Winter weather preparations?

[Mrs. K]

^^ that made me giggle.

As for the issue of water, at 32 degrees, it will take a good 24 hours at that temperature for water to get to a solid form. Most of the time, I will get a bit of ice on the top of the water at 20 degrees, but it will freeze hard and solid in 6-10 hours at the lower end of the teens.

Mrs K

 

[Bantam BCM]

I'm in Ontario Canada. My chickens are hardy and manage quite well in the sub zero temps. As others have advised keep ventilation and avoid drafts. I'd also advise not to leave any loners to huddle separately as they will need to snuggle for heat just like we do.
I fill crops with corn for the coldest nights and add some chaga tea or beet juice to their water. I also deep litter in winter as it provides a source of warmth from the insulating factor but also from composting. I've learned this year not to house the ducks with the chickens as the added humidity leads to frost bite darn quick.
My coops have greenhouses attached to provide solar heat and a good warm safe yard to scratch and bathe in. I learn more each year and found a while back that heaters or lamps are not the way to go. Just provide what is required for them to heat their own bodies and make sure the coop is dry. If the windows frost up increase circulation and remove the wet stuff. Cheers.

 

[aart]

When i first read this, i thought you wrote "its in your head" like the voices in your head and you can "chat if you want to." Struck me funny.

Didya get the song reference?

 

[Mtnboomer]

Didya get the song reference?

Of course! Cmon!

 

[aart]

Of course! Cmon!

Well, I don't know how old you are (tho I might have an idea now).
Now I can't get it out of my head.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Not my picture. I stole it from Facebook but it had me laughing this morning

 

[HeatherKellyB]

<sings> it's your thread and you can chat if you want to, chat if you want to !!

Now I can't get this song out of my head. At least I have a "classic" earworm

 

[HeatherKellyB]

^^ that made me giggle.

As for the issue of water, at 32 degrees, it will take a good 24 hours at that temperature for water to get to a solid form. Most of the time, I will get a bit of ice on the top of the water at 20 degrees, but it will freeze hard and solid in 6-10 hours at the lower end of the teens.

Mrs K

Thank you! I ended up keeping the waterer inside last night and put them back out when I opened the coop doors this morning. I kept going out every couple of hours to make sure they didn't have any ice to break through to get to the water and all went well. I didn't have any snow to deal with in the runs, so that was nice! My bachelor flock was let out at first light and they were a bit nervous but it didn't take long before they tried stepping on the snow. One of my guys has white skin and his toes and feet were so pink. I kept noticing him trying to warm up one foot or the other while he was standing still. All 17 combs look nice and red (well mulberry on my silkies) so far, and all 46 feet (6 ducks and 17 chickens) look normal, but I'll keep an eye out for anything that might pop up. We're supposed to get cold again tonight, so I did everything the same as last night. Only worry now is a Silkie Pullet that seems to be trying to go broody