Preparing Your Flock & Coop for WINTER

[MeepBeep]

So anyway do the water nipples freeze in winter?

Vertical nipples will readily and easily freeze, horizontal nipples are hit and miss, depends on the conditions and how hot the water is heated inside the container...

 

[Rod-T]

Was thinking a heated dog dish. But they dirty open dishes fast

 

[MeepBeep]

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

Are you seriously going there?

There is plenty of historical 'proof' that most breeds of chicken are domesticated and differ from their wild counterparts, if nothing short just by plain definition of domesticated, the fact that you 'keep' them or call them your own means they are domesticated by definition...

 

[bobbi-j]

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.

I think your post got lost in the "chickens need water in the winter" debate. I live in MN. It can get to the -20's at night, and sometimes even during the day. My coops are more like sheds. The one my chickens will be wintering in, has 8x8 living quarters, no heat and no insulation. I'll probably put the windows back in when it's well below freezing. I wouldn't wrap it with plastic. You don't want it so tight that moisture can't escape. It's more important for them to be cooler and dry than warmer and wet. If the run walls have huge cracks or holes in them that would allow the wind to blow through, you probably want to cover them, but if your chickens are out of the elements, they will be fine.

 

[mainechicklet]

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.

Thank you.

 

[lazy gardener]

Ditto that!!!!!

Was thinking a heated dog dish. But they dirty open dishes fast

I use a heated dog dish to supply water to my domestic chickens. They drink water on a regular basis, whether they are eating dry feed, no feed at the particular moment, or fermented feed. To keep them from dirtying their dish, or otherwise dipping their domesticated body parts in the water and turning them into birdsicles in our weather which can remain below 0*F for days on end, I put a gallon jug of water in the heated dog bowl. It creates a moat to keep the birds out of it.

 

[bigmrg74]

Was thinking a heated dog dish. But they dirty open dishes fast

I tried using one last winter. Really wasn't a fan of it as that we was always needing to clean the thing out. Mom broke down and bought a heated waterer, but they still did get that pretty messy as well. However, I did solve that issue by building a table out of a pallet and some 2x4's and set it up on that. That worked out pretty well in keeping the water clean. Plus it freed up some more floor space for the girls.

 

[lazy gardener]

Raising the feeder/waterer up to bird's shoulder level is definitely a huge help. In the winter, when I clean my waterer, I just scrub it out with a fist full of snow.

 

[mainechicklet]

Has anyone ever heard of "internet trolling"?

 

[mainechicklet]

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.

I'm with you Blooie.