Winter flock care and feeding

[Montana Chicken Mom]

Hi everyone! New chicken mom here with a small flock of 6 (for now) they will be 18 weeks old next week and I am curious about a few things.
1. Winter care- we typically have harsh winters here in Montana and temps can get down to -30, I have winterized the coop (it is not drafty but there is air flow for ventilation) they do have a radiant heater mounted in their coop for them and it is insulated with straw and pine shavings for them. I intend to bring their water in every night so it does not freeze (unless you have better ideas?? I’m using a top fill gravity waterer) any tips and tricks are appreciated!!

2. They are still on Dumor starter/grower feed with oyster shell on the side… nobody has started to lay eggs yet.. should I keep them on the starter/grower feed and plan to do so with the oyster shell throughout the winter? Should I not expect eggs until the spring? and if so, should I fee layer crumble feed when they all do start to lay?

3. Sun light- During the winter we have very short days And I know sunlight is obviously a necessity for laying- if they do lay throughout the winter, do I need to supplement with artificial sunlight? I read that it is an option- but is it actually a healthy option for them?

Any other helpful info or insight is much appreciated! Just want my gals to stay happy!

Thank you!

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC!

It's actually better if you start giving them layer feed a few weeks before they're due to lay eggs.
I'm one that does not give the birds the opportunity to choose to eat oyster shell on the side or not because oftentimes there are birds that choose not to eat it and end up with problems.

 

[416bigbore]

Hello and welcome to BYC, You found an Amazing Poultry Community to be a part of with many great knowledgeable members, who are more then willing to jump in and help you along your journey with any questions you may have.

Unless you depend on the eggs, it's my understanding winter time is their resting time so we don't use any artificial light. Best of luck.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

How much ventilation is in your coop? It is actually extremely important to have a lot of ventilation during the winter so that wet ammonia-laden air can leave the coop and fresh dry air can enter the coop.

I have a heated base water fount that I keep in the run for my flock.

I would either keep them on the chick starter/grower crumble or switch over to Flock Raiser or All Flock for life. Just keep the oyster shell in separate containers on the side. You don't have to change anything.

There's a fairly good chance they will lay throughout the winter. No, you do not need to supplement light for pullets to lay throughout the winter.

There are mixed opinions about supplementing light to keep hens in lay during the shorter days of winter. I for one am against it. I want them to be able to take a much-needed break from egg laying.

 

[Grammy60]

Hello and welcome to BYC

 

[Montana Chicken Mom]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

How much ventilation is in your coop? It is actually extremely important to have a lot of ventilation during the winter so that wet ammonia-laden air can leave the coop and fresh dry air can enter the coop.

I have a heated base water fount that I keep in the run for my flock.

I would either keep them on the chick starter/grower crumble or switch over to Flock Raiser or All Flock for life. Just keep the oyster shell in separate containers on the side. You don't have to change anything.

There's a fairly good chance they will lay throughout the winter. No, you do not need to supplement light for pullets to lay throughout the winter.

There are mixed opinions about supplementing light to keep hens in lay during the shorter days of winter. I for one am against it. I want them to be able to take a much-needed break from egg laying.

Good morning!
Thank you for your reply! There is quite a bit of ventilation in there, we are very conscientious about this potential issue and took it in to consideration when we built the coop. I also have 5 windows that I am able to open and close to provide even more ventilation. I don’t feel like that will be an issue for them.
I feel so much better about not supplementing sun light. I was very torn because I didn’t want to- but some places say you should do it.
Very very helpful response! Thank you so much!

 

[N F C]

Hi, it's nice to have you here with us! If you would like to chat with other MT members, here's a link to your state thread: Montana

 

[janiedoe]

Welcome to BYC. I wholeheartedly, agree with @DobieLover concerning supplemental light and feed.
Good luck with your flock, and I hope you will enjoy the BYC community.

 

[MTKitty]

Welcome.

I brooded my flock in the garage for five weeks before turning them out into the yard. Their 8x10 coop has two windows and no insulation. They managed our recent snow storm quite well. They stayed in during the storm and came out after I shoveled the snow down from a little patch.

I had the windows cracked open through this time - they face south-eastish, away from the prevailing north and south-west winds that bring storms my way.

I was using a gravity waterer, but noticed the trough portion was freezing even though the bell didn’t. So, I put a two gallon bucket in the coop and haven’t had anything worse than thin ice at the edges which has been easy to pick out.

I’m in a rural area about 50 miles from Billings, so my weather is similar to what they get in the city.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to the pulse beat of the poultry community, Backyard Chickens. Thank you for joining the flock.