Cold wet chickens! Need help

[henaynei]

Here is my advice. Bring them inside, towel them a bit, and let them sit a bit to get warmed up. Here's a question:
1. Do you have a coop, that's not a chicken tractor?
I highly suggest NOT wintering chickens in a chicken tractor. Unless it is shielded from all sides, and you have thick hay on the ground, so that their feet aren't on the frozen ground. If it is raining, I would shut them inside. Also, I would put a heavy tarp over the top of the outside part of the coop. But, a chicken tractor is a chicken tractor, so it's going to be cold. You might pull it into a shed, or something, to shield it from the wind.

thanks have small house full with 2 large dogs and 3 previously feral cats - the ones I could catch in the mud I brought in and towel dried - they were dry at th skin.
The 2 that are soaked the worst I could not catch.
Coop/tractor is shielded on all sides, including front - but apparently the roof leaked in the high winds.
Tarp was placed and secured as soon as I realized what was happening.
I’ve been laying 3-5 slices of straw or hay into their yard weekly since October. It WAS so thick it was tripping me, but with heavy rain every other day for a week they have effectively trampled it all into the mud. Laying more dry out tomorrow but it’s supposed to rain or snow all night tomorrow. I have enough bales to lay more down after that. And will be getting more bales after the 1st.
Have no shed.

if you have an open air dog kennel bring them in and turn the oven on in the kitchen set the kennel near but not close to the oven and have it open, the radiating heat will warm them up.

have 15 chickens and only one medium sized kennel - and 3 previously feral indoor cats with high prey drive and no where to sequester them.
Have done all the above otherwise and can only pray the temps stay higher than expected and the winds stay lower.
Am getting some GOOD sealant for the roof as soon as I can!

THANK YOU everyone! I know I may not sound grateful but I am. I’ve given my entire front yard over to the chickens for the winter.
I’m rather short on infrastructure. I’d have a lot fewer chickens if I could find someone local to mentor me with my first butchering. But have had no luck, even at the extension office.
I’ll be getting a hair drier at Salvation Army as soon as I can to have on hand!

 

[henaynei]

Yikes you have a lot of males! Are they in a separate tractor?

No, not at this time. They are all from the same hatch and now that their “teenage” hormones have settled down they live in peace. I DO need to cull 5 of the roosters and 2 hens but have been unable to find anyone to mentor me with my first butchering.
After the first of the month I’ll be getting a killing cone and a decent knife...and will have to have a go it alone. It Has to be done.

 

[MartinsPoultry]

Best way i found to cull chickens if you don't live in a neighborhood, and most might not agree, but my fiance and I pop them in the head with a .22 bullet from my rifle. Quick and they don't feel it. We tie their feet with zippies lay them down blind fold for a few minutes until calm and the other person goes behind the head within an inch and pulls the trigger, bird is dead but flails like all animals do once culled.
We pluck or skin depending on the age of the bird, next weekend we are doing a culling job for a friend of two beautiful Americana roosters.

There are also tons of videos on youtube on how to cull a bird, one we liked was by Justin Rhodes,

 

[GretaGarboFirst]

Oh My, I hope Santa brings you a hair dryer.....early. They need to be dried and returned to a protected coop. Maybe Santa will come for the chickens too!!! Best of Luck.

 

[henaynei]

Best way I’ve found to cull...
There are also tons of videos on youtube on how to cull a bird, one we liked was by Justin Rhodes,

Yes, thank you I’ve been combing through YT for several years on the subject and the mechanics are well known to me, on an academic level. It is the experiential where I’m lacking.
I’m not squeamish about blood or dead things - I’ve been a registered nurse for over 30 years and was handling all issues related to my family’s breeding cattery and kennel from the time I was 8 years old. I was also a surgical technician for many years.
I know death and have stared it in the face times beyond counting, from hours old kittens to Hospice.
Death itself does not bother me.
However, and I’m not sure anyone could then understand this, I’ve never taken a live. My entire life has been about saving live and/or easing discomfort.
Actually deliberately taking a life is something else and I’d really like to have a mentor there the first time for support and to ensure I’m doing as humane a slaughter as possible.