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

[ChicMomof10]

We learned here in our town if we roofed our run it would be taxed as another building. So we tarped it last Fall, 8x16. You have to push up the tarp and remove the puddles or snow and we went thru Winter just fine! Best of luck!

We live in southern VT and still are using a tarp over the run. We did replace it this Fall as it got cut in a few places, bungies work good to hold it in place. We use a wide broom with long handle to push off the snow. 2nd winter working well so far!

 

[jgarner1327]

Built a 9'X13' enclosure around the coop covered in 6 mil plastic. Heated waterer. Extra treats and toys.
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I'd sleep there!

 

[jgarner1327]

I hang a heat lamp mainly to keep it dry in the coop. It only slightly warms the area near it. I put straw in two very large cardboard boxes (thank you Amazon) next to the roost and they snuggle down in the straw together. Their run is partially covered so they can go out of the coop into the run, but don't free-range because they don't like the snow. They go to the door, look at it, and turn around and come back in. I give them BSF larva and mealworms, yogurt, and apples. Yes, my babies are spoiled.

 

[jgarner1327]

Do you give them the possibility to range in the barn too? And did you add bedding on the barn floor?

IMO: If you keep chickens inside it will be good for their health to lighten the barn (or coop) during the day with a grow bulb (spectrum with daylight lengths) . It’s also easy to lengten the day upto 12 -14 hours for egg production that way.

I have a grow light but didn't think to use it in the coop, so thank you for that idea!

 

[Silkie fluff butts]

Best 3 thing I've done:
1. Sand on the coop floor (straw in nest boxes)
2. Pea gravel over landscape fabric in the run to combat the mud and drainage issue.
3. Cover the run since 3 of my 5 hens let themselves get SOAKED in the rain every day (tons of rain here!)

The pea gravel is the BEST EVER! Keeps super clean. I also tossed in some fall leaves for them to scratch around in when not out ranging. They love it. Happy, dry girls!❤

 

[3KillerBs]

With actual winter coming in (insofar as we get actual winter), I must pursuade my DH to buy a new, non-holey tarp to cover his table-saw and temporary workbench so that I can fasten the old, holey tarp to the downhill side of the coop in case we get a storm blowing up from that direction.

 

[Sally PB]

They've forecast a winter storm for us. Only 1-4" of snow, but high winds. It's still above freezing atm, but I heard sleet ticking on the roof of the run.

I'll take out a nice warm snack in the afternoon. It'll be the leftover stuff from making bone broth.

 

[3KillerBs]

It'll be the leftover stuff from making bone broth.

Soup leftovers -- one of our chickens' favorite treats.

 

[Sally PB]

DH has nagged a bit about the "junk" in the freezer. One bag of junk is the bone broth stuff, so it can go away today. Three of the chickens will turn it into eggs and fertilizer. The other four will make just fertilizer.

 

[Vicker]

Moved the coop closer to the house. Covered the open ends with hard plastic panels. Only reinstalled half of the electric netting because they won't venture very far from the coop in winter.