Poultry and Pets > The Hen House
Winter Tips for Chooks....
Winter Tips:
This is a thread around a few things that I do to try and make sure my birds are as happy in winter as they are the rest of the year. Some of these things I have picked up from others on here.
Please add your bits too! :D :D Or perhaps a few wintery photos :?:
The weather..
Chooks cope pretty well with the cold, to help them build up a good body temperature on cold nights I feed mixed corn in the afternoon. I also add a crushed clove of garlic and ACV in their water to help keep bugs away and to help maintain a healthy gut. I know there are vitamins and supplements out there but I personally feel if the everything else is in place they really shouldn't need them, but thats just me. :D Finally on the feed front I make sure that the feeders are inside the henhouse but that's because we live close to open fields and dont want to encourage mice and rats! :?
Chooks still need water - so make sure that they have access at all times -sometimes in very cold spells I pop a small drinker inside in case it freezes over later.
It also helps to make sure that the henhouse is the right size for the number of chooks. Chickens will huddle close to keep warm so too few birds in a large shed will mean it is harder to maintain body heat. A blob of vaseline rubbed into the larger combs and wattles will prevent frostbite.
Good ventilation is vital as the chooks will be inside for far longer that those longer halcyon summer days so air must be allowed to circulate without causing a bitter cold draft, chooks cope very well with low temperatures but a cold draft whistling through the henhouse can kill. Make sure that ventilation is not situated at perch level.
Bedding should be clean and dry at all times to avoid respiratory problems and damp bedding may harbour bacteria. I use dust extracted straw in the nestboxes (I put in a little extra this time of year) plus good quality wood shavings in the rest of the house. I also like easibed as an alternative to wood shavings as is very absorbant.The chooks will thank you for it particulary if it is wet outside!
Check that the henhouse is secure inside and out, and no tale tale signs of "gnawing" from rats, or possible loose boards or unsecure bolts for a hungry fox to gain entry. This is also a good time to prime a rat trap or two!
Outside..
If your site is very exposed (like mine)try to build wind shelters for them, here are some examples. I have found hazel hurdling scrounged from a timber merchants brilliant and was very cheap.
The landrover hood works well too! :D
Winter Tips:
Water drinker heating pads -these are quite useful if you have access to mains or maybe can fix up to a battery.
Water Heaters
Automatic Door Openers
the door openers are useful in case you cant get back home in time to lock those chooks up.
Maltilda Duck - I use gravel or type 1 then covered with a deep layer of wood chips then topped with bark so its nice and soft on their feet! :D
compostqueen:
I picked up all my girls in turn this morning (not to difficult as I've only got three :lol: )and applied Vaseline to their wattles, combs and ear tips. They seemed to like it and sat under arm as good as gold :D
Very, very cold here today, everything is frozen solid, including me :D
Roll Roll:
We have a kids paddling pool for our ducks which the chooks drink out of. So far we havent had a problem with ice, but my father in law keeps fish in his pond. To stop the ice covering it completley he floats a ball on top of it. If their is a slight breeze the ball will move to stop ice forming, if it has frozen over just remove the ball to expose the water. I know this wont be of much use to most of you as you may have water bottles. I know it's an old idea which you all know, but just in case. Thanks for the tips foxy, we are still learning ourselfs.
Aunt Sally:
I use a fish tank heater in my girls drinking water in the coldest of weather (tip from Munty).
You have to be careful to allow it to cool right down before putting it back into the fresh water though as it can break if you don't !
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version