When to get chicks when you live in a nothern state?

[ralleia]

Quote:
A LIVE chicken, or a LIVE human, or a LIVE cow, is a HEATER. A person can heat with electricity, or with chicken feed.

I'm a'feared for the lives of a mere 3-5 chickens in an unheated shed through a Minnesota winter.

I found a reference that places the equivalent of 8 BTU per hour per pound of chicken. Assuming 6 pounds per chicken, 3 chickens would generate the equivalent of 42 watts of heat. Fifty chickens output over 700 watts of heat. Think that makes a difference in subzero temperatures? I think so.

I had a woman last fall that wanted to buy two of my hens from me. She lives the next town over. Her two hens froze to death the winter before. I wouldn't sell her my any of my girls, not even the couple I don't like. I'm not a chicken right's activist, but I won't let my girls (or boys) suffer and die needlessly.

 

[vjbakke]

In the winter do they mind being in the snow?
I am thinking if we get some in mid April they will have to be inside until June or so. Or maybe moved into the garage in May. It's spring but we just got about a foot of snow! I have been looking into breeds that do well in cold winters. I think we should be able to get at least 6. I hear that some don't make it through shipping and some places add a few extra? Should we order a few more extra? My husband is handy with building thing so he's working on making plans for building a coop. We have a nice protected corner on the side of our house. I wish we had more land and I would be getting a lot more chicks!

 

[jaj121159]

Are we talking about brooding chicks or chicken winter survival? I thought the OP was asking about brooding chicks.

 

[ralleia]

Quote:
Mine are skittish about going into the snow. I'm sure those spindly feet don't work very well as snow shoes!

As long as I shovel out paths in the chicken run, then they are willing to go out. Only during the severest colds do I shut them up all day.

The main thing is to choose chickens with small combs (the protuberance on top of their heads). They should be small and close to the head for cold tolerance. The comb is the first thing to freeze when it gets cold, and it's upsetting to see chickens with dead or damaged tissue from freezing temperatures.

I would err on the side of ordering a few extra. It's much harder to introduce new chickens to a flock than to find new homes for a couple. Don't count on the company sending extras!

 

[Frosty]

I'm in ND, it's 10F right now, and I just picked up 25 chicks from the post office shortly after midnight. No DOA, they were a little chilly and huddled under the light at first but are now spread out nicely and chirping quietly. I wouldn't start them in an uheated building right now unless temps will consistently stay above 40 or so and they are draft free with a heat lamp.

As for winter, I have about 60 chickens in a building that is about 10' x 24'. While they do line up on the roost, there is always a hen or two that decides to sleep in the nest box and one rooster for whatever reason has decided to sleep on the floor behind a plastic tote that I have in there. I also have two bantam roosters (one Silkie and one Cochin) that roosts with the rest. I don't use supplemental heat, and I never close the door for them to go out. I have a covered run and the door and windows (usually at least two windows open a few inches) are all on the south side of the building on the side that doesn't usually get wind. I do have insulation in the building and a water heater.

 

[booker81]

I got a dozen chicks last April, and used chicken math to add and subtract until I ended up with 14. They had an incandescent 60W bulb in their coop, and a water bucket heater in a water bucket for water, to keep it ice free. They did just dandy, the red roo got a bit of frostbite on his comb, but everyone else did well. The shed is insulated, with holes cut out for ventilation on the high part of the ends.

Mine don't like snow. They pretty much LIVED in the coop the whole winter, so I made sure to give them treats to keep the cabin fever down - scattering BOSS and scratch around in their bedding, and I got a few flock blocks for them to pick at. They laid through the winter. Now that it WAS getting nice, they were in the run a lot, but it's cruddy weather again, so they stay in their coop. The coop is 10'x10'. I technically have room for more based on the 4sqft/bird rule, but I wouldn't do it due to the need for them to stay in there all winter. The size was perfect for them to be cooped up all winter (not my choice, they could go out, they just didn't want to).

I also purchased a dozen meat chicks on March 5th I think, and they were moved out to the coop at one week old due to outgrowing my indoor brooder. They have a 250W heat lamp a couple feet up from their bedding, by their water, to keep things ice free and warm enough. They are thriving, even through it's chilly out. The ventilation for the coop is on the opposite side of the roost in the layer's area (hard to explain), so it doesn't blow in on them, but then there is a half wall, and then the meaties are on the ground past that, so there is absolutely no draft to get to them. The layers can handle the extra chill if the wind gets whipping around, since they have a nice down coat going on. Some of them are downright poofy.

I'm in MI, so it's a bit on the chilly side

I have....production red, SLW, GLW, Light Brahma, red sex links, Ameraucanas, California Grey, and one neurotic Polish.

 

[spotstealer]

I'min central WI and my lil peepers arrived two weeks ago. I have the brooder in a spare room (getting reading to move them to larger brooder). I have six chicks all doing quite well. My coop and run is nearly finished, I'm just waiting for the snow to melt in the are I plan on keeping them. Its surprising how fast they are feathering!

 

[Arielle]

You have options-- My chicks arrived in early Feb, now its mid March, and they are still in the house. Until they have good weather protection I will not put them outside.(COop not finished). They will go out with a heating lamp for use when the temps drop. Because they don't have a broody hen to act like a down blanket, I would be cautious about where you brood them in the colder months.

 

[Arielle]

You have options-- My chicks arrived in early Feb, now its mid March, and they are still in the house. Until they have good weather protection I will not put them outside.(COop not finished). They will go out with a heating lamp for use when the temps drop. Because they don't have a broody hen to act like a down blanket, I would be cautious about where you brood them in the colder months.