Joined today, been using this site for a couple years

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LeahinBC

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Dec 13, 2020
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I finally plunged into the mix and registered to this site, having used it for a couple years to research adding chickens to our life. We got our hens (3) at point-of-lay, at the end of August, and it has been amazing ever since! Love my birds to BITS!!
I find myself coming back to this site repeatedly, especially as we head into winter, feeling anxious and needing affirmation that my girls won’t need any heating help from us warm-blooded creatures. 🥴
I see many say “just don’t”. This makes sense completely biologically. Anyway, I look forward to periodically checking in and having the ability to talk to others more experienced as I learn ALL the ropes with my hens. (I never join group forums or hobby sites because I worry I may use up too much of my time there..lol)
Happy Sunday and thank you for having me!
Leah (in BC, Canada)
🥰
 
Welcome to BYC! This is a super resourceful community. :) As long as you have a nice draft-free and well ventilated coop, you should be good without heat. Supplemental heat can cause a lot of problems and you want the chickens to build up a good tolerance to the cold. The only exception to this is if you don't have cold-hardy breeds - then try to get a heat source that isn't a lamp as those can easily start fires. A heated waterer is important so they always have access to water (unless you always break the ice first thing in the morning). You can also feed them some scratch or cracked corn an hour before sunset to give them more energy for heating themselves as they digest it overnight.

Where in BC? I'm originally from Langley, but am now out in Nova Scotia.
 
Offshoreorca said:
Welcome to BYC! This is a super resourceful community. :) As long as you have a nice draft-free and well ventilated coop, you should be good without heat. Supplemental heat can cause a lot of problems and you want the chickens to build up a good tolerance to the cold. The only exception to this is if you don't have cold-hardy breeds - then try to get a heat source that isn't a lamp as those can easily start fires. A heated waterer is important so they always have access to water (unless you always break the ice first thing in the morning). You can also feed them some scratch or cracked corn an hour before sunset to give them more energy for heating themselves as they digest it overnight.

Where in BC? I'm originally from Langley, but am now out in Nova Scotia.
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Thank you!! 😊. I am in Kamloops. Probably not as consistently cold as Nova Scotia, but we definitely get our annual week-2 week stretch of -20 to -30. (Not as balmy as Langley)
I love this site: it has so much useful info and I love how obvious it is that so many people love their birds.
As I am TERRIBLY phobic of fire, I already decided there is no way I can use a heat lamp. Not to mention not wanting to cook the girls. So: I will fret but I think will soldier on knowing birds are cold blooded creatures and far more adaptable than myself in the cold.
We bring the waterer in each night, and I go out several times during the day to make sure it isn’t icing up. Possible I may break down for a heated waterer. Thank you for the advice on a late snack to keep them warm! I will try that out. 😊
Cheers!
 
LeahinBC said:
Thank you!! 😊. I am in Kamloops. Probably not as consistently cold as Nova Scotia, but we definitely get our annual week-2 week stretch of -20 to -30. (Not as balmy as Langley)
I love this site: it has so much useful info and I love how obvious it is that so many people love their birds.
As I am TERRIBLY phobic of fire, I already decided there is no way I can use a heat lamp. Not to mention not wanting to cook the girls. So: I will fret but I think will soldier on knowing birds are cold blooded creatures and far more adaptable than myself in the cold.
We bring the waterer in each night, and I go out several times during the day to make sure it isn’t icing up. Possible I may break down for a heated waterer. Thank you for the advice on a late snack to keep them warm! I will try that out. 😊
Cheers!
Click to expand...

Certain winters in Nova Scotia are actually quite mild even though the cold months drag on forever, so some years you will probably have us beat in terms of cold and for others, we'll be colder. We don't get good Arctic outflows every year, but the temps to regularly dip down to -15 most nights in the heart of winter (and lower for any cold snaps). I'd think the weather is likely fairly comparable to the BC interior for the Halifax/eastern seaboard area - which is the warmer part of the province.

What breed(s) do you have?

Sounds like you have a pretty good handle on preparations for winter. You can also lay down a thick layer of straw (not hay) in the coop for those cold snaps as straw retains heat a little better than shavings.
 

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