I love my chickens but not sure I did the right thing by getting them

[oldchickenlady]

Mine roosted outside all winter after I built a platform in the top of their covered run. I meant for it to be a place where the more timid hens could go to get away from the meaner ones. Instead they started roosting there, even in single digit weather. I had BO's and RIR's...they were fine and I worried for nothing...

 

[kimbymarie]

Thank you everyone who replied. I want both I guess the truth and reassurence. Thank you also for the nice comments about my chickens. I guess I'm just extremely nervous being my first year with the chickens, besides being a worry wart, which Judy I am going to repeat your signature" Worry is interest paid on trouble before it falls due" everytime I start to worry about things pertaining to chickens or otherwise. The house part of the coop they sleep in I believe is draft free. I will be enclosing the run attached to the coop with a heavy clear plastic on the left side and end. I already have plastic up on right side. I was thinking of covering the door 1/2 up with plastic too, but leaving the top half of door uncovered, this way they will have a completely snow free area to roam during the snowy months. I will put some bales of hay in there for them as suggested, thank you. I just need to get through the winter season and a full year which brings me to April. Then maybe I can sit back and say, " The chickens and I fared well during the winter. I will keep them and refer back to these post when needed. They have made me feel better. I appreciate greatly all of you commenting and your support. Kim

 

[clubby]

Its my first winter too Kim and like you im thinking did i do the right thing getting them in the first place,i have also felt iresponsible at times getting them without knowing anything about them ,but no matter how much i read up about them nothing made sense to me so i just had to dive in , i try and console myself by saying as xbatterys they have enjoyed doing all the things a chicken should do all summer ,one even went broody and hatched 3 eggs i got her last week,my biggest worry is if they get sick and i dont know how to make them better ,they just seem so much more complicated than dogs and cats ,the last 2 winters here (ireland) have been pretty bad ,but their tough little cookies and i wouldnt be without them now . Lovely set up you have and the birds are beautifull.

 

[mestaske]

First off. Chicken in delight

"I try to remind myself of things like... they are only chickens. I had a chicken sandwich for lunch. My chickens are really fortunate compared to most. "

Hilarious.

Secondly. The coop looks pretty small. With the proper insulation and plenty of cozy straw and snuggly places I am sure your chickens will be fine.

 

[Angiebubs]

kimbymaire-Im right there with you-I don't even have mine out in the coop yet and Im a wreck-and as you said I know Im being ridiculous. Starting to wonder if this "fun" hpbby is going to be more worrisome than fun!!!
Where I live, we have so many predators, barn cats, raccons, bear, possums, coyotes, woodchucks, hawks, bald eagles, you name it! And just when Im thinking I have the coop as safe as possible, I walked outside 15 mins ago and guess what? a MINK!!! IT seemed pretty friendly too-kept coming towards me, well before I had time to think, our hunting dog came around the corner and killed it.

I feel sick! One part of me is sick! (Still trying to block out the sounds) and the other part of me is thinking-mink kill chickens!!! And suppossedly, we live far enough from water that they arent around here...first time we've seen one in 10 yrs. Wondering if it could smell my chicks???
I've talked about getting a baby monitor to put out there the first few nights/weeks till Im sure nothing is bothering them....also planning on getting some older hens-hoping they bring some "street smarts" with them.

 

[kimbymarie]

How would you recommend insulating my coop, it does have a steel ceiling/roof. Do I need to put insulation against that also. My coop when I bought it was to be the size that could handle 12 chickens. Both my husband and i thought that six could fit comfortably so we settled for six chickens. I do keep a thick layer of pine shavings on the floor and clean out the poop everyday which is not a problem for me to do. Is that enough on the floor? Oh my gosh, a mink, that would be scary having one of those around the chickens. I did make sure that the coop with attached run has hardwire cloth, it's up on timbers three high and hardwire cloth on floor of coup with a truckload of sand installed. I truely think I have that covered well.

 

[Judy]

Even insulation is a debatable thing. It won't change the interior temp much. Again, ventilation is the most critical thing, and drafts on the birds when it is very cold. What is your coop made of?

If you insulate, you will have to cover it as they will eat the insulation. The most practical thing to cover it with is probably OSB (particleboard) as it is less expensive than plywood. But then it has lots of nooks and crannies for lice / mites to hide and lay eggs in. If you have a plywood coop it may not need insulating.

Sorry, thought I had already posted this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION -- this is a really good page with links to some other really good ones.

 

[Player Hater]

if i could interject here: what are their perches like?

are they round (a natural branch or a round dowel)

or flat? (like a 2x4)


supposedly if you have a nice wide perch, like a 2x4 or a 2x6 that is placed flat like a shelf, they tend to be able to cover their feet with their bodies more; if you have a small round perch, their toes stick out, and can get cold in severe weather

 

[ThinkingChickens]

My girls were just six weeks old when they went through snow which buried their coop. They still came out into their run and they were just fine. I still have them all. I agree that summer is much harder on them.

 

[kimbymarie]

My roosting board is a 2x4 turned so they are sitting on the 4 inch side and the walls of my coop are think peices of wood, not plywood here is a picture