First winter with my girls! Please help!

[Blooie]

EXCELLENT post, and I'm in agreement with you totally! Can I have permission to re-post it to the thread

Preparing Your Coop & Flock for WINTER thread?

A lot of newbies would gain great knowledge from it...let me know!

I'm a little surprised! There are so many good posts about wintering chickens and I built mine with those posts in mind - as well as a good dose of common sense. But if you would like to add this post to those I would be very pleased. Thank you.

 

[iwiw60]

I'm a little surprised! There are so many good posts about wintering chickens and I built mine with those posts in mind - as well as a good dose of common sense. But if you would like to add this post to those I would be very pleased. Thank you.

 

[GeneralJinjur]

I live just south of Denver, CO, and our 4 chickens were in a little Eglu over some very chilly nights last year. Several mornings, it was -12 when I left the house at 6:00. Chickens were fine. Our biggest winter struggle was keeping them supplied with unfrozen water.

 

[Pip4Chirp]

What did you do about the water? That's a concern I have as well.

That's awesome that your four chickens did so well in the cold! I'm feeling a lot more confident in my coop after reading these posts. I assume you have cold hardy chickens. What breed are your girls?

 

[Percheron chick]

Chickens don't drink at night so i just take the waterer inside or dump it. They also make heated chicken waterers or dog bowls that work well.

 

[GeneralJinjur]

We had 3 Red Stars and a fake Australorp (she has feathered feet as an adult, so I don't know if she's a mix or what. Pretty black feathers and a nice disposition. Oh, and she likes to hop up in the window and watch TV!) This year, we have added some RIRs and Black Stars.

We tried using a light bulb in a little brick frame with the water container on top, but that didn't keep it from freezing. Ultimately, we just kept heading out to the yard and knocking out the ice and adding fresh, warm water a few times each day. It helps to put the water in the full sun, so it has the best chance of staying melted. This year, I would be willing to buy a heated waterer. That was too much work.

 

[Pip4Chirp]

I was planning on having an extra water container and switching them out once a day with warm water. It sounds like on the cold days the warm water was freezing up quickly so I would be switching out containers several times a day? Sounds like I may need a heated waterer as well. And an extremely long extension cord.

What is with all this crazy humidity this year? I got a hygrometer yesterday for the coop but I noticed the outdoor humidity was at 80% this morning! The humidity inside the coop can't really be less than the humidity outside, can it? Unless it's raining....

Love the tv watching, fake Astralorp!! Never thought chickens could be so much fun but they are pretty amazing.

 

[Pip4Chirp]

Hi Percheron Chick, do you use a heated waterer? If you've had good luck with it, would you share what kind it is?

 

[iwiw60]

Hi Percheron Chick, do you use a heated waterer? If you've had good luck with it, would you share what kind it is?

Saw your post and several others wanting to know about heated waterers...here's what I've done.

I have 2-1/2 gallon white plastic water buckets with horizontal water nipples. I am using a 250-watt mini stock tank/birdbath heater in mine and they are working nicely, even though the extreme lows haven't hit yet.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Allied-Precision-Deluxe-Bird-Bath-Heater-and-De-icer/17365953

Granted, they are a 'spendy' up-front expense, but well worth it in the long run. They turn on when water hits 43 degrees, and turns off around 58-60 degrees automatically. They are safe for plastic buckets...they are completely USA-made, and the quality of workmanship shows. Hope this helps everyone!

 

[Percheron chick]

Hi Percheron Chick, do you use a heated waterer? If you've had good luck with it, would you share what kind it is?

I don't for the chickens because they are in an old horse barn and I'm too scared to run power in it. I just dump it. I also have water out in the run in a black flat horse feed pan that sits in the sun during the day so most days it thaws. I could cover it with more black rubber and just leave a small opening for them to drink out of.

There seems to be quite a few "new" faces from Colorado. Might be time for a get together. Maybe a bird swap and breakfast?