What about the winter months...

[JeninMN]

Is it true that we should close off the door to the run once the snow is on the ground? That they stay in their coop all winter long???

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I don't do that with mine--the coop would be unbearably filthy by the end of the winter.

Mine have year round access to their outdoor runs--and we have temps well below zero & 4+ feet of snow from around the end of October until at least March...

 

[zatsdeb]

we leave our door open, it is a small hole, and they are fine, but when it gets below zero we close it, or if we are getting a snow storm, wind, ice..etc....
mostly they go out on winter days and pick at the snow. the ducks love the snow.

 

[Katy]

My coop door is open all year too during the day. Somedays they don't go out much, but it's their choice.

 

[JeninMN]

That is what I thought...more advice from someone who we haven't been listening too anyway

so we'll continue on with all your advice here! Thanks

 

[wynedot55]

if i was you id let them out in their yard every day.now you might have to move snow so you can open the door.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

My coop door opens into a small secure run 24/7. They come and go as they please.

 

[ozark hen]

This past winter we unrolled one large bale of hay..not straw..in the run and we always close up the doors at night for security reasons. Chickens had a ball scratching through the hay for seeds and little insects who were hidden deep in the hay. It worked out great! Kept them up off the frozen ground, too.

 

[Omeletta]

Mine were out in up to -20 C . They did fine, but preferred it when I put shavings down on top the snow, can't say I blame them

They enjoyed outside, and there was lots to do out there for them, I fed them lots of cooked oatmeal and plenty of scratch to help them stay warm.

At our coldest this last winter, we were -52 C. They were in the coop, locked up then, with a heat lamp, and faired fine, not even any frost bite.

Tanya

 

[RoostersCrow]

Quote:
We do ours just like Coyote. We are in the mid-atlantic area.