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

[lauralou]

I just wish I had known how cold hardy chickens really are. I'm in Virginia, and our winters aren't that bad at all, but I was freaking out the first time it snowed.

"Oh please help me, BYC friends, there's a half an inch of snow on the ground. What should I do?" Hahahaha! I'm such a dork! The chickens loved the snow, and they were just fine.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I would be awfully careful about that (read: you will never catch me doin' it). Even assuming this is a metal waterer we're talking about, heat tape is not really designed to be used on a) thin metal that b) does not have water on the other side of it (as your waterer will not once the level drops).

It seems strange to be saying this in July

but folks, heat tapes are a MAJOR cause of barn fires, and if you absolutely have to use one, use one made in the past few yrs and follow the manufacturer's directions exactly.

End of public service announcement

,

Pat

 

[Beekissed]

Well, it will be a plastic waterer and I used the tape successfully on the waterer in my rabbit barn, so I think I'll try it here.

Oh, Pat, I love the eternal safety watch dog that you are!!!!

I'll be most careful in the use and application!

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

I didn't take the time to read through all the posts here, but I seen a few replys asking about the heated water bowls...

Yes we have the electric ones for dogs in our chicken coop.
But I have also seen ones that are red based with a white top...look like the feeders....that are electric.
Also have seen the heating bases that you can stick the water dishes on top.

The water NOT being froze is so wonderful.

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
I might be asking a stupid question , ESP. since I never have to worry about having to use or do anything like that in South Louisiana , BUT why couldn't ya'll go a VERY cheap route and use a fish aquarium water heater ? Would be SO MUCH CHEAPER ... YOU WHAT ? I SAID NEVER . MOM taught me never to say NEVER . Hmmmmmm

 

[rooster0209]

I used the same heated dish that I bought for the dog. Worked perfectly. I will be buying a third one this year.

I glass inserts in the top of my coop that the sun shine through. Its a converted hog house

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

Quote:
I might be asking a stupid question , ESP. since I never have to worry about having to use or do anything like that in South Louisiana , BUT why couldn't ya'll go a VERY cheap route and use a fish aquarium water heater ? Would be SO MUCH CHEAPER ... YOU WHAT ? I SAID NEVER . MOM taught me never to say NEVER . Hmmmmmm

I guess I never thought of something like that...
I wonder if the fish tank ones would be warm enough. I bet the ones for fish ponds would work though....

Oh I wanted to add it WASN'T a stupid question...Those are only the ones NOT asked...

It actually is a very interesting question in wether it would work or not....
Maybe the ones for tanks would work in states that are a little warmer that WI...I have lots of fish tanks and fish ponds here I might have to test this out myself this winter...

 

[lurky]

The only thing i wish we had done is proper ventilation in the coop.

 

[Skyesrocket]

Mom 2 them all: Well, I hate thinking about it right now- beautiful day outside- but it is much easier to do winter prep when the weather is nice, than when the wind and cold snow and ice is blowing and I am a big wimp!
My husband never seems to get this memo.

I have read where people use the leaves they rake up in the fall for coop bedding. They say that by the end of winter it is great mulch, and the birds seem to enjoy picking through it. The chickens scratching through it breaks up the leaves.
I would think that if you raked the leaves when it was dry that you could store some and use them for bedding during the winter.

 

[Sparks]

The dumb thing we did was drop a bird bath type heater into their metal water dish. Couldn`t figure out why they were`nt drinking that inside water. We put a dog bowl heater in and put the birdbath one into the birdbath. It kept throwing our breakers. Turned out it was giving our chickens a shock when they drank so they only drank from the outside waterer. Lesson learned!....The smartest thing we did for our very cold winters was collect a dozen or more bags of leaves and line one outside wall of the coop. When it snowed we threw down leaves and then the chickens would come out and they loved scratching in it. By the time we used up all the bags we had some lovely compost material!!! But we had layers and layers of leaves and ice and snow to thaw out. Made me remember that ice was stored in sawdust in the winter before freezers were invented. LIVE AND LEARN!