Winter Tips

[44Wolves]

Here are a few winter tips:
• If your hens are free-range, and HATE snow, shovel a circle of the snow around their coop so they can peck.
• Give them scratch!
• Put a heater in, but not a heated water. Instead of just warmig their water, warm THEM with the water!
• Add extra litter/hay
• Make sure if your chooks enjoy snow that it is NO deeper than their Crop.
• Shovel the snow on the roof of coop and Run off! You DO NOT want it to cave in on your chooks!
• check for eggs (large farmers) Every hour or 2, so no eggs freeze, crack and are eaten by hens and (small farmers) check at least once a day!
• Look for tracks near the coop: They may be a lions for all I know of the predators in your area!

 

[Tinstarmule]

I read on a diff thread that scratch is a "hot feed". So my question is how long from the time they eat it until they get peak heat from metabolizing it? I know horses get their peak heat after 6-8 hours so evening feed time becomes important to make them the warmest at the coldest part of the night. What about chickens?