NY chicken lover!!!!

[Cooped Up Chick]

Man, sorry to hear about all of you having hard weeks

my sympathy for those who lost chicks, prayers for rancher and his family that what ever happens will be for the best, and strength to handle whatever that might be!

Here's to the end of a rough week and bright new beginnings coming up Hope you all have a great day today!

 

[armorfirelady]

here is my take on it. Chickens live outside. They need to acclimate to the weather naturally. Doing anything to add unnatural warmth for them is only going to weaken them. Pets or not strong healthy chickens are the goal. Not weak birds who are not naturally acclimated to the weather changes and then find themselves huddled up in a corner of a cop for 6 months of the year to keep warm. That just isn't good for them.

No matter the weather my birds go outside. If they want to eat they WILL go outside. I never put food in the coop. So they are conditioned no matter the weather to go out to eat and drink. Water is never in my coops either

As a newbie and our harsh winters I was afraid my hens would freeze. I originally had insulation on the coop but pulled it off of it on the advice of the OTs on BYC. I also added more ventilation. My hens favorite spot to sleep was 4 hens on a 24 inch 2x4 that sat in front of a 3x2 hardware cloth opening with about the top half blocked with plastic and the bottom open to elements. Never had an frostbite issues with their combs or feet. One day when it was cold and the windchill was -10 I went out and stuck my fingers in their feathers and they were hot toasty hens. Even their feet were warm. That convinced me they would do just fine with no heat or insulation

And my guys are out all winter as well. I may have to shovel some for them but if they want scraps they have to go outside for them. The only time they went in was when the wind was bitter cold. Snow, rain, dry wind....they are outside more than they are in. And I am ok with that

 

[vmdanielsen]

This Saturday, 9-2. When is the Berkshire Farm sale? I want to see if the guy I bought my banties from is there, as they're awesome little birds and I'd like some more.

Sunday 7AM till noon. Maybe I will see you there!

 

[Lynzi777]

here is my take on it. Chickens live outside. They need to acclimate to the weather naturally. Doing anything to add unnatural warmth for them is only going to weaken them. Pets or not strong healthy chickens are the goal. Not weak birds who are not naturally acclimated to the weather changes and then find themselves huddled up in a corner of a cop for 6 months of the year to keep warm. That just isn't good for them.
No matter the weather my birds go outside. If they want to eat they WILL go outside. I never put food in the coop. So they are conditioned no matter the weather to go out to eat and drink. Water is never in my coops either

Funny you say this because ever since someone mentioned LESS food in the coop, or just give them a little at night so that they DO free range more, I've been thinking, why put any in there at all as long they're going out every day. I've stopped refilling the feed bowls when they've gotten low and instead of topping them off, I've just placed a small amount in there when they're empty. My husband actually made a comment last night about how the chickens must be doing their job because he hasn't found as many ticks on the dog. My birds also know all the spots in the yard by now to find water. So again, if they're going to be out every single day, I could probably remove the water as well and just make sure its there on days they will not be let out. (Like if we go away or something)

But I totally agree with you 100% - the more we put into our animals to make the MORE comfortable than they need to be, the weaker they become.

 

[Tough Old Bird]

Well I went out to check on the chickens this morning and they killed the baby

I don't know what happened...I had them separated away from the rest of the flock in the coop with chicken wire around them and somehow they tore the wire down and this morning Gracie (my now unbroody mama) was sitting up n a perch like nothing had happened and all was well....ugh happy Friday to me....I should have taken them out of the coop like I had originally planned.

I'm sorry, that stinks. I guess we all make mistakes and learn from them. I made the mistake of thinking I could trust my dogs with my chickens and one of my CR chicks paid for it. They have always been around each other and were fine I don't understand it. I also thought it was adorable that the new chicks in the coop all cuddled in a nesting box together at night til I went out and found one was smothered. Its been a rough week for everyone.

AQHAChick & mderby....

sorry that you both had to experience this.

I was just remarking how taking on chickens is going to be a real learn-as-you-go experience... Hang in there!

here is my take on it. Chickens live outside. They need to acclimate to the weather naturally. Doing anything to add unnatural warmth for them is only going to weaken them. Pets or not strong healthy chickens are the goal. Not weak birds who are not naturally acclimated to the weather changes and then find themselves huddled up in a corner of a cop for 6 months of the year to keep warm. That just isn't good for them.
No matter the weather my birds go outside. If they want to eat they WILL go outside. I never put food in the coop. So they are conditioned no matter the weather to go out to eat and drink. Water is never in my coops either

Thank you again, Stony.

I definitely get your philosophy.


TOB

 

[vmdanielsen]

Wow two swaps on the SAME day? Someone didn't do their planning right.... decisions, decisions!

Berkshire is on Sunday. Nassau on Saturday.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Well I went out to check on the chickens this morning and they killed the baby

I don't know what happened...I had them separated away from the rest of the flock in the coop with chicken wire around them and somehow they tore the wire down and this morning Gracie (my now unbroody mama) was sitting up n a perch like nothing had happened and all was well....ugh happy Friday to me....I should have taken them out of the coop like I had originally planned.

You never know. Having chicks raised by broodies is so much easier. You tried. Sorry about your loss.

 

[vmdanielsen]

well Berkshire farms wins out. That is in my backyard.

Maybe I will see you there as well....If I remember what you looked like!!!!

 

[Lynzi777]

Just came across this ad on CL if anyone is looking for hatching eggs

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/grd/3766913428.html

 

[Cooped Up Chick]

here is my take on it. Chickens live outside. They need to acclimate to the weather naturally. Doing anything to add unnatural warmth for them is only going to weaken them. Pets or not strong healthy chickens are the goal. Not weak birds who are not naturally acclimated to the weather changes and then find themselves huddled up in a corner of a cop for 6 months of the year to keep warm. That just isn't good for them.

No matter the weather my birds go outside. If they want to eat they WILL go outside. I never put food in the coop. So they are conditioned no matter the weather to go out to eat and drink. Water is never in my coops either

Stony, as a new discoverer of just how many breeds of chickens there are, & having a curious nature, I'd like to ask (about having to go outside - do you feel this would apply to all breeds (assuming they aren't some tropical thing) and situations? I ask because I wonder if the game bird types like the Sumatras (am I correct in thinking they are more like a wild type (closer to pheasant, partridge etc than some breeds?)) would maybe be more suited to this lifestyle? Just to be clear, I'm asking from a learning point of view, not being argumentative.

For your consideration, here close to the lake we get high winds, like you mentioned you have had, but also tons of snow, as you may be aware... at our house we are square in the lake effect almost every time; it is not a surprise to have 2-3 or more feet of snow in a day or night, pretty much run of the mill. Sometimes days in a row of it. Several years ago we 13 feet in one weekend - which is unusual lol.
We are rural, so the flock will be free range at all times i.e. the pop door open during the day no matter the weather, no run, but we don't really have any perching type trees, branches on the hardwood are too high. I imagine they could use the Spruces, but so far the BCM (the only ones outside yet) don't seem inclined to even go near them...

Anyone I'm happy to hear your experience and thoughts or questions to join in the discussion too, I just directed it at Stony as he mentions his experience, so I figure he may have some thoughts for me to digest.