What do I do in the winter?

[Nicole01]

Quote:
Thanks!

I just started sprouting greens today, so they have a nice tasty treat along with their homemade scratch. I'm using the black oil sunflower seeds right now and I ordered alfalfa seeds and a special 4 tier sprouter. My two youngest girls are helping me sprout the greens. Right now I over did it with the seeds, so my extras will go to the chickens across the street.(my neighbor will be thrilled)

 

[binza1979]

I am worried about a heater catching my coop on fire. It is filled with hay and pine shavings. Is there a safer, natural way to heat a coop? I have a heater for my water, but I don't want my girls to suffer!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

You could just not heat the coop. They adapt to the changing weather. I only heat the water.

 

[wyododge]

The only other thing I do in the winter (heat water with bird bath deicer) is open the door a little later so they sit on the eggs and keep them from freezing.

In Mn, I would cover the run to keep the snow out, but thats just cause I am lazy and don't want to have to shovel the snow out. I have set things up to have as minimal maintenance as possible. Other than that, really no difference between winter and summer. And we definitely have winter here...

As far as the feet thing, no, the comb thing, seen it, heard it, never done it. We try to let our chickens be chickens, and let them adapt as they have done for quite a while.

 

[Sparks]

We have a heated waterer outside in the run. We wire cardboard to the fence in their run on the north side. The best thing we do is collect bags of leaves in town and scatter them in the run after it snows after shoveling. Our hens do not like to walk on snow. A bag of leaves in the run is nice for their feet, they love to scratch through it and it makes for great material in the compost when spring arrives.

 

[darkmatter]

I just close the windows for the winter season.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Adjustments are very much a function of where your are. With heavy snow I set out straw bales several to a couple hundred feet apart (lesser amount if in run). Feed can be set out on bales so they can get eats when flying from bale to bale. Also gives them wind break and elevated place to stay without standing in snow all the time.

Supplmental heat is not needed if food is not limiting. Make certain ventilation good but so birds can get out of direct cold wind. During winter, my birds drink only once daily so heated water is not needed unless you are feeding a formulated feed only.

 

[stilldeb]

Our coops and pens are movable, so in winter we move them out from under the trees and up against the house to shelter from the wind/weather. We have floor heaters inside that we bought from www.shopthecoop.com that you can put the pine shavings right on top of. They plug into a thermostat plug that only comes on when the outside temperature gets below 40 degrees, so it's not on all the time and we don't have to keep turning it on and off.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

am going to put a tarp on the top of their run, so that the snow won't fall in.

If you get more than a couple of inches of snow, you're going to find a tarp won't support the load.​

 

[JodyJo]

Quote:
I agree here...we get easily into the -20's in the winter in Colorado....no added heat or light. I use a deep littler method, lots of pine shavings...a base water heater for the water inside the coop, I leave the food outside, hanging. You can also tie up cabbage heads, etc for them to peck at to avoid boredom as well as the flock block.

Keep the coop draft free and provide greens...I do throw scratch but not as much as some have posted...it isn't very nutritious for them...but I do know a full tummy, is a warm animal (this from my rancher hubby about our cattle)

I hear Vaseline works, but can be very messy when it gets covered with dirt...also encouraging the others to peck at the comb...they will peck anything that resembles food!

If it is really bitter and windy, don't let them out that day...they will survive...I thought my roos last year would be smart enough to know better....

apparently not....a bit of frostbite on this ones comb...dummy!


**Yes, I treat mine to warm oatmeal also!