We all do what works for us and also learn as we go...........Summer is fantastic.....Winter every year is a Chore.........
Cheers to you......Best of luck to you and me!! .........
So true and the definition of "One size doesn't fit all".
People come here for advice but don't tell much about their climate, housing, feed or other management conditions.
I tell my students to take what is written in poultry magazines with a grain of salt.
If someone writes an article for instance and their experience is exclusively raising chickens in New Hampshire, that advice won't necessarily fly in TX or CA and vice versa. What works in MN does not work in PR and vice versa.
For most of my life, I've raised chickens in MO with summer temps sometimes up to 110 and winter as low as near -20 and humid year round. I have experience with poultry in the tropics as well. I never really had hands on experience in arid conditions.
I will try to increase the heat at night ASAP! We live in Southern California, but the nights do get chilly, about 40*F, their coop is a "Tuff Shed", but it is still chilly! Thank you
While you're doing that, make sure the ventilation is optimal. That means 1 sq. ft. per bird.
This time of year when people are worried about their chickens being cold, they close up the coop and respiratory diseases prevail. We just said to warm the birds up because they are sick. Healthy chickens(except fragile breeds like seramas and silkies) can handle temps well below 0F.
Fresh air is more important than water and food.
