ChillnChick
Chirping
- Jun 21, 2022
- 13
- 46
- 59
I know this is about a month old but just saw your comment. I have to admit I also broke down and brought the chickens into our garage (with a little heat) during that week of single digits. We have portable fold out chicken pens we set up on a tarp with straw for the girls. We set up the cat carrier as their nesting box but they wanted nothing to do with that. They did like the cardboard box with a nesting pad but all tried to use it at the same time. (Even after I set a second one up and they only use 1 of 3 in their coop.) When the days became more tolerable they went out and foraged. They got used to coming in within 2 days and all hung out at the gate when it started getting dark. Then after almost a week they still wanted to keep coming in…lol. It took a few days before they slid back into their old routine. Live and learn.We spent days putting plastic around the runs (no worries, we left plenty of ventilation), and other things getting the chickens ready for the plummeting temperatures and brutal winds. Last night, we changed our minds. We live on 6-acres and have a cabin that is mostly finished (does have heat) on the other side of the property. We decided our plastic would not hold up in these winds. Also, the rain we were not suppose to have was misting. All combined a recipe for a possible bad situation. We taped plastic to the floor and then covered with pine shavings. Brought the water, food, nesting boxes, grit, electronic thermostats, cameras and then 9 hens and 2 roosters two by two in laundry baskets covered with towels, over to the cabin for the next 4-days. It took us 3-hours. We are not going to be extreme, keeping the temps in the 50’s for easier transition back to home. We made roosts with roosting bars using clamps between two ladders.