Preparing Your Flock & Coop for WINTER

[Beekissed]

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.

Seriously???? You keep your chickens in a coop and run!

If that isn't trying to domesticate them, I don't know what is.

Having chicks in the fall/winter? In a wild situation, they would not be doing that and your whole chicks piling in the corner wouldn't even be an issue.

So, you don't feed them either? As wild birds would just hunt for their own grub all year round.

Unless you are raising a landrace breed that is living independently of any interference on your part, or have developed a feral flock, your birds are indeed domesticated. At that point, good stewardship would be to supplement their feed in the winter months if you live in northern climes and also provide water that is not frozen. You penned them up and presumably collect eggs and meat from them, that's the least you can do. Anything less is just pure negligence, no matter how you wish to twist it.

No, my flock doesn't need light or heat to lay either, nor do they grow out of their own bodies by 8 wks. Don't know where you've been living or what you've seen, but it's horribly skewed.

I got 37 qts. of good meat from 11 male birds this year, 10 only 4 mo. old(thought they were 5 but recently did another count on their hatch date). And those were raised almost entirely on food they foraged themselves, from 2 wks of age to death. I've also gotten 829 eggs in 238 days from a very small number of mature hens(4-6) thus far since start of count on March 16 of this year, without the benefit of lights, and those hens also produced 18 offspring on their own~no incubators~and raised them to maturity out on free range..didn't lose a one to predators. They free range all year round and come and go as they please, only using feed as a supplement to their natural diet....but they are as domesticated as any other chicken out there. They are just a little more free to make their own choices.
In the winter I provide warm housing~NOT heated~with good open air space, fermented feed once a day, and water that is not frozen. That's my responsibility to my winter flock.

 

[Skeeter10]

im in nw i live about two miles from lorain county fair

 

[mainechicklet]

Except that my pop doors are now automatic solar powered photo eye doors. LOVE THEM!! LOVE THEM!! LOVE THEM!! I can let the photo eye dictate the open/close times or I can program them to whatever times I prefer. Or both. My chickens don't want to be in their coops even when the temps are below zero. And they have plenty of coop room and they're scooped of poop every morning. (I know it's popular, but I just can't get into the deep litter concept...)

I'm 2/3rds up the Maine coast. Yes, it gets cold. And it tends to be a 'damp' cold being on the ocean. I've never had any frostbite issues.

 

[lazy gardener]

Has anyone ever heard of "internet trolling"?

Yep. Them trolls come in all shapes and sizes.

Except that my pop doors are now automatic solar powered photo eye doors. LOVE THEM!! LOVE THEM!! LOVE THEM!! I can let the photo eye dictate the open/close times or I can program them to whatever times I prefer. Or both. My chickens don't want to be in their coops even when the temps are below zero. And they have plenty of coop room and they're scooped of poop every morning. (I know it's popular, but I just can't get into the deep litter concept...)

I'm 2/3rds up the Maine coast. Yes, it gets cold. And it tends to be a 'damp' cold being on the ocean. I've never had any frostbite issues.

I'd love to have an auto pop door! Along with that, I'd love it if my young-uns would give up sleeping on the edge of the nest boxes, hanging their hineys over the edge so they can poop in the hay. I have to go out every night with a flash light and convince them that they have some place else they need to be.

 

[Blooie]

Yep. Them trolls come in all shapes and sizes.

I'd love to have an auto pop door! Along with that, I'd love it if my young-uns would give up sleeping on the edge of the nest boxes, hanging their hineys over the edge so they can poop in the hay. I have to go out every night with a flash light and convince them that they have some place else they need to be.

I still have two, sometimes three that have done the same thing since they were 4 weeks old, LG. <sigh> Think those might be some of the ones my brother will be gifted with in a couple of weeks! He's chomping at the bit..I reminded him last night to get the separation pen set up before they get there. I don't think he's expecting the size of these Brahma pullets!

We are still waiting for the clear tarp we ordered to get here. Better hurry, winter's drawing nearer. But we did get the water set up done so that's one thing out of the way for winter. We also got the sidewall vent blocked for winter. That's the only ventilation opening I close during the winter because it's 8 inches wide and 26 inches high, it's on the north side of the coop, and blows directly onto one of the roosts. Not good. All the rest stay open. Well, we do close the windows on whichever side the wind is howling in from, but any on the lee side remain open.

 

[mainechicklet]

I read that many of you feed fermented feed. Does anyone have a good site of info for me?

 

[mainechicklet]

I found this from beekissed on some other thread. Still appropriate I assume? https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

 

[samantha LW]

OH, no! I am new to chickens (just got them this year in April) and I did not even think of winterizing! I live in Georgia and was told by the people around me that their free range chickens do fine in the winter, I have since noticed that my idea of animal care and my neighbor's are very different. My coop is a metal building but we put insulation, wooden walls covered in linoleum (for cleaning) in it. They have a ventilation fan that I was just planning on turning off and covering at night. I clean their coop once a week so no deep bedding method. They have a digital thermometer in there at what temp should I be worried? The coop is 8 x 10 and there are 17 chickens their run is 40 x 50. It has electricity but I don't want to start a fire.............

 

[lazy gardener]

Bee is the queen of FF.

 

[lazy gardener]

OH, no! I am new to chickens (just got them this year in April) and I did not even think of winterizing! I live in Georgia and was told by the people around me that their free range chickens do fine in the winter, I have since noticed that my idea of animal care and my neighbor's are very different. My coop is a metal building but we put insulation, wooden walls covered in linoleum (for cleaning) in it. They have a ventilation fan that I was just planning on turning off and covering at night. I clean their coop once a week so no deep bedding method. They have a digital thermometer in there at what temp should I be worried? The coop is 8 x 10 and there are 17 chickens their run is 40 x 50. It has electricity but I don't want to start a fire.............

In Georgia, you'll not need to worry about winterizing at all. You rarely get snow, and when it does freeze, it's most likely warmed up above freezing for part of the day. In other areas, like mine, it will be BELOW 0*F for days on end, sometimes a week or more. Why are you turning your fan off at night. They need the ventilation more at night than they do during the day. Does that shed have windows? It's important to be drawing fresh air into the coop, as well as being able to ventilate the moist stagnant air out.