“What the eff is this white stuff on the ground and what are you going to do about it?” Said my hens

[mrskenmore]

we got our first big snow of the year yesterday and of course, i was wholly unprepared because i’m not native to the great white north. where i grew up (so cal), we drove a couple hours to play in the snow, it did not come to us. Somehow, after 10 years of being here, i still get caught unprepared every time i guess de-nile is also a river in wisconsin.
So now that its here, i have questions about what to do with the ladies. I let them out this morning and one came running out, started eating snow and happily began pecking around (my oldest gal who has been in the snow before i got her this summer). The others (younger) either did not come out while i was there or came out and went right back in. I’m tempted to make them paths, but not sure if i need to do that. There are 2 small pre-fab coops in the chicken yard with no room for food and water inside and i have a shelter with a feeder and dust bath for them. There is another shelter on the way to cover the other feeder and the water bucket. Here are my questions:
1. Should or do i need to give them paths? If i don’t, will they walk through the snow to get to the food and water?
2. If there is snow on the ground or piled in the water cups, is it enough to provide them with water? Do i really have to drag a bucket of warm water down to the yard?
3. If i don’t clear paths, is there a maximum depth of snow that would prompt me to do this? We got about 6 inches total so far.
4. One of my girls is missing a foot on one side and all toes on the other. should i make special accommodations for her? she gets around fine all other seasons apparently, but this is my first winter with her. The place she came from was a rather hands off free range place so i don’t know if she has ever had any accommodations.

we are in the process of building them a bigger coop and turning the adjacent shed into a proper walk in coop (so there will still be two total) but until then, we will have to limp along with what we have. outside projects have been sidelined by the house fire this spring and we are only now finally moving back in because the reno company we chose dragged their feet for 5 months.

I love your subject to this thread. I find that it depends on the personality of your hen. Some warm to it quicker than others. I have a Speckled Sussex hen that runs in it like it is white grass lol. She seems oblivious to the whole cold stuff and as herself a good old time frolicking in it. Then I also have birds that constantly try to fly over it regardless of how many times they see it lol.

 

[Knobby]

We received our first substantial amount of snow over night, and it should continue throughout the day today. The chickens, at first, were hesitant to fly out of their coop, but once the feed was placed out, they took the plunge and stepped onto the snow. They seemed to not mind, but after all the feed was gone, immediately went back in.

I bring out 2, five gallon buckets, out to the coops everyday, twice a day, even in the winter time...and my coops are over 200 feet from the nearest water source.

As for somehow creating a path for them, I had about 40 tons of woodchip delivered to the house that I use to spread onto the ground, in the their run. Granted, I have to keep spreading more woodchips, as the snow covers the previous spread, but that's why I got the amount that I did.

 

[Snowbelt]

We received our first substantial amount of snow over night, and it should continue throughout the day today. The chickens, at first, were hesitant to fly out of their coop, but once the feed was placed out, they took the plunge and stepped onto the snow. They seemed to not mind, but after all the feed was gone, immediately went back in.

I bring out 2, five gallon buckets, out to the coops everyday, twice a day, even in the winter time...and my coops are over 200 feet from the nearest water source.

As for somehow creating a path for them, I had about 40 tons of woodchip delivered to the house that I use to spread onto the ground, in the their run. Granted, I have to keep spreading more woodchips, as the snow covers the previous spread, but that's why I got the amount that I did.

Wood chips are a great idea! We have quite a few tree removal companies in the area, and I have let them know they can dump their wood chips behind my barn. I have 10-20 tons of chips back there right now. I use them in the large chicken run, usually after letting them decompose for a year or two, until they are filled with insects. Then I pile it in different places in the run and the chickens pick through it, eat the insects and other organisms, and spread it around.