It's very quiet - are your chooks wintering well ?

[Richard]

Mine don't seem to mind Winter. In fact they look healthier now than they have for quite some time.

I've never had problems through winter, always Spring and Summer which seems to be more the crucial times.

Wish I had a Duvet Cover attached to my body like they have !!


Richard

[Clucky Carol]

I have better looking chooks this year, but think I have lost "Sheila" my smallest chicken to a buzzard ... Found several piles of white feathers (not brown) but she didn't come back to the coop last night and we have searched high and low. We have had a buzzard "watching" for a few weeks and have done our best to dissuade, but Sheila is the loner of our little herd ... Eight in all .... Now seven I think x

[lancashire lass]

sorry to hear that Carol

My girls are doing fine although seem more vocal than ever at complaining about the dark mornings and the wait for "treats" (greens, seeds and some mealworms) while I'm cleaning out the coops. Egg production is back up again now that one of my older girls has got her new shiny coat, and the new girls are just showing off now LOL If I was honest, I think the one not wintering too well is me

[Mercedes]

We only have 2 girls now and we do worry that when it's really cold they maybe can't keep warm. They both seem in good health so maybe we worry over nothing

[Wozzer]

I got 6 young chickens in August. Three started to lay quite soon, then I had a couple of weeks before Christmas with no eggs. Since the beginning of January I've been getting 3 or 4 eggs per day The three youngest have started to lay!

One of my originals is moulting currently, and the two gold laced who are now laying, seemed to moult very slowly all through autumn, but now look splendid

They seem to be fine in this cold weather

[By Halves]

My bantams aren't doing so well, what with the sneezing in the autumn then one dying suddenly and now one wheezing so they're on antibiotics again. It can't help that it's just the two of them in the coop now so not much heat being generated from snuggling. I'm mostly just keeping my fingers crossed that they'll both survive until the spring!

[Milzy241]

I relax a little more in winter, ours seem to do ok. I think as long as they have good food, plenty of water and other warm bodies to cosy up to then they will be ok for the harshest British winter. We have already started to get more eggs, granted only 4 a week from 5 birds but they are all getting on haha. We get another 10 ex-batts next month and we cant wait

[Hintza]

It was dreadful summer with at least one being off colour for many months. During winter all the girls are fully feathered (instead of the oven ready look some seem to sport in the autumn) and they are in fine fettle.

Only problem is no light = few eggs; averaging about two eggs per day at the moment from 18 girls is a pretty poor show.

[KarenE]

Mine are as happy as Larry, a bit grumpy with the wet and I have bumblefoot flaring up again in one not helped I think with the damp but apart from that, they are all doing really well. I am getting 2 or 3 eggs a day from 3 girls, including 1 ex batt, and have done so most of the winter so excellent results. They do complain about their frozen water and are even more determined to get into the house where it's warm and full of food, but on the whole no problems here.

[silverback]

Only got two left from the original six, they haven't laid an egg for a year now, so I assume my ladies have retired!. They just get mixed corn now through the winter, with greens thrown in, and an extra thick lawyer of chopped straw in the coop, both are doing fine

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi , Having lost one on 1.1.15 I thought I was going to suffer . But so far they are all happy ( as I can see anyway ) As mentioned it is me that needs sorting out .Fortunately a little time with the girls make s it all worth it . Not stopped going to work .... 26 chocks and 4 more on sat .rescues baar bloomers . longest from May 15 .
Keep well and your chickens will benifit .
Bob

[Richard]

You've certainly got your work cut out with so many Bob.

Spring just around the corner. Sure warmer weather brings along Mites and other things, but not only does it make life a bit easier for us, the warmth brings back the lighter side in us.

Richard

[bmpsands]

Our girls look as well as they ever have. I can no longer tell the most recent lot of ex-batts from the others because most of the girls waited for the colder weather to moult (WHY?) so now they all look pretty good. We lost one hen on Boxing Day; she'd been getting slower and slower over time and I think her batteries just wore out. One of her siblings also seems a bit slower, but is still doing all the usual chickeny things and is among the first out of the coop inside the shed most mornings.

With the promised very cold snap due tomorrow, or later today, I've gone a bit overboard with the straw in the various areas of the shed that they choose to sleep in, including the nest boxes. I'm very reassured that the metal shed we have converted for hen use doesn't seem to have either cold or condensation problems and the hens don't always go into the wheelie bin store that is the designated coup. The high, open nest boxes seem favourite for sleeping although three of the girls prefer to sleep out on top of the bales.

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi , I wish I could say my girls are happy .
They climb up branches to the top roof wire and complain bitterly about being kept in.
Healthy enough to peck my finger for food.most well feathered and some pulling out their chest feathers trying to look for spoiling .
They are clever birds to say the least -SAFETY is the main reason not in the garden .
Bob