pamelafilby Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I moved to Canada last autumn, and brought my Purple Eglu cube with us. We moved from France, where we had three happy chickens for a number of years. I had intended to have chickens here...but I'm worried about the cold? I knew it was cold, but this is very very cold. I just want to keep the 'same' three chickens (preferably light Sussex) is this unfair? How do chickens cope with snow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeloo Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 I live in Florida so I can't tell you firsthand, but I've heard chickens are quite cold tolerant and survive even in Alaska without extra heat. You just have to make sure they have access to drinking water that isn't frozen. I know some people on here put microwaveable heating pads in with their chickens to help keep them cozy at night. Maybe someone will answer who has personal experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachachecha Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Hello, I kept chickens in Michigan (the thumb area, near Lake Huron) for two winters and they did fine. I had/have a go and had three large chickens. The main issue is keeping the snow and cold wind out of there area. I was able to do this by placing clear plastic tied down with bungie cords over there run. I had three bags of leaves in front of their run and at the back so that I could get into it without having to shovel snow. I would let them out in the yard and they did fine with the snow. Of course I would shovel an area for them so they could walk around without too much trouble. I had a few spot where the plastic did not come all the way down so I just put bags of leaves there. Then in the spring I just added those bags of leaves to my compost bin. We had lots and lots of snow last year and they did fine. To keep the water from freezing I had a heated dog bowl that I kept filled with water and then placed a little bucket (actually a Halloween treat bucket) that I placed in the heated dog bowl. I had two of these so when I took out fresh water every day it was an easy switch. Good luck! I am now in Kansas and Dodge City does not allow chickens so I can not have them. I still come to this forum and so enjoy reading about every ones tales of their chickens. Hope this has helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
