surviving the cold?!?

[Bogtown Chick]

-2 will be our high today. I went down this morning and with just the light 150 watt panel heater it was 0 degrees up at roost level. It was -17 this morning outside. Probably below zero down on the floor.

After six years of wintering with deep pine shavings as a floor bedding I put in straw this winter (after finally finding some here!) It’s a bit messier dropping wise. But when it’s cold I’ve found it easier on the hens’ feet. And frozen poop a lot easier to deal with than warm poop.
That straw is super insulating. I’ll switch back to pine in the spring as it seems to deal with moisture better.

My goals are dry, cold, not cruel cold coop. I want poop frozen, birds with good feed, greens for treats, bit of scratch and boss. And good fresh water every day.

 

[MissChick@dee]

-2 will be our high today. I went down this morning and with just the light 150 watt panel heater it was 0 degrees up at roost level. It was -17 this morning outside. Probably below zero down on the floor.

After six years of wintering with deep pine shavings as a floor bedding I put in straw this winter (after finally finding some here!) It’s a bit messier dropping wise. But when it’s cold I’ve found it easier on the hens’ feet. And frozen poop a lot easier to deal with than warm poop.
That straw is super insulating. I’ll switch back to pine in the spring as it seems to deal with moisture better.

So odd trying to find “nice & clean” straw was a challenge for me too. I like to put down a thick bedding of straw then a thinner layer of shavings. Frozen poop I just pickup & put in a bucket. A little bit more work I guess but I don’t really clean out the coop in winter just that top layer (or balls of poo). The chickens do a good job of stuffing the bedding where they want it they poop in their regular spots. Frozen poop on boards is just not for me.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I have been putting cut open feed bags under the girls. Pull them out every couple days and pop the chocolate chips off into another intact empty feed bag. I then have bagged fertilizer for my parents’ garden and mine. Recycle recycle!

I had found that compressed straw at tractor supplies but it was not effective and horribly dusty. Found two bales at a landscaping place for $6 per bale. And boy what a difference with the intact straw shafts. So far I’ve only used a half bale of it in a 6x7 coop. Using the dropping techniques I’ve got going has helped slow the use too I’m sure. As end of February and March roll in our moisture will go up. And probably use more

 

[aart]

pop the chocolate chips off

My poop boards are a challenge below about 25°F.

I add some straw during cold waves too...luckily I live in an ag region and straw is easily found...I keep bale for nests. Bale shown is actually hay:

 

[Alexandra33]

10 or so inches of snow, and wind chill of 25-30 below....brrrr.....Thankfully everyone, though quite unfamiliar with such bitter weather, survived! Frostbite wreaked havoc, however, in spite of efforts to save all those lovely single combs and large wattles. Never dealt with this before. Bet chooks with pea/rose combs were gloating!

You know it's cold when poop freezes rock solid almost immediately.

~Alex

 

[MissChick@dee]

I have been putting cut open feed bags under the girls. Pull them out every couple days and pop the chocolate chips off into another intact empty feed bag. I then have bagged fertilizer for my parents’ garden and mine. Recycle recycle!

I had found that compressed straw at tractor supplies but it was not effective and horribly dusty. Found two bales at a landscaping place for $6 per bale. And boy what a difference with the intact straw shafts. So far I’ve only used a half bale of it in a 6x7 coop. Using the dropping techniques I’ve got going has helped slow the use too I’m sure. As end of February and March roll in our moisture will go up. And probably use more

Awesome Idea!

 

[lcwmt]

We hit -18 last night, but the sun is shinning and we are suppose to get above 0, next week is cold with highs in the low 20's and teens. But here too, low humidity. With even the slightly longer days I am getting more and more eggs each day. Little tricky to keep them from freezing.

Mrs K

We have similar weather patterns but I think you get heavier winds.
Egg production here picked up with the Solstice. So far have only lost 3 eggs (that I know of) to freezing.

 

[lcwmt]

I have been putting cut open feed bags under the girls. Pull them out every couple days and pop the chocolate chips off into another intact empty feed bag. I then have bagged fertilizer for my parents’ garden and mine. Recycle recycle!

I had found that compressed straw at tractor supplies but it was not effective and horribly dusty. Found two bales at a landscaping place for $6 per bale. And boy what a difference with the intact straw shafts. So far I’ve only used a half bale of it in a 6x7 coop. Using the dropping techniques I’ve got going has helped slow the use too I’m sure. As end of February and March roll in our moisture will go up. And probably use more

great idea. It is hard to find "people size" straw bales here....

 

[Bogtown Chick]

My poop boards are a challenge below about 25°F.

I add some straw during cold waves too...luckily I live in an ag region and straw is easily found...I keep bale for nests. Bale shown is actually hay:
View attachment 1667447

It's weirdly satisfying putting them in that bag too. pop, pop, pop! I will say getting frozen poop off wood is down right impossible. I've got a nice metal drywall scraper and we need a 20 something day before that stuff is moving off my lower roosts or step up 2 x 4 . So in the meantime the girls will have to side step the mini skyscraper they're building on that lower stepping roost
I've got some hay in my run for the girls mixed with oak leaves (saving the straw for the coop) ...which actually break down pretty good with the scratchings. But the girls nibble on choicer bits of hay. I haven't got blocked crop yet...which is somewhat of a concern. I used to stuff the nest boxes with hay in the winter ...but the straw is where it's at. Dully noted this year. My fall chicken routine will be getting straw at that place as long as they have it!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

great idea. It is hard to find "people size" straw bales here....

Well I think that's part of the problem! For sure. The farmers/ranchers are using those big round balers mostly now. My Dad had a people sized baler growing up as a kid. In the last years on the farm he was hiring out the guy with the round baler who offered services to the farmers. It was just easier to get them up and out to the cattle in one move I guess. Not easy for us chicken farmers looking for two managable sized bales!