new to the community

[Kdunn]

Well we just jumped into the chicken community. have 6 rhode island reds about 3-4 weeks old. Putting up the coop this weekend. Love it so far. Any suggestions, tips, tricks appreciated.

I have heard pros and cons of having water in the coop and not out-but with being in northern IL, figured I will have to have on inside and running on a circulation pump to keep from freezing. any suggestions appreciated.

 

[Phoenixheart14]

I live in central Texas, so I can't help you on the heated water.

So happy you're diving into the world of chickens!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

 

[Pork Pie]

Hello and welcome to BYC. Similarly, I have no experience with keeping chickens in cold temperatures. I'd suggest using the search function for suggestions. These links may be interesting

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-chicken-keeping
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-chicken-keeping

Here’s a good link where you’ll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping chickens - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/


There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.


Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive


You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find Your State Thread


Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[ronott1]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens!

I do not have to worry about frozen water here!

I have seen heated water fountains that seem to work well

 

[Plip]

Welcome to BYC! Great to have you here!

We don't have the long winter or the deep cold like you do. But when we get a couple of weeks in the 20s, I just break ice up a few times a day (I work from home, so I can do that during the day, too). And if I need to be gone for most of the day, I give them warm water before I go, to have it last longer.

But I expect that wouldn't work for a lot of people, because their water would freeze more quickly and they just wouldn't be around at all during the day.

You could probably make it work with a five gallon bucket with a stock tank heater (or a bird bath heater) and horizontal nipples screwed into the sides of the bucket.

 

[alexa009]

Welcome to backyard chickens! Glad you joined the flock! Cold winters can usually be a problem when comes to supplying water for the chickens but I always detach my hose when water becomes frozen and makes it difficult to pump out. Although I rarely get those problems where I live. I sure hope you enjoy being in the BYC community! A lot of forums to post in articles to read etc.. Again, !

 

[sourland]

Welcome to the BYC community and the world of chicken keeping.

 

[Joeschooks]

Hello and welcome to BYC! If there’s one piece of advice I’d give it’s to start with a coop and run bigger than you need. Sure you’ll be adding to your flock come next year!

 

[drumstick diva]