Bantams in the winter

[Nicole31]

This will be my first winter having bantams. It can get as cold as -20 here. I'm thinking about buying a large bird cage and keeping them inside for the winter. We only have 3 of them. Wondering if anyone has tried this or has any suggestions?

 

[Chands]

I'm thinking of doing that with my two silkies, but with a dog crate instead Right now they're in their own coop because my big girls won't accept them.

 

[Nicole31]

I'm thinking of doing that with my two silkies, but with a dog crate instead Right now they're in their own coop because my big girls won't accept them.

I was initially going to use a dog crate too but my bantams are so small that I figured they could use the little perches in the bird cage. I think a dog kennel would be perfect for a couple silkies.

 

[Chands]

I was initially going to use a dog crate too but my bantams are so small that I figured they could use the little perches in the bird cage. I think a dog kennel would be perfect for a couple silkies.

That makes sense. I was thinking about keeping our girls in for Jan-March. That's the worst or it around here. I'm not so concerned about the big girls because they have so much fluff, but my silkies are my babies. Esp my show girl. Are you moving yours in for the entire winter?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think you may find keeping them indoors is a lot of work. They will fling bedding everywhere, there will be lots of dust, they will make poops when needed wherever they are.

I keep bantam Cochin's here in northern Colorado. We get bitter cold and strong winds. We go well below 0 regularly.

If you allow your birds to acclimate to the cold they will be able to handle it well.

Things you can do to help them...
Provide a covered run so the snow does not fall in it.

Use plastic to cover the sides of the run on the wind side. For us that is the north and east.

Keep the run shoveled out if you cannot put a roof on it. Mine is huge so requires shoveling.

Keep thawed water available. I use a tank heater in one coop and I take fresh water out to the other a few times a day.

Keep ventilation open in the winter. Yes keep it open. Cold + acclimated chicken + dry air = success. Cold + acclimated chicken + moisture = frostbite.

My bantams are over 6 years old and doing well. There are people in much colder climates that keep bantams outside and have for decades.
Perhaps they will see this thread and add their experiences.

 

[Nicole31]

That makes sense. I was thinking about keeping our girls in for Jan-March. That's the worst or it around here. I'm not so concerned about the big girls because they have so much fluff, but my silkies are my babies. Esp my show girl. Are you moving yours in for the entire winter?

I was planning on maybe keeping them inside December-March. Those are the coldest months here.

 

[Nicole31]

I think you may find keeping them indoors is a lot of work. They will fling bedding everywhere, there will be lots of dust, they will make poops when needed wherever they are.

I keep bantam Cochin's here in northern Colorado. We get bitter cold and strong winds. We go well below 0 regularly.

If you allow your birds to acclimate to the cold they will be able to handle it well.

Things you can do to help them...
Provide a covered run so the snow does not fall in it.

Use plastic to cover the sides of the run on the wind side. For us that is the north and east.

Keep the run shoveled out if you cannot put a roof on it. Mine is huge so requires shoveling.

Keep thawed water available. I use a tank heater in one coop and I take fresh water out to the other a few times a day.

Keep ventilation open in the winter. Yes keep it open. Cold + acclimated chicken + dry air = success. Cold + acclimated chicken + moisture = frostbite.

My bantams are over 6 years old and doing well. There are people in much colder climates that keep bantams outside and have for decades.
Perhaps they will see this thread and add their experiences.

Hello, and thank you for the suggestions! For the past few winters we've done most of these things (heated waterers, snow blowed run; Windows, doors and vents open) and we've only had a few losses. However, those were standard size chickens and my bantams just seem so small that I worry about them freezing. We were going to try stacking bales of hay all along the outside walls of the coop to add some insulation. I guess we could try that and see how they do. Just wanted to have some type of a back up plan in case. Ideally I'd like to keep them outside as I know they can be really messy. We had chicks inside most of the summer (multiple hatches), and I was more than happy when the last hatch moved outside lol. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge!

 

[cheekiechickie]

I have gone through a few winters now, and other than some minor frostbite, my heat loving birds still do great in winter. I offer heated water outside and keep deep bedding in the coops and keep the run shoveled. This year I have more winter hardy birds so I'm looking forward to seeing them out and about all winter long, instead of just hanging around the coop.

 

[chickenpickens]

I think you may find keeping them indoors is a lot of work. They will fling bedding everywhere, there will be lots of dust, they will make poops when needed wherever they are.

I keep bantam Cochin's here in northern Colorado. We get bitter cold and strong winds. We go well below 0 regularly.

If you allow your birds to acclimate to the cold they will be able to handle it well.

Things you can do to help them...
Provide a covered run so the snow does not fall in it.

Use plastic to cover the sides of the run on the wind side. For us that is the north and east.

Keep the run shoveled out if you cannot put a roof on it. Mine is huge so requires shoveling.

Keep thawed water available. I use a tank heater in one coop and I take fresh water out to the other a few times a day.

Keep ventilation open in the winter. Yes keep it open. Cold + acclimated chicken + dry air = success. Cold + acclimated chicken + moisture = frostbite.

My bantams are over 6 years old and doing well. There are people in much colder climates that keep bantams outside and have for decades.
Perhaps they will see this thread and add their experiences.

Thank you for this. We recently moved from the south to the north and I was afraid the get cornish but this gets me over that.