Kirmi8
Songster
Hi, everyone.
As the Canadian prairies start to get cold, I’m just curious if and what I can do for my very naked chicken to keep her warm. I have 40 chickens in a roughly 10 x 16 well-insulated coop. Last year I had 17 Leghorns in there for the winter and we managed fairly well (I had heat lamps that were maintained 2-3 times daily) but they had no access to outside (and no desire to go out either). I tried deep litter method with straw but this year I’m going ton primarily use shavings.
This year I have added many more hens (a mix of heritage breeds and 4 bantams). I have some hens with fairly significant feather loss (some came to me bald and some got trashed by a rooster I no longer have). My one hen is very naked and doesn’t appear to have any new feather growth at all. Is she going to be okay in a non-heated coop? She gets a little bit bullied and tries to keep a low profile so she doesn’t seem to snuggle with anyone and hangs out in the nesting boxes a lot (haven’t seen her outside since the summer).
So far I’ve been opening the door to let them out all day if they want and closing at night. I’ve added another vent in the peak to create the air flow at the roof for better ventilation. The outside pen has also been wrapped in tarp to limit the wind.
Does my naked hen need a sweater? Lol. Or just keep an eye on her?
My husband bought me a coop heat pad that they can sit on because he knows I’m worried about her, but I’m wondering if I should get a cozy coop heat pad instead? I don’t want to use my heat lamps this year because there are too many birds and much more flying around the coop and potential for mishaps.
Anyways, worried chicken mom and want to make sure everyone is comfortable and safe. We can get to - 50 C here. Last year the coop stayed at - 20 C when it was -50 C (with heat lamps).
As the Canadian prairies start to get cold, I’m just curious if and what I can do for my very naked chicken to keep her warm. I have 40 chickens in a roughly 10 x 16 well-insulated coop. Last year I had 17 Leghorns in there for the winter and we managed fairly well (I had heat lamps that were maintained 2-3 times daily) but they had no access to outside (and no desire to go out either). I tried deep litter method with straw but this year I’m going ton primarily use shavings.
This year I have added many more hens (a mix of heritage breeds and 4 bantams). I have some hens with fairly significant feather loss (some came to me bald and some got trashed by a rooster I no longer have). My one hen is very naked and doesn’t appear to have any new feather growth at all. Is she going to be okay in a non-heated coop? She gets a little bit bullied and tries to keep a low profile so she doesn’t seem to snuggle with anyone and hangs out in the nesting boxes a lot (haven’t seen her outside since the summer).
So far I’ve been opening the door to let them out all day if they want and closing at night. I’ve added another vent in the peak to create the air flow at the roof for better ventilation. The outside pen has also been wrapped in tarp to limit the wind.
Does my naked hen need a sweater? Lol. Or just keep an eye on her?
My husband bought me a coop heat pad that they can sit on because he knows I’m worried about her, but I’m wondering if I should get a cozy coop heat pad instead? I don’t want to use my heat lamps this year because there are too many birds and much more flying around the coop and potential for mishaps.
Anyways, worried chicken mom and want to make sure everyone is comfortable and safe. We can get to - 50 C here. Last year the coop stayed at - 20 C when it was -50 C (with heat lamps).
