Chickens in winter; how to entertain them

[quicklegs]

Hello! This is my 2nd post! Please let me know if I didn't post this in the correct place.
I'm in Wyoming and it's one day cold, next day warm. So forth...
So when it gets snowy we usually keep the chickens inside coop. But I also heard if they don't come out they may also die.
Has anyone experience this? I would like to know more.

Please share with me your experience, I appreciate all of you in this beautiful community.

 

[Mary's Backyard Chickens]

Hello! This is my 2nd post! Please let me know if I didn't post this in the correct place.
I'm in Wyoming and it's one day cold, next day warm. So forth...
So when it gets snowy we usually keep the chickens inside coop. But I also heard if they don't come out they may also die.
Has anyone experience this? I would like to know more.

Please share with me your experience, I appreciate all of you in this beautiful community.

First things first; this needed to be posted in the "Managing your flock" forum.
They will be fine if they come out of their coop and into their run. There is no reason to keep them inside the coop, even in snowy winters. They will be fine, they are pretty cold harty. I never keep my chickens inside the coop in winter, nor do I heat the coop.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Get some hay or straw to put on top of the snow to encourage your birds to come out. I prefer hay because it provides some winter forage as well. Mine will stay in during storms or really windy days, otherwise they come out to stand on the hay. Provide a wind block, and toss out some scratch to keep them busy. I wouldn't lock them in unless the weather is really bad. I always give the choice for them to go out. Locking them in for too long can lead to pecking from boredom.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

I don’t know if the “if they don’t go outside they’ll die” thing is true...They might get bored or feel ‘cooped up’ and want to fight eachother after a certain amount of time, but here is a link to a page about chicken toys to keep your chickens satisfied during winter when you can’t get/let them out.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...important-and-how-you-can-provide-them.66136/

 

[Diannastarr]

Hello! This is my 2nd post! Please let me know if I didn't post this in the correct place.
I'm in Wyoming and it's one day cold, next day warm. So forth...
So when it gets snowy we usually keep the chickens inside coop. But I also heard if they don't come out they may also die.
Has anyone experience this? I would like to know more.

Please share with me your experience, I appreciate all of you in this beautiful community.

well it dont get that cold here in AZ but i did keep many a flocks of chickens in new england since the 1960's to this day & it got pretty cold there i remember splitting wood in 14 below weather , so its more like your state , i always let my birds out every day in good weather no freezing rain but if the sun was out it was fine for them & they loved the snow, as along it was not very deep , like deep enough to get lost in, but mostly they hung out in our plowed dirt drive way , but back then i was over run with the farm after my husband died and i was left with 5 kids & all the rest of the usual farm animals, , so i would feed my chickens a bucket of snow ever night for their water , because no out side water was available near them , and i never lost one due to the cold , some died of old age in the warmer weather , but i retained most of my flock for the most part of those 10 years, im sure if do your best and use a level head & you will do fine ...! no worries..!

 

[chickens really]

I'm in Alberta, Canada and Brrrrr it gets cold...On nice days my Chickens come out to free range around on the shovelled areas...Everyday they are let out of the Coop into their Run...Its covered with a tarp..I toss a bit of Alfalfa hay in the Run to give them something entertaining to scratch through..

 

[Diannastarr]

I'm in Alberta, Canada and Brrrrr it gets cold...On nice days my Chickens come out to free range around on the shovelled areas...Everyday they are let out of the Coop into their Run...Its covered with a tarp..I toss a bit of Alfalfa hay in the Run to give them something entertaining to scratch through..

great idea the Alfalfa hay it has a lot of good things in it for all our chickens , im picking up a bale this week , i like to put some in their nest boxes they love to munch on the leaves , its GREAT...!!!!

 

[centrarchid]

I use two bales of hay per pen. Usually alfalfa or a mixed hay including a legume. On bale is busted up while the second is positioned on the north side of the loose hay. Then each morning I toss intact grains on bale and among loose hay. The birds work through that mess much of the day just to get those grains.

A few years back prior to having barn in place I got more bales and a couple wooden pallets that were used to construct a loosely defined hut. Again a bale, or two, was busted. In that setting the birds spent much of their time on the loose hay in sun but out of the wind. When is got really cold they would cluster on wooden pallets and stand their most of the day with only two feeding bouts. First feeding bout was in the morning and second just before going to roost.

When snow was pushing two feet deep, the birds would literally fly between roost and that hay bale / pallet pile avoiding contact with snow. Leaving and returning to roost was also more during daylight that otherwise. Exception to this was first blizzard of season when many did not come off roost at all. Roost in that setting was work table on north facing porch of house.

 

[chickens really]

I only toss out a flake at a time...Then I rake up what's not eaten and toss under the trees...They sure enjoy pecking and scratching...

 

[lazy gardener]

Outdoors in winter is fine. As long as they are not exposed to crazy cold wind chills, and have a protected place to be. I enclose part of my run with plastic. Hubby build a trussed roof to cover part of it. Those lovely trusses are supported by an old metal swing set. The roof is covered with a green house tarp. I use DL in both coop and run. During all but the coldest and nastiest days (44.5 parallel) my girls are out and about digging through the DL. I sprout grains and seeds for the birds to make up for their lack of free range opportunities.

As for your coop, be sure it is well ventilated, even in the cold winter months. You need to remove excess moisture every day, and also monitor for ammonia.