winter

Good morning all, I have 4 rhode island reds, a little over 20 weeks old. I get 2 eggs a day, so that leads me to the assumption that only 2 are currently laying. Have the other ones just not caught up yet? It’s winter here in Washington if that could have an effect but there are still eggs so...

Hello, looking for some feedback on my chicken housing plans. I’ve really wanted chickens for a while as I feel they would really compliment my garden, but have been limited for a few reasons. My biggest issue is my climate. I live in the sub-arctic region of northern Canada with long, cold and...

I need to rant - I no longer use a heater in my coop now that I know what I know about the consequences, but... Mother Nature is messing up my plans! Montana has had an abnormally warm December (and January) where we have been in the high 40s to low 50s during the day, and just around 32F at...

Hi, My family and I returned from a 2 week vacation and something had changed with our 5-hen flock of Easter Eggers. Our housemate and neighbor took good care of them while we were gone, even giving them fresh veggies daily. One hen now remains on the roost all day. When she tries to come down...

For those of us who measure temperatures INSIDE the coop, do you have a "goal minimum temp" for the winter? While many factors influence the necessity of heating a coop (range of outdoor temp, size of flock and coop, breed/health/age of bird, coop insulation etc.), it seems that complicated...

I had a wonderful Mama hen who has been raising her second flock. She loves being a mama so much that she has been raising them in below freezing nights. BUT NOW SHE IS GONE. And there are six chicks left calling for her. They made it up into the coop on their own, but will they make it...

I have a pullet who has been laying a couple of months. She recently decided to stay on the eggs in the nesting box. The problem is, its cold outside averaging at 20 degrees, but has gone down in the single digits. The coop it warmer since its right against the house, and her nest is against the...

Hello, So, I got nine baby chicks. They were hatched on Dec. 2. I have a broader set up in my heated garage and they're doing great. My question is about when I can safely move them to the coop. I had chickens for years and then stopped for a few years and now I'm starting again so I do know...

I was wondering what success folks have had ordering and raising chicks. I am Midwest and winter temps occasionally get below 20F and sometimes below 10F (prolly 2 times a year) for short periods. I have a well insulated shop and a galvanized 6' oval stock tank as a brooder with heat lamp...

As some of you know I made a sunroom off my chicken house. I suggest reading about the thread here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-sun-room.1338753/ I just wanted to update you guess knowing there were few things we were wondering about. Some concerns were it would get very hot...

We have a flock of 5 hens, all different breeds, 9 months old. Our brown leghorn was the first to lay, but stopped 2 months ago (she's our only white egg-layer so we know for sure she's not laying). Before she started laying, her comb was full, bright red and straight up. When she started laying...

What are the best water bowls for winter? With chickens. Its realy discouraging every morning to crack ice. And throuh out the day. As temps are in the teens. It continues to be a time consuming chore. Its hard to decide heated water bowl, rubber bowl, nipples, metal bowl? I have kinda a low...

A couple months back we had to being our BO pullet into our basement infirmary coop due to unspecified illness. Through treatment (Corid, amoxicillin, special diet) we were able to bring her back and she even started laying beautiful eggs (that we sadly couldn't eat re: antibiotics)...

Hi all, I have had my 4 chickens for a year and a half now, and just added two Indian runner ducks this past summer. I made it through last winter by using the black rubber feeder bowls and changing the water in the morning and evenings. We live in Massachusetts, so get some pretty cold temps...

Here is how to make the simple waterers I have been using for my small (5 birds) flock of chickens through Vermont winters. No electricity needed! For insulated waterers, I start with two plastic containers like these. One will fit inside the other. The inner one originally held about 11 oz...

Hi Everyone! In July 2019, I adopted four ex-battery hens. When they arrived, they were all very pale looking, scruffy/missing feathers and quite thin. Over the past 4 months, the girls have thrived! Their combs and faces are red, they have gained weight and love rummaging about in my garden...

I have a female khaki Campbell who’s is acting strange. She’s <1 year old and started laying a few weeks ago (I’d say 8 weeks). It’s now winter, snowy, and icey and I notice that she will walk a few feet then stop and sit down, get up walk then sit. When she walks she looks fine, but I can’t...

Hey all - I recently got the 250 Watt Stock tank deicer. The instructions mention two things: 1. don't use an extension cord (which I would need to), and 2. Install a ground rod 8 ft deep. Have others done this?? I can't find anything in other articles or posts about this. Temps are already...

How do i get my oegb hens to lay more eggs in the winter I'm trying to breed them in winter i live in north Georgia

My bird Meatball is a 4-month-old heritage turkey hen. She's a good size and is very feisty, but this morning she fell off the coop and got stuck in near-freezing mud. We found her likely within two hours (I was not awake when it happened) kicking her legs in a pinwheel unable to get up. We...