I'm going to have mostly rhode island reds and a few bantams. I live in CT. Winters can be pretty cold. Do you keep them inside the coop most of the time or do you give them the option of going outside??
I let them choose.. they can go in and out at will.. I have a small pop door that i use in the winter, so i dont have to keep the big/main door open.. edited to add..i always lock them inside at night though...
We allow ours the choice of going out or staying inside. We unroll a large round bale of hay (not straw)inside the run(although the chickens have the option of free ranging)and the ground does not freeze under the hay. Bugs stay alive under the hay and they scratch for them. While scratching for bugs and finding seeds in the hay, some of the seeds drop to the ground and sprout very eary in the spring for them to have some greens to eat. They seem to enjoy the deep hay. We will see some chickens snuggled down in it for afternoon naps even in the coldest weather.
Quote:OK, help me out... what exactly is winter in Phoenix? Do you have to wear a sweater or just long sleeves? OK, I live in Ohio, if the temp drops down below 20 I usually keep them in or just let them out for a short time in mid day. If it gets to single digits or below I do not let them out. I had EE and Buckeyes though and they are cold weather tolerant. This will be my first year with comets and they have a single comb so I'll have to see how they do. My EE layed as long as it was at least 20 so they weren't too stressed. PS. I did put a little vasaline on their combs when it was really cold. But last winter was realllllllllly cold here. We had about 3 wks straight with temps in the single digits or colder. I only did it twice.
I collect bags of leaves all fall. After it snows I throw a bag out into the run. They love it.. they do not love the snow. Great layered compost when Spring arrives.
I let my girls out year round and I live in NH where we had temps last year down to -25 degrees. They hate snow and wind, though, so I completely enclose part of their run in white plastic sheeting. In the enclosed area I use the deep litter method to keep the ground from getting mucky and wet. They spend all of their time in that area of the run. With the wind blocked and the snow off the ground that space is actually toasty warm on sunny days.
I give them the choice, I'm in MA. and it gets cold, if only b/c of wind chill. But they hate the snow, so i shovel to the ground if possible and throw some of their favorite treat to temp them. Alot of times they don't fall for it. Anyway, my feeling is, if they go outside, they poop outside and thats a good thing
