Unsecure chicken perches

[Jenthelibrarian]

I'm really not a fan of winter...

 

It's cold and wet outside, the garden is dull and muddy.

 

Two of my girlies have decided to moult and look really scruffy and I worry that they're cold. Poor Tilly has a nearly-bald neck and undercarriage and Rosie looks silly without her tail. Neither of them is laying their usual lovely eggs

 

I was watching them chickening about, cheery as ever, while we cleaned out the Eglu and run in the cold wind and I commented to my husband that I really love my chickens very dearly, but maybe just a wee bit less so over the winter months.

 

He said we should look into getting them to migrate and fly south for the winter

 

Anyone successfully trained theirs to do this, by any chance...??

[sparkysmum]

love it. I would go too if I could. Truly hate winter with the exception of "crispy clear out for a run with the dogs mornings" I spend all winter longing for sunlight and warmth.

[anamiya]

Awwwww you would miss them if they migrated! We moved house in order to rescue more BHWT girls. The winter is not much fun so I took the opportunity of a new house to make sure my fiance built the best chicken palace in the world! Our girls are in two flocks. Each flock has a huge outdoor run as well as a large covered area which has a concrete floor where their coops are. They have indoor weather dustbaths as well as blankets under the coops so if they need a place to snuggle off the concrete they've got it. We've eliminated mud by digging holes and putting plastic drain covers on top and all the water goes there. We also have water butts to collect the water from the roof. We put electricity out there and got a custom dimmer/timer switch made so our girls don't get caught out in the dark. (the lights are not to prolong their day, it's to aid us at their bedtime so we can see they've all gone in ok). I've just bought a webcam we'll be putting in soon! It's brilliant, no matter the weather I stay dry when I'm doing the girls and they always have somewhere out of the wind and rain. With some careful planning winter does not need to be rubbish for owners and their girls! (Maybe useful if said owners have good DIY skills!)

[Guest]

Any photos of your set up Anamiya, especially the drainage?

[mullethunter]

Yes definitely photos please anamiya!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Your set up sounds fabulous, anamiya .

 

I don't think my girls could migrate further than next door, they make a meal of flapping down off their eglu table .

[PixieDust]

Ooh yes photos please. I know only winter chicken keeping so far so I am looking forward to the Spring.