Dealing with this blizzard.... keep them inside?

[yellowchicks]

Blizzard in session here, too, but the chickens are hanging out in the run as usual because the pop door is open 24/7. They have a few days worth of food in the run, and hopefully, the heated insulated water bucket is working. Our run is shielded with plastic panels during the winter, so our chickens never stay inside the coop during the day no matter the weather.

 

[gizzyntaz]

We got 2ft+ and the run was covered with 1-2". I couldn't get the girls to come out yesterday despite my best coaxing and bribes. Today I brushed the snow off, shoveled out the worst of it and fluffed all of the deep litter in the run. They have been down sunning themselves all morning. What a relief!

 

[gizzyntaz]

This was their coop toward the end of the storm yesterday. The ladder was so I could clear the first batch of snow off of the roof - we didn't want to take chances.

 

[dekel18042]

If it has, you can bet there is a committee of Chickens examining the white stuff on the floor and discussing what this portrays for their future.

This was the first snow of the year and the official total was 31.7 inches. The day before we moved all the chickens to the main (largest) coop with covered runs ( Good thing, snow drifted up the sides of the smaller coops and runs.) but no one was brave enough to venture out yesterday even when we shoveled the runs. Snow had drifted in. Today we added more hay and a flock block and they're out sunning themselves and having a high old time, but it might be a while before we open the run doors.