Winter thread:Chickens

[Chicken poppy]

x2, and if the umbrella goes down while chickens are underneath, you'll have flattened chickens.

Snow shoveling (or a blower/plow/etc) is the best way to provide outdoor space if you don't have a weather proof run and the flock just won't step foot in snow (mine won't). During snowy days/weeks I have to shovel 1-2x a day to open up some clear areas. Mainly I want to make sure my birds can get to their water, as well as covered shelters in the run, as they naturally want to huddle up in there during cold weather.

For light snow, I'll dump a bag of dried leaves on the ground from the pop door to the waterer and call it a day. The chickens will spread it and make a snow-free zone themselves.

i plan more so leaving the umbrellas before snowing period, then it saves me shoveling work, then just take them away. they dont go under the umbrellas currently anyway so it would be after the snowing. i have most things planned out, just curious suggestions and ideas out of curiosity.

as i said before, our snow is heavy, (not like super deep anyway) but its not crazy deep, just a normal length.
plus, our umbrellas dig inside the ground and do not just float on the top, they are light and dont fold in, if it were to even crash, it would just flop gently to the side, and not even completely fall, but we arent doing that anyhow. (taking the umbrellas off eventually)

 

[MysteryChicken]

I don't do anything different, except clean the coop, & bed them up heavy before the snow flies.

During the winter I just pack down bedding as needed.

 

[Chicken poppy]

I don't do anything different, except clean the coop, & bed them up heavy before the snow flies.

During the winter I just pack down bedding as needed.

Okay, i was curious on peoples thoughts! I didnt want my babies getting winter bordem (i promise they arent tightly inclosed, we are even upgrading the coop currently and its a decent size) i just wanted to double check and hear some ideas.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Okay, i was curious on peoples thoughts! I didnt want my babies getting winter bordem (i promise they arent tightly inclosed, we are even upgrading the coop currently and its a decent size) i just wanted to double check and hear some ideas.

I will occasionally throw scratch in the coop, or add a flock block so they have something to do.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I will occasionally throw scratch in the coop, or add a flock block so they have something to do.

Yes a flock block is a good addition on occasion if the birds are stuck indoors for any reason, or the weather is just so miserable that it's hard to stay on top of clearing out snow and such.

 

[Chicken poppy]

I will occasionally throw scratch in the coop, or add a flock block so they have something to do.

Yep. We got lots of stockpiles of scratches/grains And have some flock block at our tractor supply which ill definitely have to get incase needed!

 

[ducccky]

where we are, we have the run area wrapped in several tarps, but at the top of these tarps there's an opening. where the entry door to the run area is, we have a tarp that you can unhook to open up, especially on days when it doesn't snow or when the temps are really cold. the top of the run area is covered by tins and tarps too. in the run area, there are roosting places if they don't want to crawl in the coop. we have straw in both the coop and in the run area.

 

[lifein1840]

I make a tincture of ACV and herbs - oregano, parsley, thyme...pretty much the herbs I cook with, and add a tablespoon to a gallon of water once a week. I also give them fresh ground corn and warmed up left over food from the kitchen. If your coop is large enough for the number of chickens, they will be fine!

 

[Chicken poppy]

I make a tincture of ACV and herbs - oregano, parsley, thyme...pretty much the herbs I cook with, and add a tablespoon to a gallon of water once a week. I also give them fresh ground corn and warmed up left over food from the kitchen. If your coop is large enough for the number of chickens, they will be fine!

When making my mash, i make it in big amounts, that way whatever they dont finish, i strain the water out and refridgerate it, then continue the cycle, i dont do it to long though, to keep it fresh and all.

 

[JLS]

Under the covered portion of the run I provide:
• treat balls filled with black oil sunflower seeds & black soldier fly larvae
• dust bath
• suet holder filled with veggies and/or fruit
• children's picnic table

I enclosed the covered portion with plastic to provide a wind break and keep the snow out.

In the run I shovel paths and sprinkle used shavings on the ground to encourage the flock to be outside. I replace the used shavings with new ones inside the coop. This helps keep everything thing fresh.