Utah!

[hen-thusiast]

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I know, we've become experts in weird chicken stuff. And don't even get me started on the rescue dog stuff, holy crap, I've jumped through hoops for our rescued heeler. She's on five different medications and we've spent a small fortune on training. Our small animal vet has taken pity on me and stopped charging me for office visits.
We've been lucky with our rescue horses... knock on wood, but I know how fast those vet bills add up.

And thanks for the kind words! That's a two way street!

 

[the-bird-man]

so my little chicks feathers are coming in and they are white so i am thinking leghorn. i am also wondering if she is a he? if she is a he i would have to find a home for him but i would hate if he became dinner but i know not a lot of people want roos. if she is a he would any of you be interested? if i have to rehome him if he is a he i would love if one of you could take him so i know he would go to a good home and i may be able to meet you somewhere too. if its a girl i will keep her but i cant have roos so i kinda want to have a plan b in place. it is still a little ways away before i know the sex so yeah. i just hope she is a she

 

[AUChick9202]

I asked in the coop design forum, but I thought I would ask my fellow UT chicken owners as well.

We got our first chickens this spring. We have a 4' x 4' coop for our 5 hens. The coop sits in our yard. Right now the birds only sleep in the coop at night and free-range in the yard during the day. I am assuming this will change during the winter. I live in Logan, so do you think this coop with be sufficient for winter? Do they still come out and free-range during the winter months? Will I need to bring the food and water inside the coop during the winter? If so, that will take up considerable space in the coop. I just need to alert my husband now if I need the coop to be enlarged, so it will be ready before the first snow hits! Thanks for your input!

 

[hen-thusiast]

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My advice would be to make sure that the food and water is in a snow free space. In addition, make sure the water doesn't freeze. We rescued three chickens from a bad situation in which they were basically forced to be on snow/ice all day and often didn't have water. Subsequently, they suffered frostbite and lost most of their feet.

Personally, I'd enlarge the coop because there are probably going to be days where they won't want to go outside.

 

[ElkMtnCove]

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I think it could depend on the chickens but my girls won't put a toe on snow....

 

[AUChick9202]

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My advice would be to make sure that the food and water is in a snow free space. In addition, make sure the water doesn't freeze. We rescued three chickens from a bad situation in which they were basically forced to be on snow/ice all day and often didn't have water. Subsequently, they suffered frostbite and lost most of their feet.

Personally, I'd enlarge the coop because there are probably going to be days where they won't want to go outside.

Thanks for the advice. So how large would your recommend the coop be?

 

[the-bird-man]

my chickens think snow is lava and will not walk on it

 

[ElkMtnCove]

Quote:
My advice would be to make sure that the food and water is in a snow free space. In addition, make sure the water doesn't freeze. We rescued three chickens from a bad situation in which they were basically forced to be on snow/ice all day and often didn't have water. Subsequently, they suffered frostbite and lost most of their feet.

Personally, I'd enlarge the coop because there are probably going to be days where they won't want to go outside.

If you can find a used dog run to attach to it, cover top with a tarp or plywood, then plywood (or whatever) the sides where the wind/snow blows in, they will spend quite a bit of time outside (we left the sunny side open, even tho many days it was just daylight - not sun). I also put a couple roosts in our run as well. My girls spent a lot of time outside, even when it was very cold. Only during the major storms (and of course night) would they go in the coop. I also keep my food & water in the run as it keeps their coop cleaner.

This year we are turning the opposite side of the coop/run into a sunroom for them.

 

[PoultryPedia]

The standard amount of floor space I have heard recommended for chickens living inside a coop is 3 to 4 square feet per large (vs. bantam) chicken. So you'd need to at least triple the coop size for them to be staying inside comfortably.

I love to give the chickens lots of indoor space, partly so *I* can comfortably go inside to visit with them in the evenings.

I've been blessed to thus far live in the country while I've had chickens. I've been able to modify and use existing old farm buildings as coops.

Our 3 chickens have been living temporarily in a 4-horse trailer--How do you like that for a novel coop? They are about to move into a 3'x4' very sheltered run, that I can't fit in really well because of the slanted roof, but it will work until we can get one of our sheds converted into a chicken coop.

I hope you are able to work out good winter arrangements without it taking too much work.

 

[Cynthia12]

I'm so excited...eggggcited.

Got my first egg from my leghorn today. She has been grumbling and talking about it for days, while jumping up and checking out the nest boxes, hanging around the coop..all I could think was, yes, use that next box..she did.

A nice size white egg for her first. I now have two girls laying for me that I hatched out this spring. My black sex link has laid almost everyday since she started about a week and a half ago! I'm getting eggs again from my own chicks..well..hens.