Relax. I have already had sub zero temperatures this year and it was down to 1°F last night. I regularly see -30°F at some point during the winter. My chickens do fine without any supplemental heat. Good ventilation, no condensation and a dry coop will be fine. At some point, have an electric line run to the coop so that you can eliminate the extension cord.
Awesome...and Thank You!
Well, I guess all of us that are up at this hour thinking about our hens are weird then, huh? I can't sleep either. I'm in Illinois and it is damn cold here. This is my second year with my girls, they did much better than I thought they would last year. You picked some good cold hardy hens. I have buffs,Wellsummers, and black jersey Giants. All doing great.
Unfortunately, the run is NOT draft-free. The coop is integrated within the run. I have wrapped the entire run in segments but there are gaps where the snow can drift in; it keeps the winds and driving snow at bay but it is not full-proof. It was the best we could do and is NOT full proof; there are gaps where the snow gets in. The gaps are about 2 inches wide where the snow flows through. The picture is the run/coop from this past summer...all of the areas around the run have been wrapped at this time.
Oh yes...I am giving them Small Pet Select Layer (Soy-Free, Corn Free, Non-GMO) Feed which is 18% Protein plus giving them Gubblies and greens every day. I am doing the natural cycle and not pushing extra light on them to keep producing but yet, I am getting about 3-5 eggs per day from my girls (I've got 10 girls). I thought they wouldn't be laying at all by now but some still are!
OH, my! Y'all are in way colder weather than me! I thought I had it bad. I see you are in UT. Others on here are in MI. and SD. I guess I've got it pretty good here.
I have 14 hens. I'm getting 8-10 a day still. Two of mine are too old to lay, so my girls are working good for me! Do you sell your eggs?
But you are in IL! I lived in LaPorte, IN and it was freaking cold there too...just 120 minutes from the loop! Now I live in what is called the "high" desert where nothing lives and the heat and cold are brutal. Just hoping I (and my girls) can get through this season...summer was brutal...this winter is turning out the same...
I hooked up with a gal and her husband who have started a farmer's market but it is not going right now and won't start up again until June next year...farmer's markets are usually about the things that are grown from the land not above the land. I have put my eggs for sale on local social media platforms and I do give them to my neighbors...I have way too many for just my home. I also give them to my sons when I can see them. Even when my girls are too old to lay anymore, I will still care for them in their sunset years because after all, I'm there too!
