[nuzuki]

Hi all,
I was wondering what time people here let their chickens out. In this cold weather we let them out at 10am the last 2 days (our first winter of owning chickens) but normally its inbetween 7 and 8am. I wondered if theres any die hards out there who let them out at 5 or 6 am? What do you do this cold weather?

On the flip side we lock them up as soon as they go in for the night so it gives them a chance to warm up the coop before night sets in. This is normally inbetween 5 and 7pm.

I have 2 coops and 2 feeders, I put the feeders in the coop at night and often when I do they see the feeder by torchlight and go mad for a quick feed before bed (especially the new layers or younger ones, the cockerel is never interested in a bedtime snack. I guess they then have the option to feed throughout the night if they can find it in the dark. I hear them pecking away as I close the door also. For treats I give them mixed corn, bird seed, mealworms (just started my own mealworm farm), sometimes a fatball then of course their layers pellets. Also fresh grass cuttings and veg peelings (from our utility room not kitchen).

I clean the coop as and when it needs it which is often every 2 - 4 weeks. I scrape off all the poo then wash the floor down with disinfectant and washing up liquid mixture (I have lino on the coop floor and sealant around all the edges). I then leave it an hour to evaporate and throw in the sawdust and a liberal helping of DE powder. I did start off so well trying to put mite powder directly on the chickens but these days they are near on impossible to catch and doing so seems to stress the flock. I have found if doing this the best way is to wait till they are all in their coop, lift the nesting box lids and do them all one by one but doing it in the daytime is alot of hassle.

Thats pretty much it, does this sound similar to yours? Id be interested to hear others routines and would love to hear feedback on mine 

Thanks

[helens-hens]

I have an automatic door opener which this time of the year uses just the light sensor so in the morning opens about 7.40 and evening shuts about 5ish, when the days get longer I use a timer for the morning only and they come out about 0700.

They don't have any food or water in the coop. The only time I give them anything in the coop is water if I find when locking everything up that e.g. their water had been tipped over.

In the run for treats I hang up things like corn on the cob, swded, turnip, cabbage, cauliflower (not all at the same time!) & they have the odd handful of corn (tis time of the year when it is cold, if I am at home I give them this mixed up in pellet porridge. I maybe wrong but I don't think fatballs are very good for them.

I do a daily quick clean of the hen rouse & run. In the winter I tend to give the hen house a good clean every 3-4 weeks and about every 2 weeks, spring onwards. I use DE and Poultry Shield. I usually worm every 3 months & try and add louse powder to the nesting material.

I am sure I have forgotten something but I think those are the basics of what I do!

[Debbieta]

Hi
The only thing I try is to put DE powder over the girls when they are in the nest boxes as they are usually pretty chilled out and stay long enough to give them a really good dusting.  Any that falls off then goes onto the nesting material ready for the next to have a good scratch around in before settling herself!
I'm clearing out 3 weekly at the moment with a deeper layer of woodflake/straw/shredded paper mix (which falls off the poop shelf).  I am still poop shelf scraping every day though and will pip up any obvious lumps off the floor.
I am also throwing in a couple of tubs of straw into the snow to encourage my woosy lot outside.  Most of the time it's only my young female ancona who rain/shine/snow is first out/last in. 
Hope this helps

[loretta cluck]

My routine is pretty much similar to everyone else's apart from the time....Due to my working hours, the girls are let out at 6.30am, (7.30am on weekends), coop is poo cleaned every day as mine refuse to perch....fed soaked layers pellets, watered and a daily cabbage in the morning - corn and mealworms for supper...occasional treat of rice/pasta, potatoes (cooked in microwave in garage!).
Best investment so far was a battery operated sensor spotlight that i have up in the walk in run....(famous catalogue highstreet store, £29.00), girls tend to take thereselves to bed when they please, although they only really give it half an hour after its gone dark, but theyre still able to have a scratch and a peck if not ready for bed - makes life easier for me for cleaning/collecting dishes in the dark.
Worm them every 3 to 4 months, poultry spice in food, ACV or garlic in water, and bug treatment every month or so.
Have no lawn left where the girls are, both in run, and the free range bit, so is now covered in wood chippings, which i turn frequently, poo pick, and cover in Stalosan F.

[ANHBUC]

My girls let themselves out and off to bed as they are in a secure covered walk in run.  Some sleep in the coops and others roost in the roof beams.  Cleaning out depends on how much time they spend freeranging which is not much with all this snow.  They get wormed with flubenvet every 3 months. 

I don't think you are meant to dust any powder in confined spaces as your hens can inhale it which is not good for them.  Bedding should also be dust extracted so they will not have respiratory problems.  You can lift them off the roost bar when they are dosy to dust if they are flighty.

All my feeders are off the ground including a couple of drums with pecking rings in the bottom.  This keeps them occupied pecking as it flicks layers pellets out.  Currently giving them a small amount of mixed corn around 4pm which they love just before roosting.  No feeders in the coop as I have read they can get contaminated with poo easily.  It can also attract vermin which I wouldn't like in the coop.  I have seen a mouse squeeze through 1/4" x 1/4" weldmesh so they don't need an invite.   

They do like a cabbage every now and then which I spike with a metal skewer and hang in the run.

[Sassy]

Do be careful feeding fresh grass. It should be cut and fed immediately and I would remove any not eaten after 20 minutes. Having said this it probably applies more to the warmer weather as I don't think grass will start to break down quickly at the moment.

[nuzuki]

Thanks for the great replies

The feeders I leave in the coop over night are off the ground as the coops are raised about 3ft off the ground. I'd do find the odd big steamy one in the feeder but we never have the feeder too full so they can be cleaned when this happens. In the daytime I hang the feeders underneath the coop by a piece of wire so they are raised about 30cms off the ground. We also move the walkways upto the coop to make it difficult for mr fox if he did get into the enclosure. The grass cuttings we give are often only a couple of handfuls after mowing the lawn, other than that I often pick up handfulls of grass outside their run and poke it through the mesh for them to peck at. The thing I wasnt sure about was the fatballs. they've had about 3 fatballs in the last coupe of weeks, my theory was that the fat would keep them warm. But I also do the late afternoon jam jar or mixed corn. They seem so desperate for the corn they'd rather starve and wait for the corn than to eat their layers pellets so I do have to put a limit on the corn.

Also I put the DE powder in th coop during the day so the dust can settle, often when doing a clean out. But I cant avoid the dust if putting it directly on the chickens, they all hate it apart from one rhodey who always wants another dusting thinking its food of some sort 

I saw mice in the run the other day and I think they may have made a nest in the bottom of a tree thats in the run, I am starting to put mouse traps in the run at night, the humain ones (not that I care about mice but humain so they dont hurt my chickens). I have concrete all around the perimeter of the run then gravel board and double mesh but they still get in. The roof is meshed but the wild birds still get in and help themselves to the feeder.

I was thinking about one of the auto doors but I still would have to do a manual check. A lady in the village lost a hen to mr fox as her auto door locked a hen out for the night.

[Willow_Warren]

Well my chickens have to fit in with my routine!

In the winter I let the chickens out last thing before I leave for work (with works out at about 7-7.15) so in the depths of winter it is still dark at this time.  I shut them up when I get home which is about 6pm (again aleady dark).  Thus during winter they do not get afternoon treats.  On the weekend I let them out when it's just light (unless I over sleep!), so around 7.30 at the moment, give them corn at around 4pm and put them to bed when it's dark - around 4.45 at the minute (earlier when darker).

In the summer I feed and let up at soon as I get up (about 6.15am) and try to do the same on the weekends (but it is hard!!), shut them up at dark but give them treats about an hour earlier and get them locked back up in the run (for safety) rather than free ranging.

Hannah

[ANHBUC]

Fat balls are not good for them.  Small birds have them as they have to make a lot of effort to find the food so they burn loads of fat off.  If they are waiting for the corn you are better not giving them any until they get the message.  They need the balance of what is in the layers pellets and just a sprinkling of mixed corn if any at all.  I would say you would need 20 + hens for a jam jar full.  If you give it to them every other night they should get out of the habit of not eating enough layers.   

[nuzuki]

Cheers ANHBUC i'll stop the fat balls and ration the corn. Do you have any thoughts on giving them bird seed? I guess im trying to keep their diet a little interesting when theres not many greens around this time of year.

I have a cockerel called roger (RIR) whos been naughty and put in the naughty coop  Hes destined for the pot so I have been feeding him pretty much a corn only diet just to see if the taste is different (corn fed chicken).

[finleyfreyaseth]

as mine are on the lottie they are out 24/7 they are in a secure run the entrance exit door is facing were no wind can blow in they ave there food hanging under cover in the run and water drinker hanging in the run ,they get lots little treats  broken biccies soft fruit and greens handfull of mixed corn as well, thers no real routine as too wat they get they just no there gonna be something for em when i open lottie gate,i go up everyday so there water topped up fresh.there coop as paper on pull out floor which i take out every 3days and replace clean same we there beddin all this thrown on my compost heap the run floor(approx 10x8ft) bein all soil is covered in loose straw which i take up once a week.this might not be right but my 4birds(1 2yr old blackrock and 3 rir approx 24 wks old) doin well gettin egg every other day of blackrock and the rir layin 1 aday between em.

[ANHBUC]

Cheers ANHBUC i'll stop the fat balls and ration the corn. Do you have any thoughts on giving them bird seed? I guess im trying to keep their diet a little interesting when theres not many greens around this time of year.

I have a cockerel called roger (RIR) whos been naughty and put in the naughty coop  Hes destined for the pot so I have been feeding him pretty much a corn only diet just to see if the taste is different (corn fed chicken).

Anything other than the layers pellets should be as you give children sweets, not all the time and never instead of their main diet.

I don't know how long you would have to feed just corn to make a difference.  Bear in mind that it can cause health issues in a bird if fed for too long.  Their organs will be lined with fat from what I have read.

You would  normally feed growers and then finishers pellets for meat birds.   

[nuzuki]

Thanks, ive learnt something new I didnt know about finishers pellets. So when you hear about corn fed chickens (mainly in the US) are they only fed some corn and not a diet that is purely made up of corn? He is having grit and a sprinkle of layers pellets with his corn. He's been fed corn for coming up to 2 weeks and I havent noticed him put on alot of weight. He was destined for the pot a couple of weeks ago and I just thought i'd hang on and try this out as I had a seperate coop and run away from the other chickens/cockerals. He was seperated due to fighting with one of the maran girls (who incidently was laying everyday upto that point but hasnt since) and was also getting to the point where he was mating with his sisters.

[ANHBUC]

He might be too fat (oops I meant young) to put on weight yet.  I think someone posted recently saying they are around 24 weeks for that.  The ones I have culled were around 18/19 weeks so no fat at all.  Some people restrict the run area for meat birds so they are not burning all the calories up and put weight on quicker.

No sure if corn fed are just fed on corn or a mixed diet.  If you look up foie gras that will explain how they feed ducks just on corn and the effects on the birds.

[nuzuki]

The rhodey cockerel I have is just a little over 24 weeks old. He hatched in June. He's been in a run on his own close to 2 weeks that is just over 2 metres squared. I'll look that up, cheers ANHBUC