View Full Version : Our chickens' first snow - and they don't like it!
Blackdog Lin
1-12-11, 5:28am
It's our chickens first winter and as of yesterday, first snow. They're being hilarious. They obviously don't know what to make of all that white stuff on the ground. DH watched them yesterday evening sloooowly sticking their heads our the door, then making a grand flying leap from their ramp directly to their roosting bar in the run, so as not to have to risk stepping in/on that weird cold white stuff on the ground. He generally lets them out every afternoon for a couple of hours of free-ranging, but after having the door open for 20 minutes yesterday not a single chicken left the run, so we guess no free-ranging while the snow is on the ground.
They seem to have adapted to the cold well enough though. We did a little winterizing to the coop and they seem comfortable. DH has to go out and water them twice a day, as their water freezes - but we hope and plan to run electricity out there this summer to take care of that.
They are so much fun to watch. And 2-6 eggs a day is a wonderful added bonus!
LOL! Mine are the same way. They won't go out of their coop at all if there is snow..........but they will stand in their run out in the pouring rain. I've tried to explain to them that its just frozen rain, but they don't buy it. They've been in the coop most of the time this winter, since there's been snow on the ground so much. I do still keep their little door open all the time. That seems to keep them from really going nuts inside all the time.
Sometimes, I can throw alot of straw on top of the snow and they'll go out. Its funny how scared of the snow they are!
Have fun with them! They do have alot of personality!
Mine came out yesterday, fussed a bit but got down to business of looking for goodies. They free-range all day - they did put themselves to bed extra early around 3 p.m. so I guess the cold and snow made for a very tiring 'chicken day'. Mine quit laying about 2 weeks ago and I miss gathering the eggs.
Oh please take pictures for us!
Mine quit laying by midsummer.......but they are in henopause. :) They will be 8 in June. I do miss those eggs!
I don't have chickens, but I do have cats. One doesn't let the snow deter him at all. I see his little bunny prints over the patio as he leaps from spot to spot. The other cat, well, she hates the snow. Will only go out under duress, and shakes each paw off for each step. Its a long winter with her.
My new kitten, Harley,(an indoor cat) is fascinated by the lumps of snow that come in on my boots. They move! They melt! They turn into water! They are wierd to touch!
When I go out to the coop, I wear big boots that get covered in snow. I call them my snow cones to the chickens. They think its a treat to peck the snow off the boots. Those silly girls!
Blackdog Lin
1-12-11, 7:35pm
DH took kitchen scraps out to 'em and threw in the run this afternoon.....nope, still not gonna come out in the snow. Don't like the stuff, aren't gonna walk in it, don't want nothing to do with it, thank you very much. Not even for goodies.
And I promise to try to learn how to post a photo or two on here of the coop: you're just gonna die with envy. When we were doing our planning, we talked to our carpenter guy about building what we wanted, and he called back a day later saying "he owned some property outside town with a really really old chicken coop on it and maybe it could be refurbished and maybe we'd be interested in that". Went and looked at it, fell in love with it, he quoted us a decent price for refurbishing and delivering and setup, and I now have the absolutely most adorable 100-yr. old chicken coop you've ever seen. Can't wait to get into some landscaping of it this next season.
Something else: when doing our planning, I decided we needed a "chicken Bible" to guide us through being newbies. Got "Chickens for Dummies". Good book for learners, and it told us that chickens only lay eggs in the morning: you only need to check for eggs later in the mornings, because hormonally chickens only lay then. It also explains how egg production decreases in the winter months.
Our chickens haven't read the book. We took possession in July (young hens - well, they were supposed to be mostly hens, but that's another story). No eggs at all till November, and then just 1-2 a day. Now with winter hitting we're getting 1 egg every morning, and 3-5 more every evening! So much for morning-layers. So I've learned to take all my chicken-learning with a grain of salt.
But it's fun, and I'd call 'em cheap entertainment if we hadn't put so much money into getting set up with them.....we do ADORE having the fresh eggs.....
Sounds fabulous! Fun entertainment and good food to boot! I would love to see the pictures too! But of course it is funnier when you seem them wondering about the snow!
When I was farming, 25 years ago, Rodale Press had a great series called The Modern Way series. Raising Chickens the Modern Way was a perfect small farmer/backyard poultry guide. I recommend looking for it.
My chickens taught me alot about daylight. They are so attuned to when it gets longer and shorter. That means after June 21, they start to slow down a bit, and after December 21, they start up again (if you use no supplemental light).
Most of my chickens laid their eggs probably late morning, but I had some early morning and some late afternoon. Sometimes I'd find one in the evening.
Usually chickens start laying around 5-6 months. You can tell when they are getting ready to lay by trying to pet them. If they are close to laying, they will squat (thinking you're the rooster). In the Fall, when they start running away from you when you try to pet them, it means they're done laying for awhile.
I too spent a fortune on their coop and run! We had a nice big shed built on a cement foundation, with windows and a steel door with a lock. I love the electricity to the coop, since it gets really hot in summers, and I put a box fan in the window, blowing air out, and it does a great job. Then in winter, I use an electric water heater for their water dish.
I started out with 17, but am down to 7. I have loved having them. They all have their own individual personalities and quirks. I don't have a rooster. That would have been interesting. There is a pecking order, but it seems to change alot.
Are yours free-ranged or in a run? Mine would be gone in no time, if I didn't have a secure set-up......Too many predators.
I have a couple books on taking care of them, but nothing helped as much as being on a couple chicken forums (Backyardchickens.com), which I really encourage you to visit.
I would love to keep some chickens, but I fear my neighbors wouldn't be so happy...
I remember when a young cat I had went outside and experienced her first rain shower. One of the funniest thing I've ever seen. She hated water and darted back and forth trying to escape the horrible wet drops - but not really knowing where they were coming from.
http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=145&d=1294381426
My girls are back to laying! Maybe that cold snap snapped them back into production mode.
It was my understanding that a chicken's natural clock has them laying about an hour later every day. I love it when they come out and announce "I Did it! I layed an egg! It's the best egg! You ought to see this thing!".
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