Chickens in winter

[The Lazy L]

My chickens have no choice since their only food and water is in their run.

They are funny. Some snow blows into their run and they ignore it. When I come in to fill their feeder and waterer they go nuts pecking the snow off my muck boots.

 

[RNPAULIE69]

Some days my girls dont mind it and others won't step foot on it

 

[aart]

Mine won't go into deep snow....but I shovel parts of the run, for my access (to keep roof clear, run door, and outside of pop door accessible) and for them to have some walkin' around space. Also helps to keep drainage working for when the snow melt happens.
If it gets icy I spread some rough sand and maybe a bit of straw and pine shavings.

Feed and heated waterer is kept inside coop. I use supplemental lighting(on at 4am) and there are days on end during storms they can't/won't go outside.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

You're lucky... Our chickens tend to be too stubborn to go in, and then they get frostbite... Sigh.

 

[aart]

You're lucky... Our chickens tend to be too stubborn to go in, and then they get frostbite... Sigh.

Who's lucky?
Most my single combed birds have frostbite...from minor to rather severe.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Who's lucky?
Most my single combed birds have frostbite...from minor to rather severe.

Well, I belong to the school of thought who believes that frostbite causes suffering in the chickens. I know it's a contentious topic on this forum.

 

[Cyprus]

The thumbnail got me. for D'Uccles!

All that aside, I will say that my birds don't really swing one way or the other. When the snow is the height of them, they don't touch it. When it's a few inches, they walk in it. My Leghorns REALLY like to be out in the snow. The BJG, too. My old gal not so much. She's a potato; she sits on the roost all day.

My birds' food and water is in the coop, but treats are outside. Nobody denies treats.

 

[Al Capon]

What kind of chicken is that, almost has an owl shape to it.?

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Mine head for the barn. Although, they prefer to have their path shoveled for them. I work for the birds

 

[Secondof9]

I have only had my 4 chickens since May. During our recent snow event I learned that they really dislike snow! At first they refused to come out of the hen house so I opened the large side door to check on them and one brave girl jumped out and landed chest deep in 6" of snow. If a chicken can have a stunned expression, she did. And she just stood there in shock I guess. I had to pick her up and put her back inside. Then I laughed myself silly! They really like to hang out at my back door on the covered patio - it's dry and somewhat protected from the wind, but it took them 2 or 3 days to figure out that if they crossed 2 feet of snow they could edge along the house in dirt to the patio because the eaves prevent snow from banking against the house. I ended up carrying them back to the hen house at night because they refused to return. I even shoveled them a path but they refused to use it. Silly chickens.