Winter?

[Krissy12052]

Am I supposed to get some kind of supplement for Winter? (I know it's a long way off still.. lol) Obviously they won't be out scratching around in the yard... And last Winter here was pretty mild, as in we had 2 storms, one was a freak one on October and the other melted away in a few days. Normally though, I have about 3-5 feet of snow in my back yard!

I have a penned in area, that I'm going to try to keep free of snow, but other than that, what should I do? Buy stock in meal worms? lol

 

[janinepeters]

Hi, I am from Mass. The weather pattern you describe for last year sounds like you might be from the northeast, too. As long as you have winter hardy breeds and they will have plenty of space in the coop for when they choose to stay in due to wind and/or precipitation, you don't have to do anything other than feed, water, and clean up. If coop space is tight for the number of birds, winter is when feather picking, bullying, etc., will start, because they are bored out of their little chicken minds and have nothing better to do.

Chopped greens become a coveted treat in winter because there is no grass. Such treats do help amuse them, but only for a few minutes. And of course they love scratch, birdseed, and mealworms anytime.

If you have single comb breeds, the males (and females with particularly large combs) might suffer frost bite. It's probably painful for them, as it is for humans and any other animal, and the stress of it causes reduced fertility in males. So it that's the case, you might want to consider providing supplemental heat.

 

[Krissy12052]

Yes, I'm right above you in NH! Ha ha!! I have Brahams and I'm still not sure what this guy is... (the black one)


But I'm pretty sure they're all hardy! I only have 3 right now, so hopefully they won't be TOO crazy and pecky with each other! lol
Thank you for the info!!

 

[janinepeters]

Brahmas are a great breed for this climate. Very, very cold tolerant, and little pea combs. But I'm not sure about the dark one. If they are all the same age, I'm thinking it is a boy, with the brighter comb and wattles. Also it looks like there are black feathers on the breast - I think you might have a brown leghorn cockerel, or some other breed with the same feather pattern. If it is a boy, his comb will probably get even bigger, and that single blade will probably get frost bite.

 

[Krissy12052]

Brahmas are a great breed for this climate. Very, very cold tolerant, and little pea combs. But I'm not sure about the dark one. If they are all the same age, I'm thinking it is a boy, with the brighter comb and wattles. Also it looks like there are black feathers on the breast - I think you might have a brown leghorn cockerel, or some other breed with the same feather pattern. If it is a boy, his comb will probably get even bigger, and that single blade will probably get frost bite.

How do I prevent frostbite?

 

[janinepeters]

Well, the surest way is to provide some heat in winter. Some people talk about rubbing vaseline on it every night, but others say it doesn't work. Still others advise massaging the comb every night to improve circulation, which will keep it warmer. I don't know about you, but I can't imagine trudging out to the coop every winter evening to massage a rooster's comb. I think I would just put some kind of heater or a light bulb in there.

 

[Krissy12052]

LOL!! Yea, I might say that sounded like a good idea, and then quickly change my mind when it's like 5 degrees outside! Ha ha! I'm going to be insulating my coop and thinking about using the Deep Litter Method. So hopefully it'll be warm enough. I'd hate to put in a light bulb and have it set the coop in fire or something.

This is my first time ever raising chickens! lol

 

[off-grid hen]

I live in northern NY, and don't heat my coop. In fact, the front is always open (it's a deep coop with long walls- look up "woods style coop in winter" here on BYC search.)

Your best bet is to get a outdoor thermometer with a humidity gauge. I got one for $8.00 at lowes. Keep an eye on the humidity inside the coop. If the humidity is high in your coop, open up all the windows. Yes, you heard that right. Let all the moist air out, then close some (but not all) the vents/windows. Keep your coop draft free but provide plenty of ventilation.

Have a heated waterer to provide fresh water at all times. I made suet out of beef suet from the butcher. Or you can use butter in a pinch. I melted it down, added black oil sunflower seeds, scratch, and some of their feed. Poured it into a plastic container and let it solidify. Popped it out of the mold into the coop. They loved it. I didn't stress them out by running lights for egg production.

This was my first winter with chickens, and I was REALLY nervous. But after I read that heating the coop wasn't good for the birds, I relaxed a bit. Just watch the humidity. Resist the urge to seal them up tight. Good luck.

 

[FlosRdChicks]

What kind of chopped greens do you recommend?

I tried chopping some broccoli and romaine lettuce, but nope! I am new to this. They do like quinoa, mashed apricot, and fresh steamed corn taken off the cob.

 

[mickey328]

This will be my first winter with the girls, so I'm sort of "planning" already. Even now we supplement with lots of greens and fresh fruit and veggies. We're learning day by day what they like and don't. They won't touch carrots, either fresh or cooked, won't eat potato peels or strawberries. They go wild for dandelions, chard, lettuce and spinach; will eat the center parts from cukes and zucchini; love the plums from our trees and little grape tomatoes. They'll eat broccoli, but it's not their favorite...I do chop it up some..makes it easier for them to gobble. I also throw the occasional cob of corn in there and they make it gone in a heartbeat! No cooking required, LOL. I'm sparing with it at this time of year though because the oil in it contributes to heat production. I'll freeze some for over the winter, though...just take it out and thaw it on the counter and toss it in for them.

We're working on a cold frame just now and plan to grow chard and spinach for them through the winter, and we'll certainly still give them veggie and fruit scraps as they're available. I also plan to make some sprouts for them...easy enough and will provide some extra fresh things for them when the summer's over.