Looking After Your Girls In The Freezing Weather!

[NannyPlumIsMyMum]

Hello - how are people looking after their girls in these minus temperatures ?

I'm giving mine oats and cod liver oil ... Has anybody else got any tips please?

We put an old rug on the roof to insulate it a bit.
Poultry tonic in their water, extra greens, extra bedding layer....

Will watch with interest!

Yes I wish I could get hold of an old carpet cut off to put over their house .... I'm being ridiculous I know, but I don't like them to get stressed .

Not ridiculous, they are helpless against the weather!

have just figured out what to do about the water-
rather than use the usual water thingy (the upside down buckety thing)
put the water in a large tupperware box
put a small plastic bottle, part filled with water in it, so it floats on its side
when you go out in the morning, you can squeeze the bottle to release it from the ice, then you can break off the chunks of ice and leave water for them
(not my idea, I had forgotten but my DF used to do this for his fishpond, not good for that to be completely frozen over for some reason)

Flippin' Ada Shalli that's a great idea!

I had wondered if there was anything I could buy to stop the water freezing over but I will do that instead ...

Jane .. Thankfully there is at least one place on MN where you can be precious about something and not get flamed .

lined the nesting box with an old fleece blanket and extra hay.

I have two little groups - one have a wooden coop, and I've put a thick cardboard box in the end where they sleep, padded round all sides with extra straw and then extra Aubiose bedding and straw inside - lovely and snug. The other group are in a little shed, and insist on sleeping on their perch rather than the nice warm straw filled place that they could choose, so they have a greenhouse heater, fixed vertically so they can't sit on it, and protected with a bit of chicken wire. Stops everything freezing inside when it's really cold - they all seemed happy enough last night when it was -3 here!

Poultry Tonic?
Aubiose bedding?

I only got my first chicken on Tuesday, I have no idea what these things are!
She has just had a bit of extra straw
I feel mean now,
I did give her some porridge this morning
it was -9 here this morning

Aubiose is just bedding, a bit like shavings only easier to use and clean out! Extra straw should help keep your chicken warm, and they love porridge so hopefully she's happy!

We use aubiose, I really recommend it!

Youvecat- oats are sooo good for your girls in winter. Helps to keep them warm .

Mine have been getting extra mash (even the neighbours are donating peelings!) and the inside of their nest box is lined with thick newspaper. They have lots of shavings and hay, plus there is an old horse turnout rug over the top of their coop. I've put a tarpaulin up so that the run is now covered on 3 sides to cut out the wind-chill factor and keep snow off should we get any. My book says to put vaseline on their combs to stop frostbite but it hasn't got that cold here yet.

I've just been out and covered both the coop and the run with blankets. Not sure if it will make much difference but I'm not sure what more to do. We ordinarily move the coop indoors but the shed is full of my friends stuff at the moment which can't go outside.

I'm particularly worried about mine since their in a coop designed for ten but there ar only two of them a the moment.

Try again shall I? I'm particularly worried about mine since they're in a coop designed for ten but there are only two of them at the moment.

!!

Youvecat I think the best thing you can do to keep your girl warm is buy a couple of mates for her so they could huddle together and share the warmth.

Virgil I think you should get more girls too then they can insulate each other.

I take the whole water container in at night if its going to freeze. Much easier than defrosting in the morning!

I've been gifted a good length of carpet to drape over their eglu so I'm feeling a bit easier now .

Boy are they eating loads though at the moment .

Bless them. I can't keep warm ... never mind keep warm AND lay an egg.

I've had chickens for 3 years. I don't do anything different in the freezing weather except make sure that they have access to unfrozen water. I leave the coup door open always. I have never had one die on me in the winter.