Preparing Your Flock & Coop for WINTER

[NTBugtraq]

They are thirsty, that's why. I feed fermented feed but my chickens line up at that waterer and drink like thirsty beasts in the winter time all the same. If they didn't need it, they wouldn't drink it. I thought that was just basic knowledge...all animals/birds need water, even in the winter months.

So where does a deer get water in the winter? Not often, IMO.

 

[bangarain]

We are building shutters to close the coops' windows and all vents but the top one at night, and are planning to line the inside of the coop (which has a thick layer of shavings and pelleted bedding) with hay, and possibly nailing a tarp to the run walls to block the wind.

It gets pretty cold here, usually below 15 degrees at night. Do you guys recommend using a heat lamp inside the coop, or will the insulation/hay be enough? We only have five chooks at the moment in a very large coop, so I'm not confident body heat will be enough, unless they stay in the egg boxes.

 

[TalkALittle]

Thirst isn't a "human trait". It's a biological mechanism. Sure, we can't ask them, but it is absolutely logical to assume animals can feel thirsty.

 

[Beekissed]

So where does a deer get water in the winter? Not often, IMO.

Around here they go to the river or the local holler, like all the other animals and birds. Ruminants cannot digest grasses and browse at all without water/moisture. Even rabbits will stop eating altogether if they don't have any water and will die from dehydration and starvation simply because they can't get water to drink. I'd say that those that live where water freezes solid they may lick the ice and snow for their needs...but then, they have more stored fats on them than birds, so may be able to eat less to maintain their life compared to birds, as birds have a very high metabolism.

Since chickens are domestic animals, they are less adept at finding sources of moisture, particularly since most are contained to a pen and run in the winter time...kind of cruel to deny them something as simple as water because you assume they don't need it. Oh, they'll eat snow if they can't get water, but it can chill their core, causing it to be difficult for them to maintain their body temps in cold weather.

I can't think of any reason other than laziness~or ignorance~ that one would deny water to a chicken flock in the winter months.

 

[MeepBeep]

So where does a deer get water in the winter? Not often, IMO.

Comparing a domestic animal in captivity to a wild animal in nature is flawed in many ways... Deer obviously get their water in the winter from snow, ice, melting snow/ice or any open bodies of water in the area (it's common in my area to see deer and other animals risking their life in the winter venturing out on the half frozen rivers to get a drink of liquid water) but that takes additional calories to melt aka more food and also it is not an ideal source of water, they get that water every day as needed from one source or another... Those wild animals also are fully dependent on nature all year long and know the territory and where bodies of water are as well as devoting a large percentage of fall 'plumping up' before the cold sets in, this does not true for many domestic animals... In general many wild animals in the wild are not in the best of health during the hard winter months due to lack of food/water/shelter, most people choose to not deliberately diminish the health of their pets by depriving them of the basics like food/water/shelter...

 

[NTBugtraq]

So who wants to post the proof that chickens are domesticated, or, whether they should be considered domesticated based on what?

See, my argument is you shouldn't try to keep "domesticated chickens" because that means they need services that can only be supplied by electricity (e.g. heat, unfrozen water, timers, etc...) versus "regionally bred chickens", who thrive in your region.

Today's domesticated chickens grow out of their heart/legs in 8 weeks as meat birds, and layers need false light and heat or they can't thrive...IMNSHO.

 

[NTBugtraq]

So clearly my thoughts aren't in line with this tread, and I want to apologize to the OP. I have unsubscribed and I hope I don't offend you again.

 

[Rod-T]

I think since they are domesticated.. and they can't fly to water
You would have to undomesticate them first..
Hope that helps you to understand. .your not dealing with a wild animal. .
So anyway do the water nipples freeze in winter?

 

[Blooie]

So who wants to post the proof that chickens are domesticated, or, whether they should be considered domesticated based on what?

See, my argument is you shouldn't try to keep "domesticated chickens" because that means they need services that can only be supplied by electricity (e.g. heat, unfrozen water, timers, etc...) versus "regionally bred chickens", who thrive in your region.

Today's domesticated chickens grow out of their heart/legs in 8 weeks as meat birds, and layers need false light and heat or they can't thrive...IMNSHO.

I would take exception to that line, my friend. I have layers and I don't supplement anything - no heat, no insulation, and no light. They get to take the winter off if that's what their bodies are telling them to do. I figure they provide abundant eggs all spring, summer, and fall, so they deserve the break while their little bodies regroup. I still get a few eggs in winter, and my pullets are in their first year so they still lay pretty well, even without extra methods. They do very well all winter. They have a nice large run out there and their pop door is open 24/7. We cover the run with clear plastic so it's a little warmer in there than the ambient air, and with the way our ventilation is set up that warmer air from the run goes in the pop door to the coop as well. It's bright and sunny and they spend almost all day out there. They also go outside for a well deserved wing stretching as well, and most of them will go out in the snow with no problem. I haven't lost a bird in winter yet, and they all came out of the brutal one we had last year just fine.

So if a person wants eggs all winter long, then supplemental light is a good idea. If they want to heat to take the chill off, then there are ways to do that. I just take the other route. Neither is right or wrong, just personal choice. But they don't "need false light and heat" to thrive. I live in Northern Wyoming, by the way, not far from Yellowstone Park. We get cold. Last year our last snowfall of the year was on June 6th. I also brood my layer chicks outside in the run with nothing more than a heating pad and a cave made of a metal frame and straw.

 

[Rod-T]

Thinking of screwing nipples in a igloo water container..