Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

@Stardustrose I'm not Danz but have had chickens for quite a few years & had them years ago as well. Adult hens need to have layer feed for their nutritional needs. People feed corn in the winter to help them keep warmer, but you should never feed whole corn. I feed some scratch feed along with the layer feed that has other grains in it as well as cracked corn but their main feed should be the layer feed. If she is going to be free ranging she won't need grit. You should not insulate the coop, they need air circulation to vent out moisture that collects from the droppings & just from the heat they put off. Air circulation is the most important thing. Chickens can take the cold much better than people think due to the layers of feathers they have. Just make sure to put pine shavings in the coop to absorb the moisture & keep things dry. I would not use a heat lamp either because it is a fire hazard. Many people have found out how dangerous those are after their coops burn down with the chickens in them. It sounds like your coop is small so this is even more dangerous. If you want to give extra protein in winter you can give her black oil sunflower seeds whole or you can get meal worm treats at pet stores or online. These are only treats though & should not be given as their only food. I'm sure Danz will have some other input but I hope this helps.

 

[chicken danz]

I agree with Trish. No heat lamps. Invest in a heated dog water bowl and use that to keep water from freezing in the winter. She will be plenty warm. I recommend as well leaving some ventilation open in the coop. Freezing respiration will cause frost bite etc. Let the air flow some. Just avoid north and west winds. So if you have a solid wall put that facing the north. If there is a vent leave it open unless we have freezing rain or something coming down. I don't shut my chicken doors either. If she has a pen to run in she will prefer to go outside unless it is snowing or something. If you built a pen, is it tall enough you can walk in it? That is always preferred. And then cover the top with netting so owls and hawks can't grab her. If it is sitting in at least partial shade that is helpful as well.
No whole corn. Having some grit is always helpful but as Trish said not necessary. If you have grass in the pen I would put grit in there because that is most commonly what gets stuck and causes sour crop. If you feed a balanced feed you should have all the nutrients she needs. Common limestone gravel is the best thing you can give your bird for grit and calcium. It is actually calcium carbonate. Small pieces are best.
She is really going to need a friend though. I'd invest in some meal worms to give a few treats as well as any fresh veggies, fruit you have around. No citrus fruit, avocados, potato peelings, or chocolate though. Nothing moldy or spoiled. If you buy some meal worms limit the number to a few per day cause too much will give them diarrhea.

 

[Stardustrose]

Thank you for all the great information Trish. I was worried about using a heat lamp due to fire and was thinking insulation on two of the thinner walls. Our Chicken is a rescue and she will be alone for the moment, I'm thinking of getting another breed like her eventually. But with just her alone I worry about her keeping warm and yes our coop is smaller, holds two chickens. There is so much information our there and people do things so differently, it can get really confusing, but maybe I need to just relax. We did put in another vent since I have been reading how important ventilation is. So thank you again....your information does help.

 

[Stardustrose]

Thank you Danz. We put her coop against the garage wall and next to that is the privacy fence, so we're hoping that area will be more protected from the wind. She has a small run that came with the coop, but we are building a bigger one for her, also tall enough for me to walk in. Do you know of a online site to buy items that might be cheaper than here in town? Also do you know where I can go to buy a roommate for her...lol?

 

[chicken danz]

Thank you Danz. We put her coop against the garage wall and next to that is the privacy fence, so we're hoping that area will be more protected from the wind. She has a small run that came with the coop, but we are building a bigger one for her, also tall enough for me to walk in. Do you know of a online site to buy items that might be cheaper than here in town? Also do you know where I can go to buy a roommate for her...lol?

If you buy netting to put on top I recommend a site http://www.3tproducts.com/shop/pc/home.asp
I often purchase knitted netting from them but they don't have any for sale right now. Knotted netting is much stronger and lasts longer but it's harder to use.
What else are you looking for? For fast shipment and some good prices, Valley Vet, https://www.valleyvet.com/ is a great site. Also for other supplies, Cutler https://www.cutlersupply.com/ is a great site. Of course for any of these things its usually wiser to order a lot more to save money on shipping. Also if you know what you are looking for Amazon offers a lot of things with free shipping. Bluestem may charge more for some products but they have quite a bit. Also TSC has free shipping to the store so you could pick up what you need there in Emporia if you wait a couple days for it to get there.
I will have to check but I may have an Isbar pullet left I would give you. It would be similar in size when it finishes growing and will lay green eggs. I just gave one away a couple weeks ago to a customer buying other chicks. I'll see if there happen to be any more out there. No promises though. Also you can join some of the local facebook pages and put in an add or look at what people have for sale.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/275183675880038/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1400700023546511/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/241363619758918/
Theres several other sites but these are the most local ones.

 

[Trish44]

@Stardustrose if you join those swap sites on Facebook you can check to see if there is anyone near you selling grown or almost grown hens. There are people selling down their birds now to reduce for winter. It would be better if you could find a friend for your hen, she would be a lot happier with another one.

 

[chicken danz]

@Stardustrose I talked to 3T netting and they said they had a little of the netting in stock and had placed an order to get more. They thanked me for noticing. So you could call them for Pricing or possibly wait a week or two for them to get it back listed with prices on the website.

 

[Stardustrose]

Thank you Danz for all the links and for calling the company that has the netting. I checked out Bluestem and they have a lot of feed and some Chicken items, I was thinking they would have more. We are almost ready for her, just have a few things to finish up on. I just noticed you are in Waverly, last year we were living in Burlington and I've been to Waverly a few times.
Trish thank you....I have joined a few FB and I'm now looking for a roommate for her....lol.

 

[chicken danz]

I'm actually closer to Burlington than Waverly. I live out by Wolf Creek. I haven't had time to see if I have a little Isbar pullet yet or not. But I will get to it in the next couple days. Trying to finish a few outdoor projects before it rains again.
I'll bet you are getting excited.

 

[LoveMyChickenBabies]

Hello, I am new to the Kansas thread but not to BYC. I am excited to join this and meet everyone else that lives in my area!