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

[Jenski]

BitsyB, would the clear or tinted polycarbonate sheets, placed at an angle, be enough to bear the snow weight where you are? We got ours at Home Depot. We built small "trusses" for the pen roof and screwed the panels to the trusses for stability. We don't get the same amount of snow down here, though! It has held up through 50 mph + winds, though.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=12029-coop_01

 

[Sparks]

I collect leaves in the fall and spread them around the run when we can not shovel it anymore. Keeps their feet warm and they love to scratch through it. In the spring we will have to scrape it off in layers but is great for compost.

 

[BitsyB]

Jenski,

Nice coop pictures! Are you guys carpenters or something? (We ended up buying a coop from an Amish guy, they know how to build stuff alot better than we do!)

I think the tinted panels would hold up if they were, as you suggested, on an angle and supported from below. I think we can manage to rig up some extra support. And there's a Home Depot near here. Thanks for your ideas!

We usually don't get more than a foot of snow at a time around here. But last winter we got over 2 and 1/2' at once, and I went into the plastic covered run to push the snow off the plastic from inside. Well I ended up barricading myself into the run, with 3+' of snow in front of the door I could NOT get out! I finally pushed hard enough to get my arm out, and was frantically waving to my husband to come rescue me. Well he was in the kitchen enjoying his cofee, and happily waved back. He thought I was just having a real nice time out there (so he says...)

Lesson learned: Bring cell phone when knocking snow off roof of run.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

Stranded in the coop! I am always afraid my girls will trip me up and I will break something. The cell phone is ALWAYS in my pocket...just in case.

Would ther be room in the coop to put a covered cat litter box with dirt or sand for a dust bath.

 

[Jenski]

Not carpenters, just stubborn and willing to endure the painful building process in order to have some coops and pens, LOL!

Yeah, watch that snow when you're knocking it off the roof!!! It's a loooong wait until spring thaw.

 

[janespromos]

We got our clear panels from Home Depot. These are the kinds used for porches, etc. The "barn" is more like an enclosed shed, so the panels are on a straight, sloping run to the back of the building. The wavy feature lets rainwater channel into the gutter and then to a rain barrel for the garden & all the critters in the vicinity.

What's so nice about the *clear* panels is that it lets the sun in and really warms the place up. Our air temp is 25 F right now, with windchills making it in the low teens, but inside the barn is comfy and inside the coop itself (now open so the girls can still do their duty) is a balmy 45 F. There's no barn door as I couldn't decided if I wanted swing or slide, the windows aren't tight and there are gaps along the roof line. So there's plenty of ventilation & the inside is nice & dry, especially the ground.

The bees are in hibernation mode right now but the way I have the hives set up, they enter & exit thru a slot in the eastern wall. So even if they do get a little active on an occasional warm winter day, they're facing out of the barn & away from the hens. The only bad part is when summer comes & it's about 100 in there. The bees don't mind, but I sweat off a couple gallons when I'm working them in the full moon suit as it is. Needless to say, I work them early in the morning.

fyi, the hens will be going back to their regular yard once winter is over.

 

[alaskachick]

I live in very cold winter weather where the day light is very short. I have not seen any sign of boredom in my coop. I do have a rather large coop for 14 birds. I built them a dust bath area under a roofed area but yet the sun strikes directly upon it. I dug out a 1 foot deep 4X5 hole and filled it with soft dirt. Every morning when I go let the chickens out I take a rake and just kind of fluff it up for them. They sit it in several times a day. I also made an area where there is stacks of straw bales and then I have large tree limbs at differnet heights that makes it like a jungle gyn for them. They often sit and roost there during the day hours. They also play what looks like "King of the Hill'.

 

[BitsyB]

Dust baths under roofed areas, tree limbs, beehives in barns, wavy roof panels- everyone has such good ideas... Makes me want to start all kinds of projects!

Sparks- I am a big leaf collector,too. In addition to all the leaves from our own property, I steal bags of leaves that neighbors set out for collection on curbsides. Free mulch and compost ingredient, and the best for chickens to dig in- another antidote to boredom.

 

[Sparks]

BitzyB..I collect leaves in town too! I was just thinking yesterday that I may need to collect in the spring too because we are using so many. Lots of snow. I mulch my tomato plants with the leftovers in the spring. Hurray Spring!

 

[Trishkabob]

as I read all these good ideas and ways of handling these issues I am impressed! You guys are problem solvers! we have a major re-design job in the spring....should it ever come. we are getting another foot or two of snow this week. It has been both the coldest and snowiest Jan. on record in Saratoga.
I usually have tons of pine needles to use (we mulch our garlic with them) so will save for next winter.
For now, it IS amazing how happy they are to come out when I can shovel down to dirt. The cabbage in the henhouse is like a big hanging bowling ball that they have barely looked at except to wonder what on earth is it and why is it in our house?
It is 15 below right now (10:30pm) and supposed to get as low as minus 24. Is there a temp. at which it is just too cold for them? We have no barn or shed. I could bring them into my studio (artist) but we are afraid it might be too warm, even if we tjrn heat down to 55 or so, and be a shock to go back outside later.
I am hating winter this year...