Terrible weather boredom

[NewYorkMama]

Hi y’all. I have four Buff Orpingtons. This is our first winter together. Their coop is small - roughly 4ftx4ft but fine for the 4 of them, with a large attached predator proof run. The issue is that we live in upstate NY and since there has been snow on the ground for a month, the girls mostly won’t come out of the coop.

The current storm is bringing temps for the next couple of days of HIGHS of -2F with windchill of -35... I’m going to keep their pop door closed to avoid frigid air blowing in their coop. They won’t go out when it’s snowing anyhow.

Anyway, my question is: Do you have any ideas for reliving boredom for them - both short term for the next couple days , and long term for the next few months - until they can see grass/dirt again?

I periodically spread a little straw over the snow in their run, but it snows a little every day or two so it seems pointless and I know it will make for a crazy spring clean up too. I do sweep off their logs & perches in the run but only the most brave girl will even go out there to perch.

I visit with them a couple times a day and bring them snacks but I just feel badly for them being cooped up. In the nicer months they free range for much of the day.

Thank you for any suggestions!

 

[lazy gardener]

Deep litter in both coop and run, toss some sprouted grains or scratch into the litter. Wrap the run in plastic to keep the wind from blowing through. As for having to clean the straw out of the run in the spring, I can't imagine why you would want to. Deep litter is much more healthy, unless you can give them a nicely vegetated run without bare soil/mud.

 

[MagpieDucks]

Hi! Possibly a dust bath in their coop? Many people take a small litter box, and mix some sand and ash together. A mirror is great fun too! Treats are more fun, if they are buried or hanging.

 

[aart]

4x4 with 4 large fowl......and feed and water....they probably can't move much.

Is your run covered at all...even part of it?
Can they access under the coop?
If you post some pics, we may be able to make some suggestions.

My run is also uncovered, except for a 4x8 space under the coop that is mostly protected from wind. They can dust bathe under there all winter(usually). I shovel out part of the run near the pop door then a path all along the 50 length....this gives me access to the run door, the pop door, and the length of run to keep snow from building up on the mesh run roof.

But it also gives them some outside space to wander when it stops snowing(which may be never-haha) and winds die down. It also eases snow melt time come spring, exposing the ground much sooner than with no shoveling. I sprinkle a thin layer of straw to entice them to walk on snow, or better yet some pine shavings(much easier to shovel after the nest inevitable snow fall).

 

[NewYorkMama]

Deep litter in both coop and run, toss some sprouted grains or scratch into the litter. Wrap the run in plastic to keep the wind from blowing through. As for having to clean the straw out of the run in the spring, I can't imagine why you would want to. Deep litter is much more healthy, unless you can give them a nicely vegetated run without bare soil/mud.

It gets quite murky/mushy in their run in the Spring/Fall because of the rains. It doesn't seem healthy to me, so I clear it down to bare dirt and put fresh straw down every few weeks. Wish we could grow grass in there... any ideas how I could keep the girls off the grass while it grows?

 

[NewYorkMama]

Hi! Possibly a dust bath in their coop? Many people take a small litter box, and mix some sand and ash together. A mirror is great fun too! Treats are more fun, if they are buried or hanging.

I took your advice & put a shallow rubbermaid bin in there with some sand and leftover chick grit... they haven't been dust bathing in there yet, but they are pecking at it and seem intrigued... definitely breaks up the boredom! I will try the mirror - thank you!

 

[NewYorkMama]

4x4 with 4 large fowl......and feed and water....they probably can't move much.

Is your run covered at all...even part of it?
Can they access under the coop?
If you post some pics, we may be able to make some suggestions.

My run is also uncovered, except for a 4x8 space under the coop that is mostly protected from wind. They can dust bathe under there all winter(usually). I shovel out part of the run near the pop door then a path all along the 50 length....this gives me access to the run door, the pop door, and the length of run to keep snow from building up on the mesh run roof.

But it also gives them some outside space to wander when it stops snowing(which may be never-haha) and winds die down. It also eases snow melt time come spring, exposing the ground much sooner than with no shoveling. I sprinkle a thin layer of straw to entice them to walk on snow, or better yet some pine shavings(much easier to shovel after the nest inevitable snow fall).

Here are some photos: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-cold-to-leave-pop-door-open.1208875/page-2
So, it's completely predator proof... meaning even the underside of the run is fenced in, so short answer is no, they don't have access to underneath their coop. The snow is so high already now anyhow, they wouldn't be able to get under there even if I let them out the "people door".
I have the run partially covered with foam floor tiles... this is only to provide shade in the summer. It really does nothing against snow/rain. Roofing it for next year might be a possibility, but we'd have to shovel the snow off the top because of weight... which is a challenge! I should post a current snow pic!

 

[NewYorkMama]

I sprinkle a thin layer of straw to entice them to walk on snow, or better yet some pine shavings(much easier to shovel after the nest inevitable snow fall).

Forgot to reply to this part! I have found the pine shavings while lighter in the run, seem to get wetter and moldier than the straw... do you encounter this problem at all?

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO you will not be able to grow grass there. If you have a drainage problem that is contributing to the moisture issue, address that first. Run off from roof, low area, drainage from an other wet area can all be contributing factors. Then, there's the normal wet season stuff. My run gets a bit soggy with fall and spring rains also. But, the DL actually helps with that. If it were bare soil (I have a heavy clay soil in that area) the moisture would just sit there, and I'd sometimes have standing water. But, the DL acts as a sponge. It soaks up all of that moisture, and slowly releases it as the soil is able to absorb it. The deeper the DL, the better.

You might consider putting some drainage ditches around your run to take care of the extra rains.

 

[Freisian]

Hang up some greens ( cabbage, chard, spinach) about head height , they love it, the favourite is a whole kale or Brussels sprout plant hung up. They go crazy for it.