Omlet Smart Autodoor - New in box

[hibah]

Thanks the replies

Much appreciated

[Ain't Nobody Here]

You'll find all the answers in the FAQs.

[Chucky Mama]

As mentioned above,there is wealth of information if you follow that link. There are also several topics that cover keeping chickens in the cold weather that you may be able to find using the search facility

[hibah]

Can somebody give me a comment about what they think please.

[Redwing]

yes they can survive a cold winter

 

If they didnt then I think everyone would give up as we have had two very cold winters in a row

[Chucky Mama]

Yes, they should be able to survive a very cold winter. They are well insulated with their feathers and so is the Eglu.

[mollyripkim]

Don't worry, they will be fine in their eglu, for me rain is more a problem as I have silkies who don't have waterproof feathers.

Did I see somewhere you are only 11 years? Was the eglu your Christmas present, a lovely one if it was.

[surfer_chicken]

They will be fine in the cold. And if you have idiots like mine they will have fun trying to eat all the snow off of the floor

 

The only real problem in the cold is watching their water and making sure it never completely freezes over.

[blueandwhite]

My two were fine last year and it was minus 10 here. I agree, keeping water unfrozen is a major problem. I don't have electricity in my garden as some people suggested various ways of keeping the water from freezing, also no microwave so couldn't use snugglesafe (or similar either). I did put vaseline on their combs when it was really cold. Particularly with Ebay who has a large comb. But they loved the snow and were out in it all day.

[essexhen]

The 'Omlet man' said when he delivered our cube that it doesn't get cold enough in this country to cause problems with hens, we stuck a bit of tarp across the cube during the snow last year though for extra insulation and kept an eye on the water glug.

[gongladosh]

ours survived -23 degrees the year before last!

 

We did this:

- vaseline their combs and wattles every 2 or 3 days

- ensure that ice is removed from their drinking water (don't add any chemicals to the water though)

- if cold, I'd lock them in overnight so it's warmer in the eglu

- warm (not hot) porridge oats made with water is ideal for keeping hens warm - when really cold I do this morning and night.

- if snowy, try to clear a path for the hens when out of the run - hens have warm blooded feed - they really don't like walking on snow or ice

- as it was -23 we put a bit of old carpet over the eglu and some see-through polythene sheets covering the run to ensure snow didn't get in (leaving the end without of course so that air could get in!). If it's -5 or so you won't need to do that.

 

We had one on her own last year when it was cold (she hadn't been merged in with the others at that point) so to keep her warm as she had no friends to snuggle up with, we put a hot water bottle (in a carrier bag to keep it poo free) under the bars of the eglu she was in. She slept on the nest but it'll have taken the bite off the cold.

 

Hope this helps

Edited December 28, 2011 by Guest

[Hetty and Hilda]

I had the same concerns last year about this but took alot of advice from the Omlet folk and i did the following:

firstly i put vaceline on there combs and feet (once every 3-4 days) then we put an old carpet we had over the top of the nest area also put up some extra shelter from the elements with plastic sheeting etc.

they came through with flighing colours and down my way last year it got up to -17

we let them have a rummage through the snow and they loved it so much!

hope this helps

stacy

[pylebrahma]

You can get a heater come thermostat fro e-bay for

under £4 .It is small so will fit in water hanging trough.

Keep the temp down so water does not freeze and the

trough does not melt.Keeps water thawed all day and night,

but must be kept under water.That is why this one is ideal.