# chickens in the winter



## neldarez

My chickens won't come outside since the snow has come so we put this old tarp over part of the run today and then they could have some scratch. They came out!


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## UncleJoe

Ours don't seem to mind the snow as long as they can still walk around. I've seen them scratching through the snow looking for whatever they could find. Now if we get 8" they tend to stay inside until I can shovel out a small area for them.


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## *Andi

Chickens are a rather hardy critter ... Mine love to play and scratch in the snow ... (no matter the weather.)


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## neldarez

*Andi said:


> Chickens are a rather hardy critter ... Mine love to play and scratch in the snow ... (no matter the weather.)


Our first snow and it was 5 1/2 inches, think it overwhelmed their little chicken brains!! I know it did mine.......


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## CrackbottomLouis

Chickens are a nefariously resilient critter. Good thing their carcasses and young taste good fried in butter. Never trust a chicken. Their beady eyes stare into your soul and peck at the spine of your well being! Thats all I have to say bout that.


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## AuroraHawk

CrackbottomLouis said:


> Chickens are a nefariously resilient critter. Good thing their carcasses and young taste good fried in butter. Never trust a chicken. Their beady eyes stare into your soul and peck at the spine of your well being! Thats all I have to say bout that.


:gasp:

How did you know?!? I'll stick with rabbits and goats, even alpaca, but someone else will have to take care of the chickens!


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## GaryS

If they didn't come out within a day, I'd shovel a small area just outside their door and they quickly began to extend their scratch area out into the snow.


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## Freyadog

Thumper always shovels a path to the chicken house and then they can come out or not.


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## neldarez

CrackbottomLouis said:


> Chickens are a nefariously resilient critter. Good thing their carcasses and young taste good fried in butter. Never trust a chicken. Their beady eyes stare into your soul and peck at the spine of your well being! Thats all I have to say bout that.


wow, when you have time we'll need to swap chicken horror stories! I'm out of counciling now.


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## Jimthewagontraveler

I actually had 5 chickens trained to come at a dead run
when called using a certain call they taught me.
Baby chick #6 did not survive the encounter but then again
neither did the cat.
They would jump into my hand and ride on my shoulders.
Boy talk about the pirate farmer!
I still would not lay down in the yard they WOULD peck my 
eyes.
Remember the bird dinosaur connection ?
I once saw a squirrel go in the chicken yard and NOT come 
out.
25 chickens 1 squirrel no contest.
After that I noticed one hen( older) would not let any other 
chicken eat a very small pile of corn that was always sitting
in the middle of the pen?
I didn't put it there?
I used to store grass seed in a 4' square box.
Every once in a while we had to open it and fight the rats to 
get seed so we learned to toss the rats into the pen.
I threw in 50 some rats one day I think 3 escaped.


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## *Andi

neldarez said:


> Our first snow and it was 5 1/2 inches, think it overwhelmed their little chicken brains!! I know it did mine.......


I give my chickens a place to get out of the rain/wind/snow ... if the want to go out they are on their own ...

To be honest I think "we baby" our critters to much. (But this is IMHO) Just look at the history ... they can and will survive.

Again this is just how I see it ...


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## Jimthewagontraveler

I just remembered a good way to give chickens unfrozen water
With out electricity.
( thanks to kejmack )
Use a bundt cake pan with a tea light candle in the middle!


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## CrackbottomLouis

neldarez said:


> wow, when you have time we'll need to swap chicken horror stories! I'm out of counciling now.


It must have been in past life or something. Ill tempered lizards with feathers. And they strut around bobbing their heads all condescending like. Just rude.


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## DJgang

CrackbottomLouis said:


> Chickens are a nefariously resilient critter. Good thing their carcasses and young taste good fried in butter. Never trust a chicken. Their beady eyes stare into your soul and peck at the spine of your well being! Thats all I have to say bout that.


:laugh:

I must be possessed by them because I love love love to just sit and watch them. Good therapy.


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## CrackbottomLouis

Glad you are. I will have to bring trade goods for eggs to someone post grocery store. Along that thought do those of you who keep chk's keep extra for egg and little bird barter? Seems like that would be a pretty powerful barter item as people search for sources of protein. Just curious. One day I might be releived to be possessed myself.


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## partdeux

SWMBO has me building a coop next spring


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## neldarez

I have 13 layers right now but will get chicks this spring......I actually just love my chickens, like DJgang, they are so calming for me, just to sit and listen to them, Mine are actually quite spoiled but I enjoy them. I do not have a rooster for several reasons but if stuff really gets bad then I'll grab one up, they are easy to find, most folks get several of them and want to get rid of them cheap or free....


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## pixieduster

I'm gathering supplies for constructing my first coop. Y'all are scaring me! Lol. I hope I don't get evil chicks.:eek!: trying to learn everything I can in order to keep them healthy and happy. No snow here in South LA. Was wondering if the heat is a factor I should be concerned with. Any advice?


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## *Andi

As long as they have food, water and some kind of shelter ... they will be fine.


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## k0xxx

pixieduster said:


> I'm gathering supplies for constructing my first coop. Y'all are scaring me! Lol. I hope I don't get evil chicks.:eek!: trying to learn everything I can in order to keep them healthy and happy. No snow here in South LA. Was wondering if the heat is a factor I should be concerned with. Any advice?


A couple of time in the last two years, we have gone over the 110 degree mark. Each time we've lost a few chickens to the heat even with shade, a fan, and cold water/treats. Each time it was was one of the "fancy" breeds like the Ameraucanas or the Cuckoo Marans. The Buff Orpingtons have fared a bit better. I'm guessing that certain breeds just handle the heat better.


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## pixieduster

Thanks y'all. I happen to be looking at the buff orpington, and road island red. May get a few others so I can learn what I like best. I'm getting them for the eggs, not meat. (Not yet anyway). Have a shady spot I think might best.


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## musketjim

In their coop make the roost out of a 2x4, that way when they sit, their feet are flat and their bodies cover their feet. Helps them keep all their toes. They don't like it as well as round dowels but they adapt.


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## partdeux

musketjim said:


> In their coop make the roost out of a 2x4, that way when they sit, their feet are flat and their bodies cover their feet. Helps them keep all their toes. They don't like it as well as round dowels but they adapt.


so why not round dowel if they like that better? do their toes freeze off in the winter?


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## lhalfcent

We just finished moving in our new homestead and was checking out the local yokels yesterday. There is a local feed and mill store here and stopped in. Lo and behold they sell chickens every spring! Turkeys, geese, ducks and chickens. And they were so helpful! Now I know where to buy and am reading up on this as i have never raised chickens before. lol my hubby is skeptical but willing to help me. He is so citified but so far is willing to gradually go off the grid and be self sufficient. I think our last trip to the grocery store helped convert him. lol
so being a first time chicken gal... what is the best chicken to start with that lays a fair amount of eggs. I may get a rooster as well but not sure. thanks for any help.


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## neldarez

lhalfcent said:


> We just finished moving in our new homestead and was checking out the local yokels yesterday. There is a local feed and mill store here and stopped in. Lo and behold they sell chickens every spring! Turkeys, geese, ducks and chickens. And they were so helpful! Now I know where to buy and am reading up on this as i have never raised chickens before. lol my hubby is skeptical but willing to help me. He is so citified but so far is willing to gradually go off the grid and be self sufficient. I think our last trip to the grocery store helped convert him. lol
> so being a first time chicken gal... what is the best chicken to start with that lays a fair amount of eggs. I may get a rooster as well but not sure. thanks for any help.


I totally love Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks, they are large chickens and lay large brown eggs.......not the best at raising young ( never have for me) but you can always put their fertile eggs under a banty! I choose the big chickens cuz they winter so much better than little hens plus I like lg. brown eggs!


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## *Andi

I like the heavy breeds best ... Also I'm so very over the cute chicks, give me a pullet any day. (No more waiting for eggs. )

I do have two Roos (be prepared ) but they are not needed unless you want a hen or two ta raise a brood.


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## lhalfcent

can't remember the name but there is a type of chicken that is a good brooder, good layer and can be like a pet. does anyone know what breed i am talking about? just can't remember what this lady told me a ways back... 
also.. is there anything in particular i should be alert for in caring for chickens? they are going to be free range as i finally have the room for that!


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## lhalfcent

oh meant to ask cuz i am rather excited about this... would it be wise to get my hands on some mature pullets and would they lay eggs for me this winter? or is it better to start fresh in the spring? just wondered.


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## k0xxx

Our experience as new "chicken farmers".

As soon as the coop was completed we were in a hurry to get started. Someone near us listed 2 year old hens on Craigslist for a good price, so we bought eight. Big mistake. They looked healthy, but it turned out that they were sick and within a month we had lost two, and another four over the next month. The last two ended up surviving, but we moved them to a small, separate coop and disinfected the big coop before we ordered chicks in the Spring. Now that we have some experience, we know what to look for, and we keep any newly purchased hens isolated from the rest of the flock for two months before we add them into the flock.

If you know the people that you are purchasing them from and trust them, then you're probably ok.


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## pixieduster

I have got to share a story with y'all. I have been talking about building a coop and getting chickens for a while. I always admired a neighbors coops and commented often. Sooo, my teen DD disappeared into the shed and made the entire frame out of scrapes....Using a tile wet saw to cut the wood! Lol! Of course with no water. I'm so amazed.


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## hdb90

Back about 18 years ago my father showed up one day with a fighting cock that someone gave him. It hung around for a few weeks until somehow we came up with three hens. I never gave it much thought and winter came along. We had just moved to our property and didn't have any buildings. I again figured they would roam off somewhere but they stayed the whole winter. They would roost in the trees at night. I noticed after it got down cold that the chickens lost their combs and waddles and what was left were black. I figured the cold had frozen them off. All four made it through the winter. Come spring we built a chicken coop and bought some chicks. Not to sure how long the hens lived but we had that fighting cock for about 10 -11 years. We made the mistake and got a couple more roosters. He fought to keep the other roosters out of the coop and refused to go in himself to accomplish this. Problem was he was no match to the **** that found him. I am always suprised at how tough these birds are.


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## LincTex

I built my coop out of welded steel cattle panels, I need to post pics. Around here the raccoons will get in unless it is built like Fort Knox. They have tried, though. They'll crawl over every square inch looking for a way in. I haven't lost any to hawks, knock on wood. But the raccoons and I continue to fight our brutal war.


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## k0xxx

We lost three of our first young pullets to hawks, then we covered the 20x75' run with netting. This summer we lost several birds to ***** after they ripped through the screen on the windows. Now we have 1/4 inch hardware cloth covering the inside and outside of the windows. 

In reference to the OP: We run a 100ft. extension cord in the winter, to power two warmers for their water. We still do not have an underground water line to the coop, so we lug gallon jugs up from the house to supply them in the winter.


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## neldarez

Well, we had to take the tarp off the run cuz the wind was just howling and grabbed the tarp and was beating it to death! Besides that, the chickens were so scared about the big blue thing pounding over them that they wouldn't come back out of the house!! too funny, By the time I got the tarp cut down it was torn to shreds....pretty funny though.....


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## Grizz

*Chicken TV*

My wife and I added chickens this year and when we first got them she would sit by the window with her coffee and watch the chickens do their thing for hours so we called it Chicken TV. The other day she said we needed another channel, so we are looking at Goats. Then it will be Turkeys and she has their names already, Thanksgivings and Christmas. where will it end!!!!!!


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## neldarez

Grizz said:


> My wife and I added chickens this year and when we first got them she would sit by the window with her coffee and watch the chickens do their thing for hours so we called it Chicken TV. The other day she said we needed another channel, so we are looking at Goats. Then it will be Turkeys and she has their names already, Thanksgivings and Christmas. where will it end!!!!!!


I had 2 pigs and I named them Baco and Bits! lol wouldn't mind having pigs again, they are such fun......taste good too. Grow fast, quick money back.


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## LincTex

neldarez said:


> By the time I got the tarp cut down it was torn to shreds.


Yes, it needs to be "quilted" to a large screen of some sort. I used small nylon tie straps to attach to the squares in my cattle panels every foot square (or thereabouts). No more flapping then.


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