Colorado

[PirateGirl]

@lomie hope all chicks are warm and healthy this morning!

My chickens aren't sure what to make of the snow we got, they came out of their house quite cautiously this morning.

 

[MuffMom]

It's getting cool and I'm getting worried. We have a 4 x 4 x 4 coop elevated two ft off the ground that I built for our hens to shelter in when it gets cold or at night time. The problem is that we have only one hen left so I'm concerned that she'll get too cold being all alone with no one to snuggle with. She's healthy, about five and a half months old, and has started laying.

I've looked at getting started pullets shipped but the cost makes this option not possible. The way I see it, I have only two other options which are to order some chicks and hope they've grown enough by the time it gets cold that they can stay with her in the coop or obtain some hens from a local source--someplace within reasonable driving distance.

So, I thought I'd ask here--Does anyone have a couple of hens they'd be willing to part with before I try ordering chicks? I think at this point I'd take on mature or even retired hens. Thanks. Brandon in Denver

Hi Brandon- There's a poultry show at the boulder county fairgrounds this weekend. Check in starts at 4 on friday and we're usually there until 8. Judging is saturday. Anyway, many times there are chickens for sale. Come early if interested because they usually go fast! Good luck!

 

[PirateGirl]

Is there any benefit to supplemental light in winter other than increased egg production? I guess what I really want to know is will my chickens suffer without extra light? Is it in any way necessary for their health/well being or so they do just fine without it? We don't exactly live in the arctic circle where we will have 30 days of night

 

[lomine]

All seemed well this morning. First time I checked on them they were all under mama. I couldn't see any but I heard quiet chirping. A later time one of the chicks was out and eating. After it was done it headed back to mama and cuddled back under her.

@PirateGirl Do you mean like how people can get depressed if they don't get enough sunlight? I've never heard of that with chickens. I don't think there is any need for light though because we usually do get a lot of sunny days in the winter. I think what bothers them more in winter is when they can't go outside as much. They get a bit of cabin fever.

 

[PirateGirl]

@lomie not necessarily depression. This will be my first winter with chickens and I have read of people who provide them with a light source as the days get shorter so they have a certain number of hours of "daylight" in a 24 hour period. I have heard this can help keep egg production up in the winter, but I didn't know if there was any other reason for it. I didn't know if there is a reason that a chicken biologically needs a certain number of hours of light to be healthy. I wasn't really planning on setting up a light for them and didn't know if this would have any sort of adverse affect on their health.

In terms of the egg production, personally, I'd think it has more to do with heat and the calories expended to regulate body temperature in a 24 hour period vs the calories that could/would be expended producing an egg. I'd expect metabolism is different in a cold environment vs hot environment as well as seasonally. I'd think (again I've got much to learn) that a change of diet in winter would have a bigger impact on egg production than the number of hours of "daylight." and I'd think the added heat of a light in the coop has a bigger impact than the fact that it's light as opposed to dark.

 

[21hens-incharge]

It is totally to keep up egg production. They are designed to lay when the days are longer. That way the chicks hatch when food is plentiful.
Any heat produced from a light in the coop would be removed if the coop has proper ventilation.

Changing feed in winter won't increase egg production.

I do not provide extra light. It stresses their systems and they don't get the down time nature intended.

 

[PirateGirl]

Thanks @21hens-incharge ! I wasn't planning a light or heat if it's not necessary. And of course we lost power the last 2 days with the snow, further confirming in my brain that I don't want heat dependent chickens! I bought an outside heated dog dish to keep water ice free while I'm at work, but have made no other special plans for the girls for winter. Non-chicken owning people keep asking what I'm gonna do with them in winter, and I hope I'm ok in thinking the same things I'm doing now. Our wind shifts seasonally, so I may need a different wind break, but that's it I hope. Fingers crossed.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Lol! Tell them you are knitting them sweaters and bonnets! Oh and that you ordered the entire Dynasty series and a TV in case they get bored!

I do pretty much the same in winter as summer. I do have a heater for the water and tend to shovel more snow in winter then summer.

 

[lomine]

Yep, extra light makes their bodies think it is time to lay. I don't provide extra light or heat either. They shouldn't need it. And you're right, you don't want chickens who aren't acclimated to the cold because that just causes more problems.

 

[lomine]

Lol! Tell them you are knitting them sweaters and bonnets! Oh and that you ordered the entire Dynasty series and a TV in case they get bored!

I do pretty much the same in winter as summer. I do have a heater for the water and tend to shovel more snow in winter then summer.

I think my chickens would enjoy a soap opera considering how overly dramatic they are about everything.