Regarding cold weather flock maintenance, Jim the farmer says:

[Tuffoldhen]

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That's pretty much it in a nutshell!!

I do use round tree limbs for my roosts, nothing else.

 

[gryeyes]

For one of the inquiries within this thread: I keep an uncovered kitty litty pan - a dishpan would work as well - full of all-purpose sand, year round. It's useful for grit purposes AND for dust bathing in rainy weather. Actually, I have two of them, both tucked in under "upstairs" type coops so they stay dry. Would work in snowy locations, too.

 

[kathyinmo]

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Yes, I have the 2.5" side up. Is this ok? Should I replace it with a 2x4? Here is a picture. Not sure if you can tell.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62579_100_7234.jpg

The 4" side is best up rather than the 2" side, especially for larger birds. My Suede has a 5" foot from front to back toe and no way he could roost on a 2" anything comfortably.

I agree. I tried different sizes in a large coop, and they all went for the larger (wider) sized roosts. I even had a shelf, and they liked that, as well. The narrower ones were not used at all.

 

[woodmort]

My name is Jim and, while I don't live in WI, I endorse this.
ETA: while I don't use 2 X 4's for roost, I do use 3-inch+ in diameter ash poles with bark on that I cut 25 years ago. Also I feed a combination of BOSS and scratch in the evening when I lock the birds up.

 

[LauraG]

Thanks for posting this, it should be a sticky.....

 

[Mrs MIA]

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[PineappleMama]

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Just threw in a bucket load today... they do love a good scavenger hunt.

I'm going to have to figure out a heater thing eventually... we don't get many freezing temps, but now and then... better to be prepared.

Other than that this all sounds like what I've already got so that's nice to know.

 

[swimmer]

You shouldn't have to figure out a heating thing. Especially in TX. I live at 6,000 ft and get some bad winds, heavy snow and cold. But have never heated. Don't need to. Chickens have feathers to keep warm.

 

[welsummer4]

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Jim actually said he's used large tree branches for roosts before. He just stressed that, whatever you use, the surface should be broad enough that toes don't curl under the roost where they wont be covered by feathers.

In fact, I made the mistake of using the term "perch," and Jim corrected me right away: "chickens don't perch, they roost." He said that chicken feet are flat because they walk and run on the ground, whereas songbirds have grasping feet so they can land gently on a slender tree branch. This is why songbirds hop when they are on the ground; their feet aren't designed for walking like a chicken's are. Conversely, a chicken's feet aren't made for grasping the circumference of a round object the way a perching bird's are. (Didn't explain that as well as Jim did, but hopefully I made some sense)

 

[awesomefowl]

Jim is exactly right!