What Are Your Winter Woes?

[donkeydew2farms]

I agree with veronicamom i worked with horses and the stories about barns burning do to heat lamps were allful . I have dog houses stuffed with straw and I banked the sides of the pen, along with the floor. that seems to work but I keep adding to it every couple of days. they seem to be happy. but the water is my problem. do those heated dog bowls work? do the shut off when they get low or turned over?

 

[SerenityRachel]

This is my first winter too I would agree, warmer weather is so much easier! I don't worry about cleaning up the poop. I think my chickens must dig around in the bedding enough to where I don't notice it. I'm not sure what your set up is, but I would put another layer of bedding down, throw/sprinkle some feed on the ground and let them mix all the bedding up.

My biggest issue is frozen water---I don't have electric in my coop

Yep, agreed - we've just been putting more straw down on top. I figure with how cold it is, it's not like anything gross is going to grow or live in it.

Our three Pekins have a lovely coop that we built for them. And do they sleep in it? NOOOOOOO! They've been insisting on sleeping outside, on the ground, in the snow. Silly girls, but they seem fine, no shivering or anything! (This is also our first winter with ducks!)

We did put in a water heater and that's working quite well so far to keep their drinking water from freezing.

 

[SerenityRachel]

I agree with veronicamom i worked with horses and the stories about barns burning do to heat lamps were allful . I have dog houses stuffed with straw and I banked the sides of the pen, along with the floor. that seems to work but I keep adding to it every couple of days. they seem to be happy. but the water is my problem. do those heated dog bowls work? do the shut off when they get low or turned over?

We've been using the heated base that goes under the metal double wall drinker, from Tractor Supply. It's been working well so far, and you don't have to worry about them getting turned over.

 

[Smurfbrew]

I agree with veronicamom i worked with horses and the stories about barns burning do to heat lamps were allful . I have dog houses stuffed with straw and I banked the sides of the pen, along with the floor. that seems to work but I keep adding to it every couple of days. they seem to be happy. but the water is my problem. do those heated dog bowls work? do the shut off when they get low or turned over?

I got a 2 gallon heated bucket instead of a dog bowl, which is taller and less likely to flip over. I covered half of the opening with a heavy board to discourage swimming. It doesn't get hot, just keeps the water from freezing. I have 3 ducks and they haven't come close to emptying it yet. However I do change the water out once a day just to keep it fresh. It has been a big help so far this winter.

 

[cymbaline]

I have a heated dog bowl that I got last winter and it has worked wonderfully. Before that I had to go dump hot water on the ice constantly and even then I know they went without water at times.
My ducks have a super-secure pen to run around in 24/7 so they don't have to be locked up at night, but in the winter I provide a house for shelter from the cold. They almost NEVER willingly go in, and even if I herd them in for their own good they run back out, lol. I think all last winter they went inside maybe a handful of nights. Earlier this week, in fact, I caught them sitting on top of the houses...I explained to them that's not how the house works, but I don't think they cared.
I also turn on a heat lamp in the pen when it's really cold (like 20 and lower), and they tend to stay pretty far away from it unless I corral them around it, lol. They're tougher than I give them credit for, I guess.
I just wish I could get rid of the mud, which is a year round issue, but I doubt I'll ever manage to succeed at that without moving the pen elsewhere in the yard. :/

 

[veronicasmom]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1277

These are thermostat controlled so they would shut off if empty and they have a no tip base. They work great for our ducks, all ten of them. A full bowl lasts overnight with quite a bit to spare, so maybe if you have only a few ducks, they'd be fine with it. We put a notched board across it so they don't sit in it and put it in a rubber feed dish to catch splashes. They are worth every cent and they are safe. I'd be lost without them and the heated horse, goat and rabbit buckets and bowls.

 

[Massey]

Mud definitely mud!!! Its everywhere, well everywhere around the coop area but they are free ranging over good ground, so it's ok for them just me that has to manage the mud,

 

[Miss Lydia]

My worst is frozen poop every where

can't wash it off with the hose it just makes more frozen ice and poop and when it has snowed and then poop gets all over it oh my gosh drives me crazy .

 

[veronicasmom]

Yup, frozen poop. I hate it. The pen looks awful. Not just the duck poop, the goat poop is a mess too. Thankfully, I can easily clean the horse paddocks, but the turnouts are awful, and the rabbits poop in a litter box, so that cleans up easily. But that duck pen is terrible. And the $(@($(# ice. Grrr, dangerous. Got to have duck water, so dumping them makes ice. Yuck. Cannot wait for winter to be over and technically it is not even here!!!!!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yup, frozen poop. I hate it. The pen looks awful. Not just the duck poop, the goat poop is a mess too. Thankfully, I can easily clean the horse paddocks, but the turnouts are awful, and the rabbits poop in a litter box, so that cleans up easily. But that duck pen is terrible. And the $(@($(# ice. Grrr, dangerous. Got to have duck water, so dumping them makes ice. Yuck. Cannot wait for winter to be over and technically it is not even here!!!!!!!

yep on all accounts!! lol