Hey all My first time around during the winter months...my 5 girls are 7 mos. old and free range in my yard typically...i have a run and their coop is in my garage. Food (grasses etc) is getting more scarce as it is almost Dec. in New England. I have a few questions as I head into winter with them. They are RR and plymouth rocks.....1. how cold is too cold for them...do I keep them inside or can they go out in snow?..2. I know about vaseline on the waddles and combs...what temp should I start to apply that? and how do their feet stay protected? 3. since they wont have all the grasses they had all summer....do i give them something extra with their layer feed during the winter? 4. Will they continue to want to be out in the winter months to free range or do i keep them in the run with straw on the ground?.................any answers or opinions will be greatly appreciated......other than ranging a little further than normal, they seem very happy still and are still laying well....just trying to stay ahead of the curve with the winter almost here.....Thanks All Dobe
If it were me, I'd throw them a handful of cracked corn a day and make sure they had a windbreak in the run. Then I'd let them choose whether to go out in the snow or not. I haven't used vaseline- but I have read that it should be applied BEFORE frostbite. I let mine out in the snow to free range. But if the weather is severe use your judgement and keep them in. (If you are worried.) We don't get much snow here and it melts in a few days. If we had a snowy cover on the ground for months, I think I would build them a shed so they could stay inside as much as possible. So their feet don't freeze. I live in the Pacific NW- totally different from New England. Bump- so someone from a snowy part of the world will answer!!!
