with bigdumogre, my chickens have always done much better in the cold than extreme heat. If healthy and fully feathered they shouldn’t have any issues with our cold weather.
I’m in northern NY and this is the first year with large fowl. I raised bantam ameraucana, silkies, and old English game bantams the last 8years. None of the bantams had issues with the cold, the OEGB would snuggle into the silkie rooster if we had negative temperatures and none of my bantams would go out on the snow. I’m hoping the large fowl will be better about going out in the snow.
My coop is not insulated and I don’t provide heat. I put up corrugated clear panels on the large open windows in the front and back to prevent drafts a snow blowing in but still allowing air circulation. The first year we put up clear plastic and humidity in the coop was a problem. I used the same panels for the last 6 years putting them up in October and taking down around march/April and storing them. This year we have to replace them because they got brittle. The initial investment in the panels is bigger than plastic but because we could reuse them it ended up cheaper than buying a roll of plastic every year. I leave smaller awning windows propped open at the bottom all year to allow circulation air but not drafts. Deep bedding of pine shavings or straw to insulate the floor.
Start thinking about winter water, they have to have drinkable water all day. If you are home during the day and can go out and break up the ice the black rubber livestock bowls work. I have used both heated dog bowls and the heated metal waterers with a heated base. I prefer the metal waterer because it stays cleaner.
You mentioned you are still building the coop. Are they still in the house? If so you want to leave open the window where they are, you want them to start accumulating to the temperature swings that are happening now.
Now is also the time to take a hard look at you chicken math. An overcrowded coop is harder on both the chickens and the chicken keeper. Overcrowding causes more health and behavior issues to deal with especially in the times we have long stretches of bad weather and they don’t want to leave the coop.
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