Looking for Winter Advice- What do you wish you had known

[Reinbeau]

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Oh, you learned more than you know from your dad. And you're amongst the greatest knowledge base of all things chicken here on BYC!

I'm sorry your Dad is gone, I feel for you. Mine has been gone almost eleven years now and I still miss him as much as the day he died. Dads don't last long enough!

You don't need to heat or light anything, the chickens will do fine without both. Just give them a draft free yet well ventilated, safe space and they'll do just fine.

 

[Renigeid]

Lights! I've wondered about it myself. I keep a 40 watt bulb burning in the house (12' x 15' x 7' H, day and night. Chickens seem to pay no attention as Jo Jo (the rooster) brings them in at sundown and they all head for the roost. I have noticed as the days are getting shorter that he is keeping with the time. He was bringing them in at 8 PM, then seven PM, then six PM and now about five PM.

I've heard that the light keeps them laying more but do not really know as I also do not know if my 40 watt bulb causes any problems. It is still so dim in there that you can hardly see them on the roost after dark. Any ideas anyone about the 40 watt bulb 24 hours?

Hay! Mites! Yup, mites can probably get into the stems but I do dust the house every time I clean out the old hay and droppings (every two weeks). I also make sure that I apply dust in the cracks around toe boards at the floor and lightly on the floor before laying down a thin layer of hay (not straw). When I was a kid those darn things (mites) would get on me every time I had to clean out the chicken house

.So far, no mite problems, but I will keep a sharp lookout for them.

Nice forum here folks and I really appreciate the tips and advice that I find on here.

All help appreciated here as I learn something new every day and I will be 73 years old this coming November.

 

[ozark hen]

You don't need to heat or light anything, the chickens will do fine without both. Just give them a draft free yet well ventilated, safe space and they'll do just fine. by Reinbeau
Use this above info as your guide. They do not need light or heat...simple unless it gets down near the teens then we hang a light over the water bowl ONLY. Their feathers keep them warm. If it gets too cold then put some vaseline on their combs and forget it. so sorry about your dad. Ask yourself, what would dad say? I find that usually the answer comes to me when I do that.

The hay will be great under that flat roof.
Renigeid so glad to have you and your input here.

 

[cajunlizz]

I was told with LESS daytime hours during the winter months , causes them to LAY LESS .

So , adding light to the coop would NOT help ?

 

[Reinbeau]

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Yes, it will help, but I've also read to let things be, and don't try to make them lay when they usually lay off, it burns them out to keep them laying all the time. That's what I'm planning on doing.

 

[ozark hen]

I left the lights on a timer last winter, but I won't do it again. I have orpingtons who lay all winter long anyway so I am just going to allow them to all do their own thing. I have just read too much on how it can hurt them internally. Lots of folks disagree so it is my choice to turn off the lights. The other hens don't have to lay.

 

[cajunlizz]

The reason I am asking , I have about 30 - 40 head that are just starting to lay NOW and several others will be laying very soon , and I was wondering about the winter months

 

[gwynhwyfar]

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Thanks for the help!

I know that I'm probably worrying more than I need to, because I worried when I moved them outside from the inside where they were as chicks and I worried when I started to let them free-range. But I'm probably still going to worry, too.

I did giggle at the idea of grabbing chickens to put vaseline on their combs. That sounds like a weird combination of messy and fun, but I'm a little demented. I think I'll be very glad that the lot of 'em kinda think I might be mom and are pretty good about tolerating me handling them. The Barred Rocks are better about it than the RIRs.

If they're let out during the day, what is 'too cold' for them to be outside? Other than a hanging cabbage from the ceiling, what can I do to keep them amused on the days that are too cold?

 

[ChickaD]

Oh gosh, that sounds like a chicken pinata!

What a neat idea!

Yesterday I discovered a big hit with the "girls": toss them corn cobs we'd pretty much cleaned off, which still contained little bits of corn...they went NUTS! Of course, corn on the cobb isn't as easy to procure in winter, unfortunately.

Some folks toss some scratch onto the floor, so it gives the chickens a fun project, and the corn warms them up besides. Another idea might be meal worms...anyone (besides me) thinking of raising their own to cut down on the expense? (Oh boy, ANOTHER project! Am I nuts?

)

 

[ozark hen]

Your chickens will not go out if they do not want to go out. I toss some chops on the floors of both rooms to give them something to scratch for, which also turns the bedding on the floors, which makes my job much easier since they are now "helping"

Leave the coop door open during the daytime and the ones wanting out will go out. I have said before, we unroll a large round bale of hay in the run and that gives them much to play in and I have seen them nestle down into it on really cold days but they still wanted to be outside. Let your chickens guide you.