Winter is Coming! Checklists, tips, advice for a newbie

[aart]

Quote: My chickens seem to like to eat snow even when they have plenty of liquid water.
I often leave a small pan of snow in coops when there's a possibility that the water heater will fail(new ones not yet proven)
or where I don't have a heated waterer...was good to be able tell when they broody had 'drank' last winter.

 

[Heidi T]

I have the cold chicken thing covered, but what about the ducks. I will normally keep the water outside in a heated dog dish, but what about those days when the temp is a high of -20? The first duck I acquired live the winter in a doghouse with no water eating Cheerios. He did lose a toe before he came to my house. The chickens get a dust bath in a wheelbarrow if the sun is shining. Do the ducks need a bath too? Can they go a month or three until the weather is warmish? Do I put the pool in the coop for a while before I clean it and let them play?

Ideas? Advise? More chickens and ducks?

 

[Alaskan]

For ducks:

No bathtub in the winter... Unless the day is pretty warm. Any pool splashing will turn into a nasty ice slick.

If your temps are going to be really cold, you need a wind break at the water bucket... Otherwise they dunk their head, pick their head out of the bucket, and the water freezes solid to their face.

So yes... My ducks get no pool water for several months...

 

[Sanduca]

You can probably buy plastic by the yard at places like walmart, the one that is a litle thick but not too thick (usually for tablecloth covers) I'm new at this but I'm already brainstorming how I'm gonna deal with Utah snow in my duck run

 

[Alaskan]

The ducks don't care about snow....

So for your ducks I would say don't worry about that.

You will like a wind block at the waterer.

You will need to figure out how you will open doors and gates.

I have dutch doors into my runs.. So the bottom half freezes solid in the winter...and I step over the bottom part, only open the top part, in the winter time.

I love it... Since that means no shoveling until after the snow pack is over 2 feet. (Snow pack... Very different from snow fall)

 

[Raulerson]

I am in southeast Michigan. I have 3 hens and a rooster, all Seramas (Belle, Rose, Mary and RooBoy). Like most, I wrap my roofed outside (6' x 18' x 6' tall) run in plastic and it provides nice "greenhouse" heat most days even when we are in the teens and low 20s. I had the inside of the coop wired last year so that I could use a heat emitter "bulb" (the ceramic kind that sheds no light, only heat), a daylight bulb for when it is below zero and the babies have to stay inside, and an additional reptile heat bulb for when the ceramic bulb can't heat enough. Since I have 4 bulb receptacles, these bulbs stay in place all the time. This has worked well for me, better than dealing with hanging lights with reflectors and switching bulbs. I have a thermometer in the coop so I can monitor the temp-- I keep it around 40-55 degrees so the water never freezes. I've tried timers in the past, but since I check on them in the morning and evening, I really like just being able to flip the necessary switches on or off. These are located right outside of the coop. My coop is on the small side, since I only have 4 bantams, 3' x 6' with part of this being 2 levels. It's insulated, utilizes double-pane windows for openings, and sits inside my garage. I keep my regular cleaning schedule for the coop during the winter: replacing shavings each week, cleaning and scraping the coop floors, treating with diatomaceous earth to kill mites, dusting the chickens as needed and often sanding their wood perches. Yes, my feathered "kids" are spoiled. They are my pets. I understand that with big flocks or non-pet chickens, folks might not be so concerned with making winter life so comfy.

 

[LadyCluck77]

Hello and welcome Raulerson

Your Seremas sound like they have lots of love. Have you had them through a winter before, or is this the first winter?
I've heard they are a bit more of a delicate breed than the larger chickens, but I have never kept them. I've been keeping large fowl such as leghorns, But this will be my first winter with some silkies.

My flock goes from coop to an outdoor run, which is roofed and plastic-windbreak covered. The reason I decided not to heat the coop was that my area looses power sometimes in winter storms, so I let their bodies acclimate to winter temperatures and they have access to the run all around the year, it seems to work well.

This thread has some great information and interesting photographs of the set ups that people are using in different climates. Thanks for joining us.
Good luck to you and your birds!

 

[sweeney153]

How do you keep nipples fro freezing

 

[bigmrg74]

How do you keep nipples fro freezing

Usually I dress in layers, usually topped off with a Carhartt for an outer layer.

 

[aart]

Quote: LMAO I was going to suggest something similar!!