I like the way you breakdown & explain why things are done in building the chicken coop and the necessary things a chicken needs. The winterizing has been a concern of mine. I live in the mtns & the temp can go below zero. The wind can make it worse.
My mom knows people who's chicken's lost legs from frostbite, in their insulated coop, here in SE Idaho. It's generally agreed chickens need supplemental heat on the colder days. It got below -20°f this year
Totally agree. I try to regulate draft and moisture. It’s -40 the last 5 days and none of my animals have heat, just shelter. I try to bring the chickens water 3 or so times a day.
Scotland here.We are regularly minus centigrade in the winter.Five birds in my coop.Four huddle together on the perch but one always sits on the straw floor.Hes young and sturdy though so I don't worry.I do worry about cold draughts as stated in video
Thank you. A reminder: chickens don’t “pee”like we normally think of. The white in their droppings is the uric acid that is usually in liquid pee of many other animals.
I'm in Oklahoma. We just insulated the north wall and I keep the bedding thick. Don't add heat! If electricity goes out, they will die from shock from drastic temp change. They'll be fine. Keep the wind off of them!
@@CountryLivingExperience I have a 10 ft by 20 ft coop we built. 6 ft ceiling. We only have one rooster and 4 hens in that big space. We put thick bedding of wood shavings and hemp bedding thru winter. It's very absorbent, you don't need to clean it out. Just add a bit more bedding over the poo! It helps insulate and hold heat in. Come March or April, We will rid of all of that bedding to the corner of our yard for compost. We will then go to straw until end of summer. Put a bit of ceyanne pepper in thier water and food during winter. It helps keep them warm. Don't put too much or you cause them diarrhea. I also feed them warm grits with a can of pumpkin 2 times a week thru winter. I throw some grit in there. A bit of Apple cider vinegar is good to add to thier water. It's an antibiotic. Put a cat litter box in your coop full of clean sand mixed with diatamatious earth.. It's a great dust bath area that keeps pests off of them. I spoil my chickens as they give me so much in return. ❤😎
I like these videos about winter since I’m in northern Illinois. It’s a little more intense up here though. Usually a few mornings below 0 (-2,-4,-8) in January/February. I understand no heat for above 0 but below?? Especially with the ventilation needed to keep healthy chickens?
I am in south Texas, my coop is 1 wall and the rest is wire, I cover the coop at night with tarps. We have 18 Rhode Island Red hens with no rooster. Our birds have never been sick because I give them oak tea. Today cooking eggs I found blood spots in the whites as well as on the yolk. While researching I found this is most likely due to stress. Our hens are 9 months old and just started laying 3 months ago. Our birds were to hot in the summer and could be to cold because of our coop. Any suggestions on what the stress could be from? I do have dogs which don't usually mess with the birds, however they have chased them. Some of the hens like to get into the burn pit, when I see them I do make them get out. I feed them sunflower seeds.
@@CountryLivingExperience sometimes I smell skunk in the morning, my husband saw a raccoon last year, I have seen armadillo, and we may have ground squirrels. I scare the vultures off when I see them perching on the power pole not far from the coop. The neighbor killed a few raccoons about 6 months ago. We had a snake show up about 9 months ago, which killed a chick and was taking eggs. We moved the coop beside the house, because the old one was falling apart. We got rid of our roosters a few days ago, they would crow in the middle of the night of they heard the roosters across the street. I never saw anything in the coop or yard when I heard the roosters. There are Bob Cats across the street, which have never come here. 2 summer's ago my husband and I were sleeping in the car due to no electricity, we saw a big black cat on top of our house. My husband said it was the house cat which was also black, I and said what was on the house was bigger. Then we heard it jump to the deck below with a big thud. A house cat doesn't make a big thud when it lands. The neighbor told us there is a Panther which shows up every 8 years. I say we have just a few predators.
@@yahsomeacres7816 That is a lot. Raccoons and snakes will really stress them out. We have barn cats that take care of the snakes and our dog keeps the raccoons away.
@@CountryLivingExperience I would leave the dogs outside at night, however they bark at every voice they hear, next door and across the street as well as bark at every head light which goes down the road. We would never get any sleep. We are moving the first of next month so we will see what we is on the new property, I know there is a pack of dogs. Not sure when we can electrify the fence. The we have 2 cats which will take care of the little snakes not sure about the 4ft blue indigo I saw last year. We are fortunate not to have poison snakes, only saw the 1 large and a few small grass snakes. We were told there is a property somewhere not far from us where all the poison snakes decided to go.(the family had to move) Hoping to electrify the fence soon so I can aggressively grow our poultry farm. We are Torah Poultry and Pasture raise our birds.
Young chickens do that. How old are they? They have to develop/tap into that instinct to roost. How high is your roosting bar? If it is too high to "fly" up to, they may not use it.
Chickens may not need supplemental heat to survive but they most certainly do need it at the extreme times of winter depending on where you live. You are absolutely wrong on this if your chickens had anything to say about it. Chickens were never meant for a harsh winter environment. Winter yes, but not the coldest ones out there. If you do their combs start getting frostbite even if they are not wet. Extreme cold takes the moisture from their breath and can settle on there combs and waddles at night when roosting. They may survive the cold when but not good for those parts of their body. In videos I see a lot of so called cold hardy chickens with waddles and combs all screwed up and black from frostbite because some dumb chicken owner thinks chickens can handle anything. Even rose comb chickens get frostbite. Heating the coop slightly helps them a lot through those very cold times of winter in those colder states. Yes, Kentucky, Tennessee type states don't need heat in winter. But Wisconsin, Minnesota or worse type states can sure help their extremities not to turn black and fall off. Yes, you can force them to endure the harshest of winters if your a noncaring chicken owner but not without losing body parts. So, technically you don't need heat at all but if you want your chickens looking good and care for their feeling than you should help them through the roughest of times if you live in those colder states. They will love it too. You can't just do it any old way to heat a coop so you must learn how with out making it worse for them. A light that gives off heat always worked for me or warmers above the roosting areas. If you can't figure this out and your brainless than move to those warmer states. Your chickens will love you for it. I never had no issues with using heat lights. If your irresponsible, than I would say don't use them and don't get chickens. Get ducks, geese or turkeys instead. They can handle the cold without help much better because they are already out there in the wild in it without heat. Chickens are not out there in the wild in any of the colder states because they can't handle it without help. Just think about that.... Neither can their combs and waddles. Unless you force them... I am appalled at the lack of caring people have for their livestock thinking they can handle it all because they want them to. Frostbite can happen without water on them because their blood has water in it. Projection from owners is the worse enemy for livestock animals.
@@CountryLivingExperience Chickens eliminate both urine and feces through their " cloaca". aka their bum-hole. They do not have separate exits. Both waste product are eliminated simultaneously. They also lay their eggs through the " Cloaca". Although the eggs fall into a separate sac. Therefore protecting the egg from the waste inside the Cloaca. When you see the feces on your eggs after they are out it should not be alot and actually protects the egg from bacterias. Hope this is helpful 👍
Native to tropical jungles in SE Asia. They're believed to have been domesticated about 8,000 years. Don't let the inside of their coops get too far below freezing, because my mom has neighbors in Idaho who's chicken's lost legs due to frostbite. The temperature should be monitored in very cold climates
Sir, you're an amazing homesteader! Watching from the Philippines.
Salamat!
I like the way you breakdown & explain why things are done in building the chicken coop and the necessary things a chicken needs. The winterizing has been a concern of mine. I live in the mtns & the temp can go below zero. The wind can make it worse.
Thank you. Glad i was able to explain things well.
In minesota -30 F, yes they need extra heat
Here in SE Idaho too. My mom was telling me some neighbors chickens lost legs from frostbite
My mom knows people who's chicken's lost legs from frostbite, in their insulated coop, here in SE Idaho. It's generally agreed chickens need supplemental heat on the colder days. It got below -20°f this year
Depends on your climate and your breed.
Good information! Thanks
You’re welcome
Totally agree. I try to regulate draft and moisture. It’s -40 the last 5 days and none of my animals have heat, just shelter.
I try to bring the chickens water 3 or so times a day.
Awesome
Scotland here.We are regularly minus centigrade in the winter.Five birds in my coop.Four huddle together on the perch but one always sits on the straw floor.Hes young and sturdy though so I don't worry.I do worry about cold draughts as stated in video
Wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks. That was so helpful!
You're very welcome.
Here is Pakistan, the climate is generally very hot about 8 month, from april to Nov. So we look methods to cool them down.
Second video of yours I've watched that is relevant to me. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful! Hope we can make more for you. What topics are you interested in?
@@CountryLivingExperience DIY minimalist sustainable homesteading ideas.
HomesteadiNg my goal is to feed my dog and I 80% on 1/4 acre in a rural residential area including hunting fishing and foraging.
Cool. I’ll try to offer some content for smaller properties.
Thanks for the video, this gives me a little relief for my girls! Lol
Awesome! Glad we could help.
There's a couple in Willow Alaska who have a channel and their chickens do fine.
Yep, exactly.
Great info! I’m going to give them some afternoon snacks 🐛
Thank you. They will love that.
To keep them warm in the winter is corn. Hole corn will keep them warm
Thank you. A reminder: chickens don’t “pee”like we normally think of. The white in their droppings is the uric acid that is usually in liquid pee of many other animals.
You’re welcome. Yes, I realized I misspoke later.
I'm in Oklahoma. We just insulated the north wall and I keep the bedding thick. Don't add heat! If electricity goes out, they will die from shock from drastic temp change. They'll be fine. Keep the wind off of them!
Exactly!
@@CountryLivingExperience I have a 10 ft by 20 ft coop we built. 6 ft ceiling. We only have one rooster and 4 hens in that big space. We put thick bedding of wood shavings and hemp bedding thru winter. It's very absorbent, you don't need to clean it out. Just add a bit more bedding over the poo! It helps insulate and hold heat in. Come March or April, We will rid of all of that bedding to the corner of our yard for compost. We will then go to straw until end of summer. Put a bit of ceyanne pepper in thier water and food during winter. It helps keep them warm. Don't put too much or you cause them diarrhea. I also feed them warm grits with a can of pumpkin 2 times a week thru winter. I throw some grit in there. A bit of Apple cider vinegar is good to add to thier water. It's an antibiotic. Put a cat litter box in your coop full of clean sand mixed with diatamatious earth.. It's a great dust bath area that keeps pests off of them. I spoil my chickens as they give me so much in return. ❤😎
@@iloveschicken6527 Cool. Sure sounds like you spoil them.
I live in Fairbanks Alaska where winters are extremely brutal. -25 to -50 during the long winter, day and night. Still you insist on no heat?
No. That is an extreme situation. They should have some heat source. Unless there is a native breed that is adapted to that type of temperature.
Hi, you're blessed and great ..
I like these videos about winter since I’m in northern Illinois. It’s a little more intense up here though. Usually a few mornings below 0 (-2,-4,-8) in January/February. I understand no heat for above 0 but below?? Especially with the ventilation needed to keep healthy chickens?
I have seen it done so much. Chickens are very hearty. I grew up in Michigan. We did not have a heated coop.
I am in south Texas, my coop is 1 wall and the rest is wire, I cover the coop at night with tarps. We have 18 Rhode Island Red hens with no rooster. Our birds have never been sick because I give them oak tea. Today cooking eggs I found blood spots in the whites as well as on the yolk. While researching I found this is most likely due to stress. Our hens are 9 months old and just started laying 3 months ago. Our birds were to hot in the summer and could be to cold because of our coop. Any suggestions on what the stress could be from? I do have dogs which don't usually mess with the birds, however they have chased them. Some of the hens like to get into the burn pit, when I see them I do make them get out.
I feed them sunflower seeds.
Stress can be caused by so many things with chickens. Are there predators lurking around?
@@CountryLivingExperience sometimes I smell skunk in the morning, my husband saw a raccoon last year, I have seen armadillo, and we may have ground squirrels. I scare the vultures off when I see them perching on the power pole not far from the coop. The neighbor killed a few raccoons about 6 months ago. We had a snake show up about 9 months ago, which killed a chick and was taking eggs. We moved the coop beside the house, because the old one was falling apart. We got rid of our roosters a few days ago, they would crow in the middle of the night of they heard the roosters across the street. I never saw anything in the coop or yard when I heard the roosters. There are Bob Cats across the street, which have never come here.
2 summer's ago my husband and I were sleeping in the car due to no electricity, we saw a big black cat on top of our house. My husband said it was the house cat which was also black, I and said what was on the house was bigger. Then we heard it jump to the deck below with a big thud. A house cat doesn't make a big thud when it lands. The neighbor told us there is a Panther which shows up every 8 years.
I say we have just a few predators.
@@yahsomeacres7816 That is a lot. Raccoons and snakes will really stress them out. We have barn cats that take care of the snakes and our dog keeps the raccoons away.
@@CountryLivingExperience I would leave the dogs outside at night, however they bark at every voice they hear, next door and across the street as well as bark at every head light which goes down the road. We would never get any sleep. We are moving the first of next month so we will see what we is on the new property, I know there is a pack of dogs. Not sure when we can electrify the fence.
The we have 2 cats which will take care of the little snakes not sure about the 4ft blue indigo I saw last year. We are fortunate not to have poison snakes, only saw the 1 large and a few small grass snakes. We were told there is a property somewhere not far from us where all the poison snakes decided to go.(the family had to move)
Hoping to electrify the fence soon so I can aggressively grow our poultry farm. We are Torah Poultry and Pasture raise our birds.
I’m new to chickens mine won’t roost at night they just bed down in the hay any suggestions
Young chickens do that. How old are they? They have to develop/tap into that instinct to roost. How high is your roosting bar? If it is too high to "fly" up to, they may not use it.
I have Cornish cross hens . Is there any difference in keeping them warm ?
There is no difference for them.
@@CountryLivingExperience Thank you 🦋
Chickens may not need supplemental heat to survive but they most certainly do need it at the extreme times of winter depending on where you live. You are absolutely wrong on this if your chickens had anything to say about it. Chickens were never meant for a harsh winter environment. Winter yes, but not the coldest ones out there. If you do their combs start getting frostbite even if they are not wet. Extreme cold takes the moisture from their breath and can settle on there combs and waddles at night when roosting. They may survive the cold when but not good for those parts of their body. In videos I see a lot of so called cold hardy chickens with waddles and combs all screwed up and black from frostbite because some dumb chicken owner thinks chickens can handle anything. Even rose comb chickens get frostbite. Heating the coop slightly helps them a lot through those very cold times of winter in those colder states. Yes, Kentucky, Tennessee type states don't need heat in winter. But Wisconsin, Minnesota or worse type states can sure help their extremities not to turn black and fall off. Yes, you can force them to endure the harshest of winters if your a noncaring chicken owner but not without losing body parts. So, technically you don't need heat at all but if you want your chickens looking good and care for their feeling than you should help them through the roughest of times if you live in those colder states. They will love it too. You can't just do it any old way to heat a coop so you must learn how with out making it worse for them. A light that gives off heat always worked for me or warmers above the roosting areas. If you can't figure this out and your brainless than move to those warmer states. Your chickens will love you for it. I never had no issues with using heat lights. If your irresponsible, than I would say don't use them and don't get chickens. Get ducks, geese or turkeys instead. They can handle the cold without help much better because they are already out there in the wild in it without heat. Chickens are not out there in the wild in any of the colder states because they can't handle it without help. Just think about that.... Neither can their combs and waddles.
Unless you force them... I am appalled at the lack of caring people have for their livestock thinking they can handle it all because they want them to. Frostbite can happen without water on them because their blood has water in it.
Projection from owners is the worse enemy for livestock animals.
Chickens do not pee LOL. In fact all birds do not pee. Crazy right?
That's interesting and crazy. I didn't know that.
@Kittykitty Katt correct! It is the white part of the poo (uric acid)
@@CountryLivingExperience Chickens eliminate both urine and feces through their
" cloaca". aka their bum-hole. They do not have separate exits. Both waste product are eliminated simultaneously.
They also lay their eggs through the " Cloaca". Although the eggs fall into a separate sac. Therefore protecting the egg from the waste inside the Cloaca. When you see the feces on your eggs after they are out it should not be alot and actually protects the egg from bacterias. Hope this is helpful 👍
Aren’t chickens native to north country’s like Russia Scandinavia
I have no idea.
Native to tropical jungles in SE Asia. They're believed to have been domesticated about 8,000 years. Don't let the inside of their coops get too far below freezing, because my mom has neighbors in Idaho who's chicken's lost legs due to frostbite. The temperature should be monitored in very cold climates