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

[whatsup chickenbutt]

Now that I have a flock of chickens, I am very concerned about the winter, and their hardiness. But I have to remind myself of a chicken i had 2 years ago. Somebody had gotten an easter chick, didnt want it after about 3 weeks and brought it to my acre, which, to city dwellers means farm, and animal ready, I guess. we kept it in a bird cage for a few more weeks, then let it outside, when it ougrew the cage. She didnt have a coop, a yard, a heat lamp, or anything. She lived here for 2 years happy as can be free ranging, finding shelter and leaving us an egg everyday at the bottom of the stairs. Our winter is about 25-30 average during the day. Now my 20 chickens have each other, and a coop inside the barn with a light bulb for heat. I think they should be fine...

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Hi Quizzle! Your birds should be just fine in Seattle. I lived there for several years, and as long as you don't coddle them, they'll develop a nice down undercoat that will keep them warm, even on those rare occasions that you get snow.

Ahhh... I miss Seattle sometimes.

 

[catsdogshens&more]

Hi
My 3 pet hens have stopped laying! We usually get 6 per week from each. All stopped laying 3 days ago.
We have a very 'soft' winter in northern California, and it is not dark until 7PM. They go to bed about 6.30, as soon as the sun goes down over the house.
They have a small coop - a large remodeled dog kennel, with an outside run attached and the run of the yard during the day. We read about using extra lights to make bedtime later, but they didn't take any notice and went to bed anyway. Is it usual for them to stop laying this early for the winter?
I hope you can help somehow!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Is it possible that they're the same age and going into a molt at the same time? Has anything changed abruptly in the last week? Any predators harassing them? Have you checked them for lice, or wormed them? All those things can cause them to suspend laying.

 

[catsdogshens&more]

They are not all the same age - the buff orpington and the americana were hatched at the end of Feb, and have been laying about 6 a week, and the silver laced was april, and has only been laying for about 3 weeks, but one every day! All are healthy and eating well - really eating a lot actually.
They are happy, ....the only thing that might have spooked them was a small redtail hawk's been eyeing them all summer and flys over about once a week - they don't even take much notice of it any more! It's just so odd they all stopped laying on the same day - so that's why I thought it must be to do with the hours of daylight? Is that likely? They move towards the coop as the sun goes down the other side of the house, and are already on their perches by dusk.
We live in suburbia with street lights all around and a yard light that comes on after dark.
Thanks

 

[catsdogshens&more]

Does anyone else feel that their chickens are a highly intelligent, vindictive and deceitful lot, waiting for a time to strike, mad not to be allowed to explore the neighbors flower gardens, and masquerading as beautiful, harmless, stupid fowl, only interested in food? Well, my three got me good and proper. Yes. after hours of research into hens/eggs/winter and rigging up complicated lamps and wiring to make their day longer, I found a nest at the back of the yard that they've all been contributing to for 4 days - 9 eggs, three different colors - (it was beautiful, I wish I'd taken a photo...). I think the hens got mad at me constantly stealing their eggs and looked for somewhere to hide them! Or maybe they think the bunny that comes to visit the coop is a threat....
Buffy is the ringleader - a beautiful buxom golden buff orpington, then there's Fezzy, the americana that looks just like a (big, fat) pheasant, and Sylvia...the silver laced wyandotte who behaves just like a prizzy friend of mine with the same name....and they looked surprised when they got busted!
They are in the pen(itentiary) until they learn to use the nesting box again! I'm sure that will be tomorrow, with the help of some marble eggs that look remarkably like their own nestled in there.
Thanks for your ideas

 

[ozark hen]

Ahhh yes, mine have been giving me one or two eggs per day now...buff orpingtons, ee's and one dominque...not to mention the silkie. If I get two eggs then one is a duck's egg. They have had a meeting I am sure to with-hold (sp?)their eggs from me. For the life of me I cannot find their hiding spot! Molting is not the problem here at all.

 

[geckomama]

Ours hide theirs everyday......The silly chooks NEVER lay in the same spot!!!

And I am confident it is a conspiracy!

 

[redhead83402]

hehehe ~ my hens really have no-where else to lay other than their boxes, because they are in a move-able arc ~ however, I do have one crafty hen that decided that if she only went half-way to the nest-box, she could lay in the upper half of the arc ( like a coop, sorta), and the humans *WOULD NEVER KNOW*. And it worked too, till we kept thinking, ~gee, these one of these chickens is a slacker, we aren't getting the full amount we should be~, and decided to take a look. Sure enough, she had hidden away 5 eggs in there!!! Little stinker .... and we don't even have any roosters ~
~Red

 

[ChickaD]

catsdogshens&more

And yes, I'm sure a large part of our chickens' ongoing entertainment system is outwitting us in the Chicken Battle of Wits, in which I'm the half-wit!