SNOW, boredom, no dust baths, grit? advice?

[KimM]

I shovel down as much as I can, then when there is a mild day hopefully it will melt enough to expose some ground for them. They get a little scratch/BOSS mixture tossed out every afternoon and they will all come out for that. .And today we made them a dust bath in an old wading pool I placed right outside their door. They have been in it almost all afternoon!

 

[Trishkabob]

we had some sun today for a bit and I chopped through to expose some bare ground....out they came for the BOSS and greens. It does make a difference...they flapped and chased each other around and scratched. I am getting it together with a box for baths...
more snow tomorrow and COLD so I am glad they ran around today.
The hole in the lattice under your deck sounds great! Ours go under our deck in the summer but it is too far and several snowbanks away now.

 

[BitsyB]

I am SO glad to hear that others exert effort to make things interesting for their flock when it snows! I thought I was the only wierdo out there shoveling paths for them. I spread some pine needles on the paths to make it easier for them to venture out...

Getting down to bare ground is a big hit, and then if you shove a pitchfork in to loosen things up, the party begins... Of course the dominant chicken always gets first dibs on any thing good.

Growing trays of wheat grass is not very difficult, and after the first few cuttings, which they gobble up very fast, you can let them go at the whole tray. It's funny to see them do their "scratch scratch scratch, dip" (reminds me of a country line dance) right in the growing tray.

This probably won't work up north where you get a ton of snow, but if we know the night before that it's going to snow we make a lean-to shelter from a tarp along the south side of the house, then there's a snow-free space for them to hang out in the next day. Some birdseed and scratch thrown in gives them enough to keep them occupied, for a while at least. Then they just kind of sit there and "be", contemplating the nature of the Universe.

 

[ChristianMcD]

A couple of my local supermarkets carry super large bags of curly leaf kale. Generally, during the winter, I dole out 1/2 a bag out in the shoveled run a few times a week. On the super cold days, I toss that and shelled BOSS, mealworms, and scratch into the coop. A frozen head of cabbage generally keeps them occupied for a couple days. Recently, I bought a block of pressed seeds (like the Flock Block) and they really like that. Finally, I've found that feeding layer crumbles makes them have to spend more time/attention on eating rather than squabbling.

Even with all those different treats and attempts to keep them busy, the thing they appreciate the most is having their run completely shoveled out. It's a lot of work, but the reward of happy chooks is worth it!

 

[Jenski]

We are sitting in another round of snow (though less than yours, LOL!), and we are fortunate to have covered the four runs so the girls can get out in most any weather. . . but I do throw them clean wheat straw every day in the winter. My local Lowe's has nice short-cut straw, and it keeps the chickens nice and busy . . . they love digging through it to pick out the kernels, and it keeps their feet warm too.

 

[swimmer]

I took a bale of straw and spread it outside of the coop. Gets them outside a bit and will just rake up the mess in the spring.

 

[crtrlovr]

Quote:
I know this isn't the right thread for this, but I didn't get an opportunity to welcome you in the New Members thread! Nice to meet you! Welcome!

 

[PepsNick]

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I'd rake up all of the snow into a corner and set up a small sandbox with playsand and a small amount of DE. In this cold, the specks sound like frostbite, you should treat it with vaseline everyday. Yes, you should give them crushed oyster shell for calcium, and cracked corn or corn on the cob to help produce heat. After you've raked up the snow, put straw on the ground to keep it dry.

 

[janespromos]

I designed our coop to be roomy enough for the girls, but a couple days of forced togetherness due to weather made us realize something else had to be done. Our biggest problem here is strong NW winds, i.e. windchills. So DH & I picked up the whole thing and moved it into the 10x12 bee barn. Don't worry, the bees are hibernating right now.

The barn is still open but shielded on the windy sides. We used clear wavy panels for the roof, so it warms up if we get any sun. Right now, the coop takes up a good chunk of the barn, but it's raised so they can forage underneath. I keep a thermometer inside to monitor the temp.

If we've haven't had snow, the girls can get out into the fenced yard. Otherwise, they're confined to the barn. There's still plenty of air & light, so it's almost like being outside. They do get in a snit if they have to stay in the coop to long. I toss some scratch around on the floor and they have a great time.

Next year, we're going to leave the coop in place and just set up "winter quarters" in the barn.

 

[BitsyB]

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janespromos, (or anyone else who knows) where did you get your clear panels? I'd like to use some to cover the chicken run to keep it dry and snow free. I used clear plastic sheeting last year but it did not hold up in the weight of heavy snow. Plus the constant flapping in the wind noise got to be annoying.

Appreciate any info people have on panels, and what kind are good. thanks!