Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[PinkLady445]

Hello from Chester County!

 

[cglessner]

Hello from Huntington Co. I'm new to chickens. Should I be doing any thing special to get them ready for winter?

 

[Blarneyeggs]

That is snow! Lots of snow! Aaaaack!
Headed to Wisconsin to pick up. Utah to deliver. Will be driving into the snow instead of away. I am hoping for a warmer load next!

Wisconsin! How cool. Can I come with? Feeling the need to run away.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Hello from Chester County!

Welcome from Bucks County!

Hello from Huntington Co. I'm new to chickens. Should I be doing any thing special to get them ready for winter?

Hello! Yes, you need to knit them 3 sweaters each of fine wool and wrestle them every day to get it on. Haha! Sorry, just kidding! I'm new to this too, but they just seem to need a draft free coop with proper ventilation and as always, fresh, clean, non frozen water to drink at all times.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Hello from Chester County!

Welcome! I'm also in Chester county, Southeast, near Kennett Square.

Hello from Huntington Co. I'm new to chickens. Should I be doing any thing special to get them ready for winter?

Welcome aboard! Lots of advice on this site for winterizing. I've found that the keys are to keep their water available -stay on top of the ice, and paramount is to keep their coop or sleeping space dry. They can handle cold, it's the wet and cold that gets them. I like this article because it addresses the food issue:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/401473/getting-ready-for-winter

Here's another:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/71542/looking-for-winter-advice-what-do-you-wish-you-had-known

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Ha! Anne, great minds think alike.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

And... we now have a pair of bunnies!

Good Gawd!! What a cutie pants!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Hello from Chester County!

Hello from Huntington Co. I'm new to chickens. Should I be doing any thing special to get them ready for winter?

Welcome from Cambria County! This is our first winter with chickens too and so far we've just been learning as we go. Listen to everyone on here. They're full of great advice

 

[chiques chicks]

Welcome from Cambria County! This is our first winter with chickens too and so far we've just been learning as we go. Listen to everyone on here. They're full of great advice

I will admit, some of us are full of something!

Winter needs (my short list):
Water (change a couple times a day) some of us use bowls in the run. The rubber ones from tsc are so easy to flip and dump to remove ice.

Dry coop! Can express enough how important dry is!

Ventilation without drafts on the roosts. Don't seal the coop right! That invites condensation.

Make sure the roosts are wide enough they can squat on their feet. They will huddle for warmth.

Of course food.

Biggest issue I've had was frozen combs. I don't show, so I don't get concerned. They look ugly but they heal.

Protection from predators. Wildlife gets short on food in the winter. Chickens are easy picking.

Mine always have free access to an uncovered run. They aren't fond of snow, but they go out in all kinds of weather.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I will admit, some of us are full of something!

Winter needs (my short list):
Water (change a couple times a day) some of us use bowls in the run. The rubber ones from tsc are so easy to flip and dump to remove ice.

Dry coop! Can express enough how important dry is!

Ventilation without drafts on the roosts. Don't seal the coop right! That invites condensation.

Make sure the roosts are wide enough they can squat on their feet. They will huddle for warmth.

Of course food.

Biggest issue I've had was frozen combs. I don't show, so I don't get concerned. They look ugly but they heal.

Protection from predators. Wildlife gets short on food in the winter. Chickens are easy picking.

Mine always have free access to an uncovered run. They aren't fond of snow, but they go out in all kinds of weather.

Okay, my big silkie looks like it has a definite streamer or two, getting nervous here... I will get a better close up pic later today, when I have assistance.