Should I get more chickens?

[aart]

you do need to heat the coop in the winter cause the eggs will freeze. also so will your water.

No, most folks do not heat the coop...there are many reasons that heating the whole coop is not a good idea.

You don't need to heat the whole coop to keep the water thawed.

Eggs are another story, some do heat the nests.

 

[lazy gardener]

yeah that sounds like a good idea. and a goat or a sheep would be a good option

Need 2 of either b/c they are flock animals.

you do need to heat the coop in the winter cause the eggs will freeze. also so will your water.

No. Not at all necessary. I live in zone 4, and have temps down into negative digits fairly frequently. Several years ago, temp was in negative digits 24/7 for weeks on end. In the last 3 years, I think I've lost maybe 6 eggs to freezing. And a heated water bowl easily keeps their water thawed from November through April, no matter how cold it gets. What is needed is a coop that is large enough to provide lots of ventilation, and deep litter. Lots of natural lighting is also necessary IMO. And plenty of hay in the nest boxes.

Quote: Plenty of options there for keeping eggs from freezing. The nest boxes COULD be insulated. That could be as simple as a cardboard lining, and extra hay, which does a much better job of keeping those eggs warm than shavings do. Also, it's helpful if the girls share a nest. That way hens are warming the eggs that were laid previously. Some people use seedling mats, or something similar to warm the nests. One ingenious flockster pumped heated water (from his heated bucket) through PVC pipes that went under the nest boxes for the nipple waterers. That would not work in my cold, but it worked for him. It's also helpful to have the nest boxes inside the footprint of the coop, instead of hanging off the side of the coop.

 

[albertagirl1]

Man, I love you guys and this site. Thanks for all the great info. I went out today and bought a few toys for La Chicas (as we've nicknamed their little gang) and it's so fun watching them learn. Tomorrow I'll grab some grit so we can start giving them some treats- the grey one is a little twitchy so I'm hoping giving treats will make her like us more. Also have arrangements to get the Orpingtons on Friday morning

 

[madelines hens]

and if you need more chickens i have two that I'm selling cause my coop is to small. they are araucanas.

 

[madelines hens]

 

[albertagirl1]

and if you need more chickens i have two that I'm selling cause my coop is to small. they are araucanas.

They're cute! I'm good right now (already got them arranged) but will keep them in mind. Where are you located?

 

[albertagirl1]

My little ones have grown so much this week- we decided to move them out of their tub and into a dog kennel brooder. It's practically a mansion compared to their first little home, we set up a little perch for them and we gave them a sandbox to play in.
Unfortunately the Orpingtons that we were supposed to get had a faulty incubator and a 0% hatch rate, so we're going to wait until these girls are moved into the coop before getting more.