Anyone else having a hard time?

[DonkeyJac]

I put a flake of hay in their run,it takes them about a day to rearrange it. Each day I throw in scratch, and other treats so they have to find it under the hay. it does keep them busy, and helps keep them warmer. My run only 5X10, and I only have four hens for now.

I am in North Carolina, and we have never seen what you are dealing with. I wish luck.

 

[TalkALittle]

I'm in MA like you, so I am dealing with the same cold weather. I also got my birds last spring so when cold weather came I found myself worrying if they'd make it through the winter alright or if I would screw up and kill them. I focused on 3 things: clean, dry living conditions, access to fresh water, and opportunities for mental enrichment. If I could do that I figured they'd be in pretty good shape. The trouble was, I knew that at some point I'd be trying to do it under 3 feet of snow. Yuck!

Roofing the run and enclosing it in clear tarps helped me immensely. It made sure they had plenty of dry space even with all the snow. I also gave them an extra roost in the run. It gives them more options to get off the cold ground which makes it more likely that they spend time in the run than the coop and gives them more room to spread out and get away from each other if they want. The roost is movable so every couple of days I put it in a new spot so it gives them something to think about and explore a bit. I also put two logs in the run that I can move around in order to change up the environment a bit. I stand them on end and put treats on the top of them, or lay them on their side and toss scratch into the grooves of the bark. Occasionally I toss a flake of hay or straw in the run whole and let them scratch it apart and they've had a couple cabbage piñata parties too. My coop is small with not a lot of ventilation. I need to keep it really clean to keep it dry. If my birds spend more time in the run they do most of their pooping out there so the only poop in the coop is what they do at night. I put in a poop board and now my coop is wicked easy to clean and stays drier.

I think the first time you do something is always the hardest because you don't even know all that you don't know. I figure if I can make it through this winter without killing my birds I'll be in a pretty good place for next year. I just keep thinking how much easier next winter will be because I'll be that much more prepared for it.

 

[Cluckies]

I hear you! I'm in MN, got my chickens last spring and i've been battling one thing after another. Another week of sub zero temps coming up. makes you want to cry

We'll get through this.

Things i've learned.
two of mine have frostbit combs (the only two that have bigger combs) so i'll never get birds with a bigger comb again, pea combs or rose combs only. one was bleeding today on her comb, I think they other girls pecked her. brought her in and put blu-kote on her, let it dry, put her back out there. I do do bagbalm, not sure if it helps or not. Just makes stuff stick to their combs and the others try and pick it off..

bigger run - my run is 10.5x6.5. not big enough for 6 chickens, i'll be at least doubling that this spring/summer. I did put greenhouse panels around the run so they can be out in the run all day and not stuck in the 4x6 henhouse. no snow, no wind, good stuff. They only sleep or lay eggs in the henhouse, even when it is below zero.

I clean up poo in my henhouse and run everyday. henhouse in the morning (poop tray with sweet pdz) and run every evening when they go to bed. keeps everything dryer.

I placed a 6.5 gallon rubber tub (from fleet farm) in their run with peat moss so that they can dust bathe when they want. they love that tub, it keeps them busy alot of the time.






cabbage just freezes in my run, so that didn't work. flock blocks.... frozen, but they do work on the slightly warmer days, so I have 2, one in the hh and one in the run.

I bring different treats out everyday, 6 bowls filled with:
1) lettuce, cabbage, kale and spinach.
2) crumbles wet down with water
3) cottage cheese
4) yogurt
5) calf manna crumbled and mixed with yogurt (mine won't eat pellets)
anything new I can think of

I am growing meal worms for treats for them. they love them even though they only get a few here and there.

I give them a little scratch mixed with boss and dried meal worms thrown out into the run every day and they can sift through the wood chips for them.

I go out everyday and spend about an hour or more with them. they seem to like it.

I hear you though. I've had one sour crop, then she started molting in november, now this last week one impacted crop (I grow wheat grass and let it get too long when I gave it to them) should have cut it! learning, learning... One is now hardly eating and her poo is super small, keeping an eye on her.

It is always something and a constant worry if i'm doing things right. I've just finally decided that I'm doing the best I can with what I have. we will learn as we go, try not to worry.

I wrote this so that you don't feel so alone. you are doing good. they will be fine! We are with you!

 

[aart]

I can relate and empathize ...last winter was my first with chickens and one of the worst here in years, very similar to what you are experiencing now.

Hang in there, next winter will be easier just because you've got one under your belt...baptism by fire, or snow drift...lol.

 

[COChix]

I hear you!  I'm in MN, got my chickens last spring and i've been battling one thing after another. Another week of sub zero temps coming up.  makes you want to cry    We'll get through this.

Things i've learned.
two of mine have frostbit combs (the only two that have bigger combs) so i'll never get birds with a bigger comb again, pea combs or rose combs only. one was bleeding today on her comb, I think they other girls pecked her. brought her in and put blu-kote on her, let it dry, put her back out there.  I do do bagbalm, not sure if it helps or not. Just makes stuff stick to their combs and the others try and pick it off.. :/

bigger run - my run is 10.5x6.5. not big enough for 6 chickens, i'll be at least doubling that this spring/summer.  I did put greenhouse panels around the run so they can be out in the run all day and not stuck in the 4x6 henhouse.  no snow, no wind, good stuff. They only sleep or lay eggs in the henhouse, even when it is below zero.

I clean up poo in my henhouse and run everyday. henhouse in the morning (poop tray with sweet pdz) and run every evening when they go to bed.  keeps everything dryer.

I placed a 6.5 gallon rubber tub (from fleet farm) in their run with peat moss so that they can dust bathe when they want. they love that tub, it keeps them busy alot of the time.

I bring different treats out everyday, 6 bowls filled with:  
1) lettuce, cabbage, kale and spinach.  
2) crumbles wet down with water
3) cottage cheese
4) yogurt
5) calf manna crumbled and mixed with yogurt (mine won't eat pellets)
anything new I can think of

I am growing meal worms for treats for them. they love them even though they only get a few here and there.

I go out everyday and spend about an hour or more with them. they seem to like it.

It is always something and a constant worry if i'm doing things right. I've just finally decided that I'm doing the best I can with what I have. we will learn as we go, try not to worry.  

I wrote this so that you don't feel so alone.  you are doing good.  they will be fine!  We are with you! 

Great stuff! You give some great pointers.

This is my first year with chickens, like you we got ours in April and this is obviously our first winter. Our main coop is 5x8 (it's a converted shed that was free so we made it work) and our run is 10 x 20, we have 25 birds. We have a second smaller coop in the enclosed run that is probably 3x5 maybe but it gets little use. All of ours lay and roost in the main coop during the winters, in the summer they will lay in the small coop nest boxes. I knew right away based on the coop space that they would have to be out of the coop a lot to avoid boredom issues and space issues. I decided their food and water would need to be in the run, thus naturally forcing them outside.

Our run is covered and I tarped it to cover the windbreaks for the winter and tossed about two bales of straw in there. Our girls spend their days outside in the enclosed run during bad weather and when it is nice they free range. They are out in the run even during the cold and snow but will take breaks in the coop for laying and when they need to get warm. They do not like to walk or stand in the snow,nat least ours don't. Here are some shots of our run before the winter. We have a ton of roosting spots for the gang and they love it.

I started out as nervous wreck this winter due to it being -10 in early November for us, which is way too early. We had a Wellie get frostbite on her comb, this was after I added a heat lamp overnight. Near Christmas both of our roos and a couple hens got frost bite on their wattles from drinking out of heated water bowls and getting their wattles wet in subzero weather. Our roo's are Buff Orph's and are suppose to be cold hardy,depends on the size of combs and wattles and that varies a lot even in the same breed.

Here are adjustments I made based on those issues. I made bucket waterers with horizontal nipples and have a bucket heater for the cold. Have not had any frozen wattles since the change. I have not used a heat lamp since the first frostbite issue. I have added Sweet PDZ daily to the droppings In the am, our humidity in the coop hasn't gone above 34% since adding that daily. I also took the opportunity on a nice day to clean the old bedding out and put down sweet PDZ and DE on the bottom of the coop and then added about 2 feet of straw and add a new layer of straw about once a week or more if they spend more time in the coop. Humidity is the issue with frost bite not so much the cold, heat lamps only add more moisture to the coop because of the birds perspiring.

I also give them things to do on bad days, like scratching through the run for the BOSS I toss in, seeds/nuts and sometimes scratch. We give tables scraps, compost and greens on a daily basis during the winter. Ours love their greens and hanging it in the run will help a lot with boredom.

Hope things get easier, remember you have a wealth of information at your finger tips and people to always talk to.

 

[TalkALittle]

Humidity is the issue with frost bite not so much the cold, heat lamps only add more moisture to the coop because of the birds perspiring.

Birds don't perspire--they don't have sweat glands.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

The moisture is from their droppings decomposing.

 

[COChix]

Birds don't perspire--they don't have sweat glands.

The moisture is from their droppings decomposing.

Sorry you both are right, that should have read they release a lot of moisture from respiration (breathing) and yes it is in the droppings as well. Thanks.

 

[cmlew99]

All of these responses are incredibly helpful! Now I can learn from what you guys have learned. The horizontal water nipple is a fantastic idea! It would solve a lot of my rooster's frostbite issues. Currently he is hanging out in my basement, serenading us in the mornings. @COChix How do you keep the water bucket from freezing?

I should also look into some windbreaks for their run. @Cluckies thank you for the moral support and wonderful tips! I just keep telling myself "two weeks til March"! Spring is almost upon us, we just have to make it through this last subzero stretch…

Since I seem to be among many helpful chicken owners, I was wondering if anyone ever experienced this… I have three hens: one Buff Brahma who is about 43 weeks old. I'm not sure if she's laying yet, she might have. She just got over a respiratory illness (she was the only one with symptoms) after I treated her with Baytril… Then I have a Rhode Island Red who has been laying since October. She commonly lays fairly large brown speckled eggs daily (skipping a day or two once a week). Then I have an Easter Egger, who started laying small white eggs last week.

Anyways, I noticed Mabel (the EE) laid an egg this morning, and this afternoon I saw Cora (the RIR) in the nest box. When I collected the egg just now, I was shocked to find a very very very pale brown egg, almost white. It had a faint brown top, and a super thin shell. The yolk looked normal. This is highly unusual for her. She eats Nutrena Layer pellets with access to calcium free choice. Any ideas? She never displayed any respiratory symptoms or anything.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

As hens lay, their coating that they put on the eggs can get lighter. Especially when they lay consistently. When she takes a break during molting, you'll see that it will get darker again. It is completely normal.

For the thin shells, offer her crushed oyster shells or crushed egg shells to get her calcium levels up.