Winterizing Silkies

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kuchchicks

kuchchicks

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I know this is forum is for incubating and hatching eggs but I feel like I know most of you and this forum seems like it gets really good responses pretty quickly.

I have a brand new coop that is separate from my heavy layers. I built it for my silkies and my Polish. I know that these breeds are not super cold hardy, and where I live here in Ohio we can sometimes get pretty nasty winters. Last winter it hit -20 overnight and was like that for several weeks. I LOVE these birds. And I want to make sure that I winterize them so I don't lose them over the winter. I recently read that a heat lamp for any breed is not good, that it actually is a disservice as the chickens will not fluff themselves up and thus will not want to wander away from the heat lamp. I spoke with another silkie lover who takes her birds indoors during the winter but this is not a possibility for me.

So I am just wondering what the rest of you do to winterize your coop for your less than cold hardy birds?
 
I have been researching this all morning and am actually surprised at how little I found... I found quite a bit on getting my cold hardy chickens and coop ready but no so much for the Silkies or Polish Frizzles that I have. But, here is what I have found...

First off, adding a heater is not necessarily recommended. They should be allowed (just like cold hardy chickens) to fluff their feathers, huddle together and keep warm that way. If you do add a heat lamp it will discourage them from wandering outside or from eating and drinking because they will not want to leave the warmth of the light. And if there is a power outage it can cause a sudden decrease in temp which could do even more harm.

Second, it is recommended that you use the deep litter method. I just started doing this for other reasons but have only been working on it for about a month now. This method is supposed to help keep heat in. The only thing you need to watch is that excess moisture does not build up and there is good ventilation.

Third, make sure that the birds stay dry. The bigger issue with these birds is that they do no handle getting wet well as their feathers do not repel water in the same way as other chickens. Once they get wet they are more susceptible to freezing and drafts.

If I find anymore I will post since you are in the same situation. I have never had silkies or Polish over the winter before so I am a little nervous.
 
Ok, that sounds great. And thank you for the information! I was thinking of putting tarps over the coop, not the vents, but maybe that would help with ventilation? My neighbor has a few silkies and they don't even have a coop, just an enclosure, nest boxes and tarps. Not that I recommend anything like that, but his seem to survive winter. That's good to know about the deep liter. Do your silkies roost? Because mine sleep on the coop floor in piles.
 
Ruby, Have a look at post 55616 on the silkie thread. Its a person in Canada with pics of their silkie coop. Might be a good place to also ask this question.
Lea
 
I realize you already have a solution, but figured I'd chime in anyway :)

I've been breeding Silkies (and Sizzles) for a few years ;) I don't do anything special for them other than remove them from their separated breeding pens and put them all in the same coop. Their coop isn't insulated, and they're allowed access to the run all winter long. They even have the option to go out if its snowing and/or raining. I don't see -20, but I do get the occasional -10 or so. They're all still alive and some of my breeding birds are almost 4 years old. I just make sure they have a place to stay or get dry, that's it.

Anyway, if you do wrap the run in plastic, I don't think I'd wrap it all the way to the top. Condensation and humidity can be a problem outside as well, so definitely make sure to give it someplace to escape. My Silkies actually pick up laying in the winter. They seem to suffer more in the heat though.

Good luck :)
 
howfunkyisurchicken said:
I realize you already have a solution, but figured I'd chime in anyway :)

I've been breeding Silkies (and Sizzles) for a few years ;) I don't do anything special for them other than remove them from their separated breeding pens and put them all in the same coop. Their coop isn't insulated, and they're allowed access to the run all winter long. They even have the option to go out if its snowing and/or raining. I don't see -20, but I do get the occasional -10 or so. They're all still alive and some of my breeding birds are almost 4 years old. I just make sure they have a place to stay or get dry, that's it.

Anyway, if you do wrap the run in plastic, I don't think I'd wrap it all the way to the top. Condensation and humidity can be a problem outside as well, so definitely make sure to give it someplace to escape. My Silkies actually pick up laying in the winter. They seem to suffer more in the heat though.

Good luck :)
Click to expand...

More good information! I was just thinking of only wrapping the bottom half, so snow doesn't come into the run. Maybe just from the ground, to 3 ft up..? I'm hoping that they just adjust to the temps as it starts getting colder. They have a coop and I'll add extra straw for them. I do have a question though. My nest boxes, sort of protrude out of each side of the coop. Awhile back someone on another thread had mentioned eggs freezing over the winter, have you ever encountered anything like that happening?
 
Yep, freezing eggs in the winter...ugh. My nest boxes are inside the coop and my eggs still freeze if I don't collect multiple times a day when its real cold.
Wrapping to 3ft up should be good. It'll block snow, ice, rain and wind and keep it out of the run and allow moisture to escape.

:)
 

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