Lost to life farm

[Fawnpuppet]

Part II
With the covering done (I didn't get a picture yet because it was late at night when I finished because I needed my SO help to put it on) I was pleased with how it looked and expected it to hold up.
A few days passed and it held up beautifully in the wind and rain. I thought I figured it out!... ya... I should have known...

Christmas came and went. And with it went a "lovely", windy and snowy night. I hoped the ventilation space at the top would be ok even though the wind and snow was coming from the side. When I went out this morning, my heart dropped. There was snow frozen to the hardware cloth, covering a vast majority of it. Same thing on the other side. Grim-faced, I opened the coop door. First came #2 and my fears were realized. She had snow frozen to her feathers! The others dared venture out looking for the food I brought, and they all had the same thing: snow on them.

I helped get the flock to the safety and shelter of the camper shell and made sure they could eat and that their water wasn't frozen. They aren't friendly enough yet where I can pick them up to help with the snow; plus they were hungry so I let them be. I'm going to check on them later and make sure they are OK despite the snow and wind, but I feel terrible that this happened in the first place. Here are some pictures of inside their coop. I'll have to make some modifications so the snow can't get in again and freeze my chickies. This is certainly a learning experience but the heartache knowing you could have done better is real. Knock on wood, but the flock appears to be doing OK despite my inadequacies. I'll keep checking on them and bring them inside if any show even a hint of suffering in the snow.

 

[Silkie Princess]

Do they have a dry place to go? A protection from the snow?
I would definitely predator proof the coop. As soon as possible. Foxes take their time to figure out the best way to get in...

I get that youre learning the same way I did and still am). Wishing you luck!

 

[Fawnpuppet]

They do have somewhere dry to go. We have a truck camper shell a few yards away from their coop. They usually spend their days in it away from the weather.
I'd like to think their coop is fairly predator proof; only the back worries me. It's the weather that is creating issues right now.

 

[Fawnpuppet]

All is well

Later today I went out to the run to check the flock. There was no snow or frost on the little ladies and they were all energetic and lively as usual. Thankfully, the snowstorm didn't get to them too bad. #2 was in the coop getting ready to lay. However, she was on the roost and not in a nesting box (due to the snow.) I put a bit of dry straw in the lesser snow-covered boxes and put it next to her. She went in but the box was sideways. I, trying to be nice, turned it so she could get out easier. Big mistake. #2 decided she didn't like being turned so jumped out and called for our rooster.

Friz came up from the camper shell and went straight into the coop making some of his little rooster noises. He was up on the roost and the nesting boxes making little cluck noises. I can only assume #2 called him over to help her find a spot to lay her egg since I disturbed her.

When I went out later, she had laid her egg in the nesting box I prepared. But I have to say, it was really neat to see #2 calling for help and Friz answer. He is such a good little boy to the ladies, even if he isn't even a year old. I love watching my flock interact with each other.

Another little observation: my baby boy and I went out to check the chickies and they were out roaming near their coop. Friz was buddying up with another of my pullets who has yet to lay. Hopefully that is a good sign she'll start laying soon (HAHA one can dream. It's likely too late in the year). Regardless, my rooster has accepted his flock of one lady who is laying and two that aren't quite there yet.

 

[Fawnpuppet]

It's official! All three of my hens are laying. A second, who I am pretty sure is B, laid an egg on 12/31. This morning Blue was making a racket. I later found her in the nesting box making some pur/trilling noises. B joined her in the second box, which is the one I found the egg last year in. I'm a bit worried about her though, of the three eggs I think she laid, they had some blood on them. She is a new layer, however, and a novice vent examination didn't reveal anything worrisome. Hopefully it's just because she is a new layer.
I also caught Blue in the nesting box. Her egg wasn't like any others I've gotten so far. That's why I think is her first. It was a different lighter shade and a bit oblong. But it's nice to know all the hens I got in April are now laying. It took them long enough!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Congrats. The blood is normal for new layers. It even happens sometimes with regular layers.

 

[Dlepage]

Cover the coop on plastic you can buy on a roll at the hardware store that will prevent drafts but make sure you leave ventilation
I don’t blame them for not wanting to come out. But if you set the coop up with more draft free zones the will be warmer
We live in Ontario Canada and it gets really cold last night it was -22 c.
It was -3C inside the coop I have two cozy coop heaters that just take the chill out but you can rest your hand on them they don’t burn
My chickens don’t mind the snow but I don’t let them put on their own in winter because at frostbite
Here is their first experience with snow

 

[Dlepage]

I can see there is hardware cloth around the whole thing now that I'm on my tablet.
I'm wondering if with the winter weather, you would need a stationary coop and use the mobile coop in the spring through fall. If it were me, I'd consider building a coop off of the ground with a small run where you can block more snow and wind for them to get out and stretch their legs.
I see you have electric netting. Plenty of people have lost birds to foxes jumping over netting especually since the snow and wind is affecting the set up and effectiveness.
Do your chickens come out when there is that much snow? My run area is pretty open, but I have to dig paths for mine to walk out in snow. Maybe setting up some of the pallets into an upside down v could provide some extra shelter out there?

These pics are reminding me that even though we've had mild temps, winter is still coming my way.

I cover my run wit clear plastic for the winter allowing some ventilation by the door but the rest is covered giving it a green house effect They have a sand floor and lots of perches and a heated water jug. No snow gets in I scoop poop with a kitty litter scoop. Almost daily No smell in the summer and no flies
I close off some of the vents I. The winter but leave some air flow