Winter feeding

[kotwica]

I live in PA and our winters can be pretty bad. I made a coop for my chickens that has an attached run with a roof over the run. I keep the food and water outside, but was wondering if this is going to be a problem in the winter. I have electric in the coop, so I will have a heated waterer, but I don't know if I should still move the food and water inside the coop during the winter months... It will be really tight for the birds if I move the food/water inside, so I really don't want to do that, but if they will not go out in the cold to eat or drink, I'm concerned... Please advise

 

[donrae]

Don't heat your coop. It's unnecessary, a fire hazard, and personally I think birds that are allowed to experience the weather are more thrifty all around. Plus, if your birds are used to a heat lamp and not acclimated to the cold, what happens if the power goes out?

I don't know what your set up is but I'm concerned about the plastic on the windows. Birds exhale a lot of moisture and they need to be dry more than warm. Don't worry about the temp, there are folks in Canada who don't heat the coop and the birds do fine. Remember, chickens survived long before there was electricity!

 

[kschicks2013]

Okay great thanks for your response. I am leaning towards not heating the coop....I have visions of overheating them or a fire. I like to err on the side of caution. I will lay more hay on the floor of the enclosure as well. I use the sand method for flooring. In the house itself I have put hay and shavings together in the hen house for more warmth. I will keep a close eye on them to make sure they are doing fine. Yeah, I figured they'd eat a lot more to keep their body heat up. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for my girlies.

 

[Wyandottes7]

I'd keep the waterer and feeder outside. You do not want chickens to be too confined during winter. Where I live, it also gets pretty cold (0 degrees or below sometimes), and I have my waterer outside. My feeder is also outside. I just change the water twice a day so that they can get some before it freezes. A heater in the water would help prevent freezing. Just make sure to check the water often to make sure that the chickens have some and it isn't frozen. Your chickens will probably be fine going out of the coop to eat and drink; mine do just fine.

 

[chfite]

I keep the food inside out of the weather and the water outside so spills aren't a problem. I use a bird bath heater to prevent freezing in winter.

Even if it is cold out, the chickens will want to go outside everyday.

Some report that the chickens don't go out into the snow. I cannot address that, because it doesn't snow routinely here.

Chris

 

[Percheron chick]

I keep feed inside out of the weather and to prevent birds from taking over the feeder.

 

[fallenangel79]

I keep feed inside out of the weather and to prevent birds from taking over the feeder.

I keep are feed and water out of the weather too

 

[DLV58]

Hi, I will keep the girls food and water outside in the winter like I do in the summer
this way the girls have to come out of the coop.

 

[humphrey farms]

I keep the food inside out of the weather and the water outside so spills aren't a problem. I use a bird bath heater to prevent freezing in winter.

Even if it is cold out, the chickens will want to go outside everyday.

Some report that the chickens don't go out into the snow. I cannot address that, because it doesn't snow routinely here.

Chris

During our severe Maine winters I keep my water outside and refill a couple times per day. Their grain I keep inside so snow doesn't get into the food. I usually lay straw down in front of the coop to encourage them to venture outside and along the shoveled path from the mudroom to the coop. Onto this I scatter whole corn or BOSS to get them outside too.

 

[donrae]

If the feeder is protected from the wet, leave it outside. Cold really doesn't bother the birds much, they have a nice down coat that keeps them toasty!