Winter is almost here!! Share your tips and tricks for coping the elements with your chickens!

[Bogtown Chick]

I'm in the Midwest, Mi

It will also matter if you are by one of the big lakes or inland. Humidity is a game changer. It's sometimes hard to beat if the relative humidity outside is just as bad as it is in the coop full of chickens.

I will also say I used vaseline my first year without any relief for my large combed birds. I got advice later to purchase bag balm. Much better. Waxier in the cold. Can repel moisture better. But the BEST way to avoid those issues is hopefully you have the right breed for your climate. (Comb-type)

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I fully agree with this. Everyone's circumstances are different. You have to do whatever works for you. As I have said before, I don't have the same waterers, feeders, coop, or run that I had several years ago. The original stuff just didn't work well for me and was all replaced. However, by reading what other people were doing I finally figured out a system that works well for me. It's just a matter of trial and error. I cringe when I think of the way too small coop I had with almost no ventilation. I didn't know better. Joining BYC certainly taught me a lot.

Thank you wamtazlady.

THere was equipment buying and replacing my first year as well. The learning curve is steep the first year.

 

[Adalida]

As Bogtown Chick and Wamtazlady said, everybody will have different experiences with what works for their chickens. That being said, this is one thing that works for me- I do not cover my chicken run with anything to keep the snow out. I'm in northern Montana so it gets quite cold, and we get a decent amount of snow. My peeps will all walk on snow without me having to put straw down. At first they didn't like it, but their desire to roam around outweighed their dislike of the snow, and it wasn't long before they were meandering around all over. They mostly stayed to areas we had plowed/shoveled until the snow got a crust to it, then they learned they could walk on top and go all over. Sometimes one would break through the snow and would squawk indignantly and flutter their way out.
Here's Sassy and Elvira surveying their first real snow and trying to decide whether to come down from the safety of their log.

And in no time these were everywhere!

Here, they're all yelling at me to let them out so they could go explore (which I did). This is so people can get a general idea of how much snow we had in December; we got more in Jan and Feb.

 

[romita]

Pingobags-
I'm intrigued by your coop vent/fan.
Is it actually a fan? Or is it a vent with a fan placed inside?
Do you have a wire running out to a power source?
Did you make or buy it? If buy, where?
I think I want to copy you and put one in our coop.
Thanks!

Yea it is getting colder earlier this year, hope it isn't a sign of a really cold winter.

Here's a few images to visualize it better. I wasn't going for looks, I just wanted it to work.

 

[Metagirl]

Its a good read, as a new chicken owner, I posted this question in my states thread, thinking it would be good to see what others locally have done. I have been watching my silly birds hang out in the rain, because we have had a severe drought and my 6 month olds haven't had much experience with precipitation. I leave the door to their coop open so they can come and go as they please, Their run is a well secured dog fencing with hardwear cloth and chicken wire on top. Snow comes and goes, usually, and Im not sure how much ventilation is too much. There are sliding vents at the peak of the house on both sides. So how much is too much? 5 hens, a large snaplock plastic coop..
u

 

[3riverschick]

Hello there all!

I have gotten to thinking. This will be my first winter raising chickens. I had ducks last winter (but that is a whole different story) but I think chickens will be a tad bit different from ducks. So, lets begin by sharing all of our tips and DIY tricks for keeping things thawed and other such things. As winter progresses, we will share stories of how our tips and tricks are working, maybe need to find different ideas if some are not working, and share pictures of chickens enjoying the snow! Here are some topics I would love to see some ideas on:

1. Keeping those waterers thawed, because we all know how hard it will be to get ice chunks out of them.

Sprout some Plotspike Forage Oats. ( http://www.plotspike.com ) for them in mason jars in your house. Feed them sprouts 4-7 days old as "green feed". 1 cubic inch per bird per day as a supplement to their normal ration. This "green feed" helps bring the hens into lay and helps the males produce more robust sperm. I get my bags at Tractor Supply or probably any hunting/fishing store. These forage oats are used to plant feeding plots for deer hunters. They are non-GMO and specially created at Louisiana State University circa 2002. No added advantage in feeding sprouts older than 7 days. Younger than 4 days, are fed as "grain feed", as a substitute for part of daily ration but do not give the green feed virtues of 1-3 days old ...because on the 4th day, a nutritional change takes place in the oat sprout which gives "green feed" virtues to the sprouts. Older than 7 days, one runs the risk of the sprouts spoiling. Sprouts should always smell fresh, not sour (spoiled). Feel "crisp" to the touch not slimy(spoiled)
4. Preventing frostbite. Vaseline on combs and wattles. Change your coop to a Woods Open Air Coop. Get a breed with smaller comb and wattles. Proper Ventilation.
5. When it might be necessary to bring in extra means of heat. Use a Sweeter Heater. http://www.sweeterheater.com Take out the roosts and pile extra deep kiln-dried shavings on the floor for them to snuggle down into. Use kiln-dried hardwood shavings The white bale at Tractor Supply, not the yellow bale. Keep checking all winter to add more deep chips as the birds press them down. You can add more Sweet PDZ under the chips when you add more chips but no need for more DE.
6. Things for them to do since they won't have worms to search for, the ground will be too frozen for dust baths. Hopefully stress won't be a problem if they have 4 sq. ft. per bird if they need cooped inside for extensive periods. (1/2 that sq. ft. for bantams). The hanging cabbage is a good idea.

1. Sprinkle an even layer of food grade diatomaceous earth on the bottom of the cleaned coop. make it just thick enough so yo can't see the grain in the wood floor. Pile a bit extra in corners and along edges where the walls meet the floor. Use a simple face mask or bandana over your face when spreading DE.

3. Gently spread 4 to 6 inches of white bale Tractor Supply wood shavings over the coop floor. Being careful not to disturb the under layers of DE and PDZ too much because you want a nice even layer of DE and PDZ under the chips. (use a simple face mask or bandana over your face until the DE is covered with chips.

Best Regards,

Karen in western PA, USA

Let's have fun with our chickens this winter!

ALL BYC RULES APPLY.

 

[3riverschick]

It will also matter if you are by one of the big lakes or inland. Humidity is a game changer. It's sometimes hard to beat if the relative humidity outside is just as bad as it is in the coop full of chickens.

I will also say I used vaseline my first year without any relief for my large combed birds. I got advice later to purchase bag balm. Much better. Waxier in the cold. Can repel moisture better. But the BEST way to avoid those issues is hopefully you have the right breed for your climate. (Comb-type)

A huge reason I am switching from Light Sussex to large fowl White Chaneclers. The frostbite on the Sussex male's combs was pushing my breeding season way forward into May, June and once, July, as I had to wait for the combs to heal before the males were fertile agan. In Sussex, the best winter layers are March hatched. I was getting smaller birds than their genetics expected because of late hatching and winter laying was impaired the next winter because of the chick's late hatching. I think the Chanteclers will be much better for me. No need to heat in the coop. Tiny combs and wattles. Good winter layers.
Best,
Karen in western PA, USA

 

[chicken4prez]

We have lots of chickens to keep the heat and we change our waters two times a day.
Our neighbours have a heated water bowl (it is meant for dogs but it works for chickens)

 

[MollySunshine]

In All truthfulness, I do like these threads about wintering chickens. Tons of information/help. Here's the big "But":

I think these threads really become confusing for new folks because there is so much information and adaptions for climate. Mild winters. Nasty Humid (coastal) Cold? Midwest Dry and Cold? I find even that the design of a chicken coop roof can throw a monkey wrench into how to ventilate your coop properly.

And the other variable is are you a Pet Owner, Show person, or chickens are purely livestock, what breeds do you have? Large comb varieties with extended periods of cold will become dubbed with frostbite. And yep. Even with excellent ventilation.

So if a person comes on here and says this is the end all, answer to everything, the gospel for chickens...please know it may absolutely be right for them but totally wrong for your own set up. It's always good to check in with experience people on the threads that are for your state or location. When you visit on these threads your climate and location is EVERYTHING.

You raised valid points, I agree with everything you stated. I only speak for myself, I have found the information on this site to be overwhelming at times, there's so much. For instance, I read where people are using nipple waterers. I used the old fashion jug type, thinking it works fine. I have recently changed over because I don't like having to clean the jug 2x/day. Now that the season is changing, it is the winterizing issue. I have been concerned about the water (freezing) issue in the winter. There are great ideas out there. For a newbie such as I, the most valuable tool is information from others that have experience. I still have to discover what will work for me and what doesn’t. You reiterated what I know about myself, I have much to learn about my flock….and now about the area where I reside and how it relates to my flock...the learning curve is very steep! In the few months I have discovered what works for me and what doesn't and made the adjustments.

I take into serious consideration the advice from those of you who have been doing this for a while. So of course, I looked to see if there was a R.I. thread. Yes, there is. I will pick their brain; I am curious to see what my "neighbors" are doing in terms of winterizing. Thank you for speaking out, for pointing out these important factors.

Fellow BYC’ers keep these ideas flowing. What fascinates me, is how those of you that reside in much colder climates than I, how you handle your flock. I think my tendency is to baby my flock unnecessarily. I have to let them be chickens. They are not made of porcelain. My current course of action I will put into place is to cover my coop with shower lining. It is along the same train of thought I had but is more cost effective. Leave the west side uncovered for the needed ventilation. Will it work well, I don't have a clue. But I will find out. Oh, and to incorporate the bag balm! Brilliant idea! My list keeps growing. But I will learn in small steps. As long as none are lost I will call it a success. Who knows, I may read something I prefer and change my course of action. I won’t know unless I try….something.

I think someone mentioned that the first year is the costliest. Don’t I agree! Tractor Supply loves me! If I walk out of there spending less than 100$ I feel great.

 

[wamtazlady]

Fellow BYC’ers keep these ideas flowing. What fascinates me, is how those of you that reside in much colder climates than I, how you handle your flock. I think my tendency is to baby my flock unnecessarily. I have to let them be chickens. They are not made of porcelain.

I guess I was more open to realizing chickens weren't all that fragile due to my grandmother. She raised canaries. Before she passed away she gave me her books on canaries. The books talked about breaking the ice on the birds' water first thing in the morning so they could get a drink. The books also talked about keeping a draft off the birds. I figured if canaries can deal with freezing temperatures, certainly chickens with all their down can handle the cold.