Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[EagleEyes]

Slightly off topic, but when do you Northern Sconnies wrap your run?

Well, of course it depends on the weather, but last year i put it on Nov 21st.
Must have been a nice day.
I'll wait as late as possible. It's always a guess.
And, I'm in the southwest

 

[Badger Farm]

Well, of course it depends on the weather, but last year i put it on Nov 21st.
Must have been a nice day.
I'll wait as late as possible. It's always a guess.
And, I'm in the southwest

You’re usually 10-20 degrees warmer than up here, lucky!

Weather here is sunny and warmer than the past few days. Doing the coop clean out today, cover a few holes in the walls with left over feed bags.

 

[Debbie292d]

Slightly off topic, but when do you Northern Sconnies wrap your run?

Not sure we're quite a "Northern Sconnie" but we're up here in rural Shawano County (west of Green Bay). Ours (silkies and silkie frizzles) free range, no run. In the winter, hubby shovels paths so on sunny days they can come out. We have a dog kennel we now have wrapped in heavy plastic that is attached to the coop so on the days 20F and under, I will only let them into that pen.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

My run is always covered there is tarps on all sides. But i do take one down in the spring and then put it back up for winter. Otherwise mine are fine in the snow. Even with the - 20 degree weather we had last year mine only got a tiny bit of frost bite.

 

[Debbie292d]

My run is always covered there is tarps on all sides. But i do take one down in the spring and then put it back up for winter. Otherwise mine are fine in the snow. Even with the - 20 degree weather we had last year mine only got a tiny bit of frost bite.

Awe, that's cool though if that's the worst of it!

I sometimes am jealous of those with cold-tolerant chickens. Ours haven't gotten frostbite partially because we heat our coop to stay at about 40F in there all winter. It has an exhaust fan for when the humidity gets too high and horse pellets on the floor which dries up all the poop. Plus, I'm a wuss about letting them outside below 20F, or even 30F if the wind is wicked. I know there are many breeds of chickens that can take it out in that below-zero stuff just fine but with what we got last winter, I know these little fuzzy buggers would have not made it.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Awe, that's cool though if that's the worst of it!

I sometimes am jealous of those with cold-tolerant chickens. Ours haven't gotten frostbite partially because we heat our coop to stay at about 40F in there all winter. It has an exhaust fan for when the humidity gets too high and horse pellets on the floor which dries up all the poop. Plus, I'm a wuss about letting them outside below 20F, or even 30F if the wind is wicked. I know there are many breeds of chickens that can take it out in that below-zero stuff just fine but with what we got last winter, I know these little fuzzy buggers would have not made it.

Im sure that silkies arent as hardy as larger chickens. I love silkies but need a different place to keep them.

 

[Amer]

Im sure that silkies arent as hardy as larger chickens. I love silkies but need a different place to keep them.

Mine have always been surprisingly hardy. And they are tough in other ways, too.

 

[EagleEyes]

This is my last winters plastic set up. I'll put up the same plastic sometime soon. This winter I'll let them out on nice days.

 

[EagleEyes]

We noticed our flock tends to start their night on the roosts facing north. Anyone else’s flock do this? Just wondering why they do this? There is a window facing south, plus two openings on the east and west sides.

After you posted this I started watching. my roost is on the west wall of the coop and has a poop board below it. 8' long N to S
If I go out after dark and look inside they are ALL huddlled as far north as possible. Eddie stays to the south. Hopefully they spread out during the night, but I'll say this: When I clean up the poop board, 80% is to the north.
10 hens and Eddie-that's a lot of poop

 

[Debbie292d]

Im sure that silkies arent as hardy as larger chickens. I love silkies but need a different place to keep them.

They may or may not be provided they aren't frizzles but a few of mine are, meaning their feathers stick straight out so the cold can hit their skin. Some people do nothing really different for their silkies than other breeds, but I just won't chance it. Mine lay all winter too due to them being more comfortable. Only half as many though and they aren't in the "great layer" category by far either. The biggest bonus is, I don't have to haul water as their 5-gallon nipple bucket lasts a month and doesn't freeze, nor do the eggs or them.