Hi guys, have you got any tips or ideas for our chickens in this cold, wet, snowy and frosty weather? Is there anything I should/could be doing with their food and also with the coop and run? Any help/tips would be received with open arms! Thanks
Cold weather tips
- Thread starter ajmellu7
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chrismahon
Well-known member
Of the highest importance is water. We empty the drinkers at night and refill in the morning and top with warm water during the day. Then food. Snow drifts into the feeders, they they go mouldy and then sour crop. So keep them dry. We don't put them in the coop unless we absolutely have to and I've put three in this afternoon. Don't be temped to close down the vents unless snow is blowing straight in. They will be wet today and without plenty of ventillation you will get damp bedding and chesty birds. Good thing about snow is it brings relatively warmer temperatures so no frost. Helps to protect the run from crosswinds as well. Chickens hate wind as it ruffles their feathers and they lose insulation.
Bertie & The Chooks
New member
Instead of faffing too much with our drinkers, we have two drinkers. One we keep indoors over night and one that we trade it with in the morning. We then feed a couple meals in the day of mash(porridge, oats, bran, ground cornmeal, cereal etc) with hot water. so they are not only getting good food that will warm them up when it digests but also getting their fluid intake in one. Even with water available, when we feed the mash meals they don't tend to drink much from the drinkers. 
I think they naturally cope with low amounts of water at freezing temps, so we don't fuss too much. Never had a problem. We deep bed everything with hemp bedding and bank up the sides and door areas so there's less of a draft.
I think they naturally cope with low amounts of water at freezing temps, so we don't fuss too much. Never had a problem. We deep bed everything with hemp bedding and bank up the sides and door areas so there's less of a draft.
dorinda
New member
The weather seems bad maybe, to you, but hens cope very well in climates far colder than here, last winter we had weeks of -10 and went down to -20 at night for nearly a week, the birds get their usual pellets, which I always keep in the coop so wild birds don't leave their dropping and various illnesses in the hens food, and a feed of corn at the end of the afternoon, so they go to bed with a full crop, Most essential is that their bedding is dry. Water is essential, but you don't need to go three or four times a day, as long as they get a good drink in the morning and another one with their corn they will be fine -
i brought thier water into the house last night as i had added a.c.v to it and i didnt want it to freeze this time i have just brought the bucket minus the water :lol: extra food extra bedding good shelter and they will be fine 
daniellesdogs
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iv a paddling pond that i fill with hot water in the morning make sure totally defrosted, it stays that way most the day.
im giving them more corn and porrage, mostly in the morning. they eat it in one hit.
im giving them more corn and porrage, mostly in the morning. they eat it in one hit.
dorinda
New member
Try doing that for 300 - it's impossible - so I know from first hand they really don't need any real extras - as I'm still able to take them out to shows and windaniellesdogs said:
foxy
Active member
I didn't close one of the sheds properly last night, although it only got down to about -1, so a bit warmer than of late. The shed door was wide open this morning! 
The chooks were fine and scratching around this morning!
The chooks were fine and scratching around this morning!
Bertie & The Chooks
New member
Chuck said:
as boastful as they are :shock: I still appreciate them!
