Unsecure chicken perches

[brambles]

... -4 degrees.

 

I have put the transmitter bit for our weather station into the nest box.

 

I have 7 girls snuggled together, variously under one anothers wings and pants. They seem toasty in between them. I've put some extra straw in, but wondering if I need to do more.

 

The thermometer has a max/min so I'll be able to see what it falls to overnight.

[brambles]

Phew, a bit warmer, currently around zero. I think they're generating their own heat in there from the porridge and corn they had at bedtime, bless em.

[chickyhazel]

The chickens will certainly generate plenty of heat and keep themselves warm - they are certainly capable of surviving the cold!

[Shirl]

Ours is 3 degrees. Still doesn't sound very warm.

[Angie]

Minus 0ne in the cube at the moment........

[migsy]

Poor things. I know they need ventilation but I would hate to have all those holes around me . They seem happy enough though when they come out in the morning.

[kevf1]

they are farm animals after all have feathers and generate heat.. these temperatures are maybe a bit nippy for them but i wouldn;t say anything that they should or would worry about... i have put a pillow case full of shredded paper in the egg port as they both seem to sleep in that part at the moment.. (i'm waiting to get more hens) so reducing the space they need to keep warm but they seem content enough when i check them...

 

they suffer more during hot weaher as they can't take there jackets off....

 

I know its difficult but remeber these are farm animals not domesticated pets... they are pretty hardy things so as long as we give them the basics... food water and shelter they wil generally look after themselves...

 

my two don't get loads of hugs they get checked weekly.. and seem happy and content... although i do think they need more pals to have fun with...

 

so my advice is let them be chickens give them the basics (and maybe a few treats) and they will generally get on with it.. IMHO

[craftyhunnypie]

Whoa!

There are a lot on here who treat their chickens as family ( I know I do). They are far too precious & rewarding to just be ' farm animals'. A lot of us have pure & rare breeds too, so go that extra mile to ensure their comfort & protection. Mine are truly pampered. I check mine about 3 times daily, as they can go down hill so quickly. You never know how many chickens you are going to have from day to day - such sensitive little bodies.

The water freezes through the day on mine & they eat a lot more in this weather, so regular checks are really needed.

 

Mine have pre bedtime treats of oats or sweetcorn - to help them conserve energy.

 

Emma.x

[Daphne]

I'm intrigued by this. I wish I'd thought of doing it! I'm going to do a compare and contrast between my cube, eglu and wooden house which may take a while to rig up. I'm interested to see if there are differences; just so I know, not so I can worry. Mine get looked at twice a day mostly - apart from the necessity of feeding/checking drinkers I think regular inspections are the key to good husbandry.

[kevf1]

yes emma i know people do and i'm not saying they are wrong.. what i am saying we still have to remeber they are farm animals.. and generally as long as we make sure they have the basics water (they can drink) food and shelter they will generally be ok. A few treats etc does help but is generally not necessary... mine are happy doing chicken things pecking scratching and being natural. i have added a bit more to keep them warm and they get porridge during the colder times... i'm not saying we should neglect them.

 

but they are quite hardy little things and they are wild/farm animals and are used to being outdoors... I would say i don't care for mine any less than most of the people on this board i want them to be happy i want them to live a good life... and would be upset if anything happened to them... i just have a different approach and my chickens don;t seem any less happier than other ones i have seen..

[skye]

I agree with Kev, although I adore my girlies I try to keep them in an environment which is as close to nature as possible, so that they can keep their toughness up and resistance to the cold etc, for times just like these. They are genetically programmed to live in the wild and roost in trees all year round. I do give them warm treats occasionally, but it's usually to make ME feel better, not them! In weather like this I simply make sure they have a tarp to keep the worst of the damp and the wind off.

 

Emma is right about them going downhill quickly. We go out and check them and have a chat with them often if we're at home, and at the very least once each in the morning and once in the evening if we are at work.

 

If one of them seems to be feeling under the weather they get a lot of extra care though, often indoors if it's cold outside, to help her use all her energy to fight off infection rather than trying to keep warm.

 

skye x

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Mine choose to sleep in the WIR rather than the eglu (and no, there's nothing nasty hiding in the eglu ) even though there's over a foot of snow on the ground. I had a wee feel under their wings last night and they were all toasty warm .

[kevf1]

Skye .. yes i check mine on a morning before work and as soon as i get home in this weather its usally the time i sort out bedding and water and lock em up as they are already in bed anyway.. and I usually check them just before i go to bed.... as you rightfully say when they go down hill the do it quickly ... we can only do our best..

 

my two happily sit on a bar i have put in to roost most of the day and hop down now and again to feed and drink.. i thinki this timeof the year they sleep alot anyway

[MummyHen]

I put a themometer inside the WIR and one on the outside - inside +2, outside -1

We have a load of snow here today and have checked this am - water not frozen and added corn mix additional food.

They all seem fine - so far 3 eggs - one hen on nest - so to me they seem to be fine with the weather.

Also use the Hen Cam to monitor thru out the day

[brambles]

Well mine must be happy as the araucana came into lay yesterday and the light Sussex today for the first time. The Cochin is back in lay after moult . I was worried about the legbar as she seemed a bit ho"Ooops, word censored!" yesterday, but I think it was all the clucking about the others being in lay and pecking order issues.