CHIMBY - Chickens in My Back Yard

[Vindingo]

Now that it is starting to get cold, what precautions are you guys taking for the winter?  If I put an incandescent light in there do I leave it on 24/7 for warmth? How do you keep your water from freezing? Does it mess with them sleeping?  My two girls are still laying 2 a day, but I don't think it has gotten much below 30 around here.    

[mstevens]

Now that it is starting to get cold, what precautions are you guys taking for the winter?

Here in New Hampshire we put a heater under their waterer. It's designed specifically for that use. We also staple plastic over the wire of their coop to block the wind and keep it from filling with snow. We tend to feed them a slightly higher-fat diet during the winter.

Apart from those things, we don't do anything differently. We have barred Rocks and buff Orpingtons which are both large and winter-hardy. Our hens have a roost box to which they can retreat to get out of the wind, but they spend most of the day outside no matter how cold it is.

[triangleforge]

^^^ What he said.

When it's cold out here (meaning mid-teens), I remind myself that chickens do just fine in places like New Hampshire & North Dakota. A heater for their water would be handy, but we've been OK simply putting out fresh water in the mornings after it's dropped below freezing.

As for the chickens themselves, they're pretty hardy in the cold -- the one time I've been worried about ours was one night when the temperatures dropped to around +10 degrees with wind gusts up to 60mph after a day the hens spent running around in the rain getting soaked to the skin. Because ours have chosen to roost on TOP of the coop, rather than in it, I grabbed the sodden birds and stuffed them inside the coop against their will. The next morning they emerged peeved but dry & healthy.

As for 24 hour lighting, I've always heard of that less as a heater and more as a way to trick their bodies into producing eggs during a season when they'd normally slow down on laying -- supposedly, egg-laying is somewhat tied to the length of the day. We didn't do any lighting last year (our hens' first winter), and they kept laying pretty steadily through the cold months. This summer they started slacking off to around 2 eggs a day (from four birds) and with the cold weather that's now down to 1 or 2.

[The Architect]

I have a 100w bulb in the coop and so far so good.  We've seen temps in the teens.  Plus the bulb keeps them laying.

I picked this up for the water

http://www.farmandfleet.com/catalog/product.aspx?i=556796

A friend of mine insulated their coop.  I'm not going that far.  But I am worried about the below zero nights.

We tend to feed them a slightly higher-fat diet during the winter.

Do they make a specific winter food?

And I like the plastic idea.

[mstevens]

the bulb keeps them laying.

I've read that. Our hens began laying in early February and continued uninterrupted without any artificial light. They were probably just too dumb to know better.

Do they make a specific winter food?

Not that I know of. We feed them pellets supplemented with table scraps. My wife is a bit nuts when it comes to chickens and actually cooks stuff up for them occasionally. We tend not to give them much in the way of meat scraps or fat trimmings in warmer weather, but they go bonkers over them at any time.

[triangleforge]

We tend not to give them much in the way of meat scraps or fat trimmings in warmer weather, but they go bonkers over them at any time.

We've given ours meat scraps occasionally, which they gobble up. The wildest was when I put out the trimmings & gristle bits after making elk sausage one night. It was downright scary...

[The Architect]

I don't know why I haven't given them more scraps.  We tend to stick with stale bread and that sorts.  But from now on it's table scraps.  Expect for eggs, don't want them to get a taste for them. 

[mstevens]

As one example of my wife's culinary efforts on the part of the chickens...

We got a bad infestation of pantry moths, which meant we had bugs in all our grits, polenta, specialty grains, etc. Instead of tossing them, she mixed it all together and moved all the infested stuff out to the barn, where it gained even more bugs. Every now and then she'll grab a scoop, finely crush eggshells and add that along with some water and microwave it to make gross mush. Top with chopped or shredded unidentifiable, unspeakable meat-like stuff, moldy cheese, or whatever, and serve. They go nuts. The favorite is chicken or turkey. Little cannibals.

[Buckethead]

As one example of my wife's culinary efforts on the part of the chickens...

We got a bad infestation of pantry moths, which meant we had bugs in all our grits, polenta, specialty grains, etc. Instead of tossing them, she mixed it all together and moved all the infested stuff out to the barn, where it gained even more bugs. Every now and then she'll grab a scoop, finely crush eggshells and add that along with some water and microwave it to make gross mush. Top with chopped or shredded unidentifiable, unspeakable meat-like stuff, moldy cheese, or whatever, and serve. They go nuts. The favorite is chicken or turkey. Little cannibals.

Not gonna lie, that's highly entertaining, but in a mildly disturbing manner.

[mstevens]

Not gonna lie, that's highly entertaining, but in a mildly disturbing manner.

In general terms, watching chickens is simultaneously amusing and disturbing.

[SacDuc]

Just killed my first chicken. I'm writing this as I wait for her to stop kicking. That was . . . unpleasant. I mean it was quick and easy, but it still kinda sucked. This was one of the little silkies that my wife had got more as a pet then as a layer. The whole brood has been stressed this week due to all of the rain. And they started picking on the little one again. Horribly. When I went to put them away tonight I noticed the little one's tail feathers had been plucked. But it was worse than that. The others had actually pecked her entire sphincter away. They have picked on her before, but we thought they were over it. Sorry you didn't have a longer, easier life little one.


sac

[Buckethead]

We are not all beautiful flowers, and life is a cruel mistress. Those who ate your sphincter will meet their demise soon. I hope that your keepers get 3+ meals from you.

Rest in peace, chicken.

James

[mitt]

We are not all beautiful flowers, and life is a cruel mistress. Those who ate your sphincter will meet their demise soon. I hope that your keepers get 3+ meals from you.

Rest in peace, chicken.

James

that was beautiful     Sphincter and all.


mitt

[mstevens]

Those who ate your sphincter will meet their demise soon.

I'll bet you just about anything this ends up as someone's .sig. It certainly should.

[Polpetta]

I know this is part of the life cycle, but I am very sad over this. I have been away and the rain has stressed them so much.

I am so sorry my husband had to take care of this while I was away and I am worried about my hens and all of this rain stressing them so much. I am sad I didn't have a chance to save her. I never thought I would be so attached to them.

They are a food source but also in my care. When I am home they know I give them extra treats every day. When I am away they are well taken care of but when I come back they have so much to say and are glad I am back with all their little treats.

I am so worried about this year being so rainy...I don't want to loose any more.

I love having them and caring for them and receiving their presents of their eggs and silliness.

I am sad we have lost one and worried that they will shift and pick on a new one