Anyone have any suggestions, tips, pictures, story's for and of winter??? And I have my first broody hen with 6 eggs due on October 25! So excited!!!!
In most of the US, they don't need anything from us but unfrozen water, though I think they appreciate a ventilated shelter in the north. They grow their own winter coats. I'll give you links to two excellent articles written some years ago by a Canadian member. You will see even she does not generally heat her coop. If your coop has power, a heated dog waterer is an easy watering solution. Probably most people simply carry water to the coop in the mornings. Those large black rubber livestock pans sold at TSC work well for water in the winter, becausse they stay flexible so it is easy to knock the ice out of them. Your broody doesn't need heat either; she will keep her chicks warm with her body heat, even in the north. You'll be surprised to see how much time even very young chicks spend out from under their mama. They will run back under her to warm up, then go outside and play again. I like to separate a sitting hen so she isn't disturbed by the rest of the flock, but when the chicks hatch, she goes back with the flock. She will protect her chicks from any aggressive hens. For the most part, roosters will ignore chicks, or else help raise them. All they need is feed that is not layer feed, which is fine for the whole flock. You can feed the flock some medicated or nonmedicated starter, or flock raiser, or starter/grower. Some marbles in the water dish for a couple of weeks can help prevent drowning of new chicks. Have fun! https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures
The winter weeds are coming in, so they will have a change in their foraging diet quite soon. All the summer weeds are going to seed now, so they are gorging on seeds all day long. Chris