Official BYC Poll: With Winter Upon Us, What Preparations Have You Made For Your Chickens?

[3KillerBs]

Built a 9'X13' enclosure around the coop covered in 6 mil plastic. Heated waterer. Extra treats and toys.
View attachment 2925330View attachment 2925333

You need to at a LOT of ventilation to that.

Chickens need fresh air and to be kept dry. Ventilation is key to both.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I picked other.

I close the supplemental ventilation (windows at roost level) to prevent wind directly on the birds. All other vents remain open all winter.
I add canned fish to the wet mash twice a week for a little extra protein to help those in molt.
I have added wind barrier plastic to the north and east walls of the run to keep snow and wind out as much as possible.

So far I have not needed to use the heated water dish. When I do that will stay in the roofed run to avoid adding moisture to the coop.

 

[valeried]

Bought a heated waterer.

 

[zapperbunny]

I was hoping to get a real roof on the run this summer/fall, but came back from Thanksgiving trip to find snow on the ground and that it's suddenly winter here in Vermont. Right now it's about half covered with plywood scraps. Just put up a mirror for the girls, am going to pot up a big stalk of kale from my garden, let it freeze in place, and bring it in.

My chicken house had a temporary cardboard roof which was working well, but every time I get it set some cat thinks it’s sturdy enough to jump on, it’s not. It’s still occasionally used by the chickens but they prefer to be under since I out cinder blocks with 2” limbs thru the holes for them to roost. I have been getting them the winter feed and supplement their protein with quality dog food and treats such as rice pilaf and steel cut oatmeal, that’s the houses favorite. I also buy bags of small apples, melons, cabbage, romaine lettuce, pumpkins and such snd I put the apples and cranberries in a large water dish. I decided since the nights are longer to put up some strung lights and just run them 24/7, I get more eggs now than in the summer! Cold here in Central California gets down to the 20s so no snow. They don’t care, I’ve never lost a chicken in the winter. I also put ACV and sometimes colloidal silver in their water, the bowl is about 5 gallons and right under a faucet on top of a clay tray so it’s easy to give them fresh water…I have to, the goose plays in it!

 

[Meema Hen]

You need to at a LOT of ventilation to that.

Chickens need fresh air and to be kept dry. Ventilation is key to both.

It isn't air tight by any stretch.

 

[3KillerBs]

It isn't air tight by any stretch.

The usual guideline for ventilation is a minimum of 1 square foot per adult standard-sized hen open 24/7/365 -- best located above the birds' heads when sitting on the roost.

You may have ventilation that's not visible in the photo, but it appears from the photo that the run is 100% wrapped in plastic without the usual top-of-the-wall vents that most people leave when they wrap their runs.

A moist greenhouse environment is not healthy for chickens.

 

[Meema Hen]

The usual guideline for ventilation is a minimum of 1 square foot per adult standard-sized hen open 24/7/365 -- best located above the birds' heads when sitting on the roost.

You may have ventilation that's not visible in the photo, but it appears from the photo that the run is 100% wrapped in plastic without the usual top-of-the-wall vents that most people leave when they wrap their runs.

A moist greenhouse environment is not healthy for chickens.

Keep assuming that you know what's going on from one photo and what"most people" are doing. There is nothing moist nor stuffy about the environment my chickens are living in. I guess you feel you are being helpful but you only sound pompous in assuming no one else has done their due diligence. I responded to the survey. I did not request a tutelage. Folks like you are why most folks don't participate in discussions. This will certainly be the last time I share anything.

 

[3KillerBs]

Keep assuming that you know what's going on from one photo and what"most people" are doing. There is nothing moist nor stuffy about the environment my chickens are living in. I guess you feel you are being helpful but you only sound pompous in assuming no one else has done their due diligence. I responded to the survey. I did not request a tutelage. Folks like you are why most folks don't participate in discussions. This will certainly be the last time I share anything.

There's no need to be touchy when people are trying to be helpful.

I acknowledged that you might have ventilation that wasn't visible.

 

[The Tiny Homestead]

Keeping chickens safe and healthy over the colder months is a big concern for their keepers as winter and the extreme weather conditions experienced in certain parts of the world can cause problems such as frostbite and in some cases losses of birds. So With Winter Upon Us, What Preparations Have You Made For Your Chickens?

Place your vote above, and please elaborate in a reply below if you chose "Other".

View attachment 2911980

Further Reading:

Top 5 Ways Of Keeping Your Flock Warm In Winter
Caring For Chickens in the Winter
Chicken Coop Ventilation
To Insulate or Not To Insulate
It's Cold - Keeping Flocks Warm And Healthy In Winter
Deep Litter Method - The Easiest Way To Deal With Chicken Litter
Cold Weather Advisory - A Detailed Look At The Question of Supplemental Heat

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

I built a geodome run, with a small door directly from the coop, another door connecting to the garden, and a people door for my access. During the summer/fall I had a canvas tarp covering most of the roof. For winter, I added plastic panels all around the bottom half of the roof for snow/rain runoff, and closed in the walls to keep the strong winds out. There is still indirect air that can come in and out, and the canvas breathes. On a sunny day, if it gets up to forty outside, it will be high 50's in the dome.
I put lots of extra wood shavings in the dome and the coop.
I Clean off poop boards every morning, so the coop itself stays clean and dry.
They get scratch grain, and sunflower seeds, and I have frozen blueberries and strawberries for special treats. They still scratch for bugs, occasional worms,and eat the collards in the garden, and grass and clover still showing. I also planted some covercrop clover and peas, which they cycle in and out of every few weeks when it isn't buried in snow.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I do nothing. A handful of cracked corn every now and then, maybe. But I do nothing.