Rain and cool weather

[Scott214]

Even the failed attempts would help others learn and improve and you also get new ideas to add to your coop. Also will keep a chicken hobbyist more busy writing in it in the winter

 

[chickens really]

Oh yeah the weather is so up and down lately... This time of year is so dreadful to me because all I want is to be outside with the girls and now they are stuck inside and so am I, But I'm always making sure they aren't bored. I think someone should make a thread that continues through out the winter on how they make their coop better, how to make the birds happy in winter, how to keep them healthy, and their crazy everyday experiences and ways they try to make things easier.

Balanced nutrition, more space per Bird than the recommended space...Dry area in Run for dust bathing..Lots of Roosts...I toss out a flake of Alfalfa for their scratching and pecking needs..I still let them out to free range on nice days...My Birds walk through the snow to spots I have cleared or scratch around under the spruce trees...

 

[Tlmcq]

Mine love the evergreen trees too. Summer and winter it's one of there favorite spots to scratch around, lounge under and make a dust bath.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

When I had silkies I never found them to be any less hardy than other breeds. They went out in the rain occasionally, they went outside during winter, though not as often as bigger breeds and in general seemed to carry on as any other breeds of chickens as far as weather.

I currently keep frizzle cochins that are just as hardy.


They do stay inside more in the winter, so a bigger coop is necessary to keep them properly. Often people think that bantams can go into a smaller coop and be fine, but if you get any winter weather there needs to be enough room for them to stay inside for days, and weeks sometimes. Some of my silkies were slower and some quite feisty.

As far as keeping them busy during the winter, I throw slabs of hay into the coop for them to scratch around in and to bulk up the bedding. These also get scratch tossed inside into that bedding. I also keep a bale of hay intact, not opened for them to sit on inside the coop. They get a warm mash mixed with oatmeal on really cold days. You can mix in extra stuff like cottage cheese, scrambled eggs or raisins. They also get left over squash, and really any extra warm leftovers that are healthy that we are eating during the winter.


I never add extra light or heat. They get warm water twice a day in a rubber bowl. The run is kept shoveled out and hay is put down for them to walk on and scratch about in.

Set up a proper environment and chickens are fine during the winter and don't need to be protected or coddled even the silkies and the frizzles.

 

[Erin80]

Thanks everyone.
We have been meaning to tarp the top of our outdoor run (it's really big so will need a few tarps!) before winter.....so might as well do that this weekend. I decided this morning that if it was going to rain today, I'd just keep everyone inside in the coop, they have tons of room in there and at least they'd stay dry. Turns out it's just cloudy with sunny breaks and CRAZY CRAZY windy....lol....so I opened their pop door later this morning and everyone was happy to go out into the run. Not sure why they want to be out in that wind....but whatever......crazy girls.