Newbie questions!

[GRB73]

Scratch is a treat for hens, use very sparingly. If there will be an extra cold night on tap I'll feed the girls a small amount of scratch. It warms them as they digest it during the night.

Hanging-up sunflower heads so the chickens have to work to get the seed is a nice winter treat for them. It keeps them entertained and gives them exercise during the days they don't/won't/can't go outside. It's fun to watch them jump up to get the seed!

I found the best thing to keep the water from freezing is to buy a heated dog dish. That worked for me last winter.

I've never used probiotic, but occasionally I'll feed the girls plain yogurt with a little of their feed in it. I also use apple cider vinegar (Braggs) in their drinker (2 tablespoons per gallon) for about 5 days every month.

Have fun!

 

[RonP]

Oh not adding salt to the water! I've seen ideas where you fill a small (think a 20 oz soda bottle) with salt water and place it in the waterer. The theory is that it should keep the water from freezing.

As the salt water bottle is not producing any energy, the saltwater and drinking water will both reach ambient temperatures. Saltwater will not freeze at the same temperature as the drinking water, but the fresh water will still freeze at around 32F or slightly below with impurities.

Hope this helps.

 

[trista85]

Scratch is a treat for hens, use very sparingly. If there will be an extra cold night on tap I'll feed the girls a small amount of scratch. It warms them as they digest it during the night.

Hanging-up sunflower heads so the chickens have to work to get the seed is a nice winter treat for them. It keeps them entertained and gives them exercise during the days they don't/won't/can't go outside. It's fun to watch them jump up to get the seed!

I found the best thing to keep the water from freezing is to buy a heated dog dish. That worked for me last winter.

I've never used probiotic, but occasionally I'll feed the girls plain yogurt with a little of their feed in it. I also use apple cider vinegar (Braggs) in their drinker (2 tablespoons per gallon) for about 5 days every month.

Have fun!

Thanks My coop does not have power, so I'm not sure about using anything that heats the water..

 

[trista85]

Actually they can. Scratch has lower protein and they will eat to fill the protein need. It is like candy to them and the regular ration that IS nutritionally complete will be ignored for the tastier scratch. Therefore they are nutritionally deprived but depositing fat from eating to much junk food.

Treats should not exceed 10% of the daily feed intake. That includes table scraps, scratch, forage, sunflower seeds etcetra combined.


For the OP..... Make sure to properly dry the sunflower heads to avoid any possibility of molds. Then give only a handful so they don't load up and get sick. Be sure to have grit available especially in winter when the ground is covered in snow.

I use a submersible bucket heater. I would worry that in very cold temps the plastic fount will freeze and burst.

My coop does not have power to it, so I'm looking for alternative ways to keep the water from freezing :/ I do have the option of running an extension cord if I have to, but would rather not.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Ahhhh I see.

For my coop with no power I do a dump the ice and refill with fresh multiple times a day. Not much fun but it works.

 

[lazy gardener]

Hello all, I am new to the community but have spent lots of time on here reading all of the great suggestions!

Here's the background: we live in Eastern Vermont, and have 8 hens that we got back in May as day old chicks- we've gotten an egg a day for the last 4 days which is so exciting! When he built the coop my husband did include insulation, so I'm hopeful that the coop will be warm enough this winter. I am also using the deep litter method in hopes that helps as well.

OK here are my questions:
- I purchased a large plastic fount for winter watering, does the salt water bottle method really work to keep it from freezing, or should I just rotate 2? The coop is close to my house, so this wouldn't be a huge deal.
- Should I give probiotics? This has become a question because I've noticed that one hen has a slightly protruding crop- but she's the only one of that breed and I'm not sure if that's just how she should look or not. FWIT she's a golden comet. They eat Blue Seal crumbles, we let them free range when we are home, they always have clean/fresh water, and I recently started putting crushed oyster shell out for them to eat as well.
- What, if anything, should I supplement for feed in the winter? Right now they forage a lot, but soon (and until about April) that won't be much of an option. I do have a bag of "scratch" that I picked up at the feed store that is corn, oat, and wheat but I'm not sure if that is too much grain? We do give them food scraps as well.. I understand that the whole grain is better, can I save and give them dried sunflower heads to peck at? We grew a lot (I have a 3 year old, she went rogue with the seeds and planted a million) so I would have a good supply.

Any other winter advice would be appreciated! Thank you!

Welcome to BYC! Ask a dozen people and you'll get 15 different responses!

1. IMO, the salt water bottle is not effective. the small amount of movement from the water bottle in the fount is going to do very little to keep that water from freezing when the water temp goes below 32*F. You said your house is not far from the coop? We ran a long contractor grade extension coop with a GFC protector. That plugs into a weather proof outlet on the outside of the coop, which then feeds into the coop to a power strip (that has GFC as well). I can then use that power strip to power: heated dog bowl, heating pad chick brooder, auto pop door, and winter time lighting for increased egg production. This is not ideal. But... folks use outdoor extension cords all the time, especially for their Christmas lighting. So... I choose to run power to my coop instead of placing myself in harm's way lugging water multiple times/day over snow and ice in sometimes sub 0 weather.

2. Probiotics are not needed. I would remove the feed at night, and assess this gal's crop in the morning. Is it still large and doughy? I had a hen with a pendulous crop. It was always large and droopy no matter what time of day. I removed her from my flock b/c I did not want any of her eggs making their way into my incubator. Gave her to a friend who was down to one bird due to predation. A year later, I saw her. Still had that droopy crop, and she was fit as a fiddle, still laying a massive egg almost every day! Instead of looking at buying probiotics, consider trying fermented feed. There is a FAQ article about the how and why of FF in my signature. (written by Tikki Jane)

2. Supplemented diet, especially in winter: I sprout. Just placed an order for BOSS and Barley. This way, when the girls don't have access to green ground, they still get fresh grains every day. I rotate qt. canning jars, starting a new one every day. Often have 4 or 5 jars going. My girls go nuts over those sprouts. I'm convinced that providing sprouts in the snow season, in addition to their FF, they have an incredible nutritional advantage over other flocks that subsist on dry prepared feed.

I also DL in both coop and run. The DL provides nutritional and health benefit as well. Birds on DL have improved feed conversion rates, and decreased mortality. Part of my winter run is covered with a green house tarp, while the chicken wire on 3 sides are covered with clear plastic. The wind may be howling, and it may be nasty cold. But the temp in their sun room is 20 - 30* warmer at mid day. The girls are happily shuffling through their DL and dust bathing.

Sunflower heads are great. If you can store them away from mice and birds, do so. Then you can toss a head into the run now and then during the winter.