Winter management poll

[Sooner]

Quote:
I have had one roo get alittle frost bite on his comb due to him sleeping closest to the door & not being able to catch him to put vaseline on him.

 

[abhaya]

Quote:
so far so good. I was raisedon a farm soI am doing what I remember.

 

[Mr.Bojangles]

Quote:
Doesn't seem to bother them having to rough it..

 

[Cebarmlds]

Quote:

 

[Judy]

Quote:
GREAT. ONE DEATH OF UNKNOWN CAUSE, IN TEMPERATE PART OF YEAR, PROBABLY EGGLAYING PROBLEM OR ACCIDENT, ALL OTHER DEATHS DUE TO PREDATORS OR CULLING

 

[BrewedInNh]

Heat: no

Water heater: yes, home made terracotta water heater

Insulated coop: yes

Amount of ventilation you employ on average during the winter: TBD as this will be our 1st winter with chickens

Approximate coop size: 6ft x 4 ft

Litter method: deep

#of chickens in coop: 6

Location (city and/or state and/or zone): NH

How many winters have you been through with your chickens?: this will be our 1st

 

[mulewagon]

Heat: yes/no No

If yes on heat, what method do you use (lamp, flat panel, etc.)?:

Insulated coop: yes/no No

Amount of ventilation you employ on average during the winter: It's a chainlink kennel with a tarp wrapped around most of three sides, so I dunno - 50%? Lots, anyway!

Approximate coop size: 6 x 8 x 8 high

Litter method: None

#of chickens in coop: 15

Location (city and/or state and/or zone): Alabama - on top of Sand Mountain, so we get colder winters than the rest of the state. Sometimes snow!

How many winters have you been through with your chickens?: 2

(Optional) briefly describe how your flock has fared using these methods: They do fine. I had a heat lamp the first winter, but the adult birds ignored it and slept at the end of the coop, where the rain blew in. They spend most of the daylight out in the 50' x 50' pen.

 

[Mistols]

Quote:
We read when we first got our flock to not baby them and they will acclimate to the cold. This has work great so far. They have had access to a run or full backyard during the day. I am worried this week as the temps will drop from the 40s to 5 degrees! I am very tempted to find a heat lamp!

 

[Tala]

Heat: Not really. 75 watt red lamp over the roost on the few nights last winter when it was expected to be -15 windchill --- wouldn't have needed that at all if my coop wasn't "open air"

If yes on heat, what method do you use (lamp, flat panel, etc.)?: see above

Insulated coop: Not at all. I put up a tarp on the north side to cut the wind.

Amount of ventilation you employ on average during the winter: Open air coop had fence walls on 3 sides, tarp on north side to keep the wind down during the winter.

Approximate coop size: 8ft x 8ft, 6ft high

Litter method: deep litter with pine pellets

#of chickens in coop: 10

Location (city and/or state and/or zone): Benton, Arkasnas

How many winters have you been through with your chickens?: 1

(Optional) briefly describe how your flock has fared using these methods: The girls kept on laying, and they didn't seem to mind the weather one bit, except they didn't much care for snow

I used a heated dog bowl to keep their waters thawed.

You can see my coop and the winter adaptations on MY BYC Page

 

[mamabigbird]

Quote:
I have had no frost bite or other medical issues, just boredom and a drop in egg production, however this is the first winter for my pullets,
all the others were fat old ladies when I got them. The pullets are only about six months and still fairly slim and energetic,
so they're getting disruptive staying indoors, so they've been going out to play in the snow. We usually have mild wet winters but this La Nina has brought snow and freezing here for the last few days. We'll have to wait and see how they do this year.