Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[johnandkymberley]

Hi all, i dont have time to get a snugglesafe off the internet, i cant find any in shops! so i am now thinking of things i can use to keep the hens warm at night, this is what ive thought of;

hot water in bottles

microwave a towel

hot water bottle

any more advice? warmest regars

p.s i have an eglu and could bring them inside, the weather tommorow night is goin to be -16dergrees

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I wouldn't bring them indoors . I'd just put a cover over the eglu and make sure the door's shut. They'll keep each other warm.

 

Mine sleep outdoors by choice, even though we have over a foot of snow .

[johnandkymberley]

Hi, thanks for yur quick reply, a cover as in a shade? thanks

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I used to use one of those plastic backed picnic rugs - made clearing snow off the eglu much easier and kept the door from freezing too! I'd say anything you have knocking around, old blankets/towels etc - would do.

[Patricia W]

They'll be fine. One night last February we ( allegedly) had -17 here. Regularly was -12.

 

Tricia

[kevf1]

I used to use one of those plastic backed picnic rugs - made clearing snow off the eglu much easier and kept the door from freezing too! I'd say anything you have knocking around, old blankets/towels etc - would do.

 

 

make sure not to block ventalation holes but generally they will be ok... i only have two andn the were all toasty last night even to the point i thought its warmer in there than in my centrally heated house

[CluckyBucks]

Hello

 

Snow itself acts as an insulator, and the eglu has been designed to keep chickens warm and cosy I give mine warm shredded wheat mash to warm them up a bit, and during the day i fill a small hot water bottle up, wrap it in newspaper to stop it getting messy, and put it under the roosting bars.

 

Hope this helps and your chooks are warm

 

xx xx

[shoura]

as long as thye have plenty of food they should be OK---after all think of the wild birds---they survive if they have enough food and water and they don't even have cosy Eglus to cuddle up in!

[Trougher]

Despite all the reassurances I have been quite worried about my ex-batts in this weather, but they seem fine, and when I was collecting eggs and poo picking this morning, I found that the henhouse was quite comfortably temperatured inside - that is to say not warm, but not particularly cold. I think their body heat warms up the henhouse and they are fine.

[poachedegg]

I agree with the others - they should be fine.

[clarefm]

I don't have an Eglu, just a regular wooden hen house, but after the first few nights of frost the other week I covered it with an old blanket plus a folded waterproof sheet and tied it on. I piled some straw on top of the nest boxes too. I was still having to replace the frozen water in the mornings. Then the snow came and created its own insulating layer and interestingly, the water isn't frozen in the mornings. I wouldn't say its warm in there, but the hens' body heat has kept it from freezing. Its actually colder in there without the snow on the roof! Poor things aren't interested in coming out though - they look very disgruntled sitting indoors all day and poo picking is much harder with them all inside. There'll have to be a massive clean out when the thaw comes!