Summer is a blur of bodily function on a farm , and this time of year , that natural process is focused on the derive months , which wo n’t be as hospitable and quick . Most farmyard poultry is surprisingly resilient in the cold as long as fair to middling shelter is provided . Chickens , geese and ducks can hold out subzero temperatures , they just demand to have condom from winding and wetness . Dry frigidness , while not pleasurable , is n’t as dangerous as damp coldness , which can get into bird ’s respiratory system of rules or cause frostbite . Here ’s what we do in term of wintertime preparation .
Shelter
All our snort have stand within the barn they embark at dark , even in summer . It makes me feel well-to-do that they ’re more secure from predators , whose threat increases in the lean months of winter . tax shelter should be easy to shut up at night , and whileventilation is important , no opening should be low or large enough for a George Fox or other predator to crawl through .
chicken do n’t rile going out of doors much in wintertime . I spread their door every daylight and percipient an area for them to extend their legs , but unless it is a strong and cheery mean solar day they ride out in their chicken coop . For wintertime preparation , it is important that the coop is big enough for the identification number of hens you keep ( four square feet per bird is a general dominion ) and that you clean house it regularly when they are spending so much time indoors . you’re able to use the “ deep litter ” method to keep your hencoop clean in winter , which involve putting refreshed bedding over the manure alternatively of doing a full cleaning . In wintertime , when the volaille ’s manure freeze and does not smell , and added bedding will help keep them warm , the deep litter method is often the easiest mode to pick your coop . Kirsten Lie - Nielsen
Geese and ducks are another affair and require slightly different wintertime readiness . They will trundle outside in the fiercest weather . If it is peculiarly cold or stormy , we might keep the waterfowl inside for their own goodness , otherwise they will sit in the yard with their heads under their wings . Just like the wimp in the coop , a dry stall with plenty of bedding will keep geese and ducks warm when they are inside .
Water
piddle is the adult winter challenge for wintertime preparation . Chickens necessitate unused drinking water supply , while ducks and geese need thick , fresh piddle and care to have troughs so they can bathe . We set up a twosome of heated up weenie water bowls to verify everyone has toast water at all times , and I use big rubber feed troughs out in the landing field for the waterbirds to bathe in . Rubber will withstand confine glacial pee , and it ’s wanton to get the ice out of the troughs .
Food
It is also important to remember that the birds wo n’t have access to all the wise greens and chow they forage during summertime . Our metric grain consumption will go up , and I provide hatful of protein - filled mealworm for the hens while giving the geese wise lettuce and other super acid from the market store .
Light & Heat
I do not give my birds supplemental light or heat , although many husbandman do . Additional lighting and oestrus are said to help oneself ballock output in the wintertime , but they also contribute a peril of fervour . Regarding this facet of wintertime preparation , I am not worried about keeping up the egg numbers and am well-chosen to have the hens have a little break during the off season . Kirsten Lie - Nielsen
Special Care
Some volaille and geese need special winter care . A goofball , such as the Sebastopol with its loose , curly feather , is n’t able-bodied to snuggle into its down in the cold the way a directly - fledge bird can . For such birds it is especially important to check that their pasture space has a wind break and that they are lovesome and teetotal at night . Chickens with larger cockscomb , especially roosters , can brook frostbite . Frostbite can be do by with ointment , and keep your birds inside and well bedded will aid forestall it .
So , for the next few weeks we ’ll engage in winter preparation , tweaking our stall to make certain there is n’t too much airflow or crack for malarky to come through , and checking that all our heated waterers are still working . It is meter to stock up on bedding and feed , and start dusting off the snow shovelful : Winter will be here before we sleep with it .
Kirsten Lie-Nielsen
Kirsten Lie-Nielsen
