Last week Dave and I worked on the coop to get it ready for winter. Can you see the light streaming through the spaces between the boards? That's a problem... So we put battens on the outside, and now the coop is draft-proof... and stripey! Some people say that coops should be insulated and/or heated so the chickens don't get cold or get frostbite. I'm of the opinion that if the coop is draft-free but also ventilated, then they'll be fine. It also helps to have fluffy, cold-hardy breeds, which I (mostly) do. I *am* supplementing their daylight though - as the days get shorter, chickens lay less frequently or go into molt and stop laying altogether. Since I sell eggs (and eat them too), I wanted to avoid this, so there's 2 lights in the coop that come on at 5am and go off at 10pm. That might be a bit overkill, but it's keeping their production nice and high, so I'm happy! I also had one other thing to do for the chickens to get them ready for winter... take a look at Pippi: Sasquatch and Little Boy Blue are very... amorous. And because Pippi is a hybrid production layer, pretty much all of her energy goes into making eggs instead of taking care of herself. So she's had a really hard time growing her back and wing feathers back. I didn't worry about this during the summer, but I don't want the poor girl to freeze, so I made her a saddle (aka "apron"): I won't lie - she kept it on for about 2 minutes. But I think if I just make it a little more secure, she won't have a choice - she will have to wear her saddle/apron/sweater :) I'm not crazy... it's entirely for warmth... so I don't lose my best layer... for economic reasons... and um... yeah, I think it's adorable!
3 Comments
Kim
11/1/2011 02:19:06 am
Canpt wait to see the sweater!
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Erin
11/1/2011 03:18:31 am
CHICKEN SADDLE OMG! I love it. I've heard that extending the "daylight" maintains egg production but shortens their life, is that true?
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More light won't shorten their actual life, but some think it shortens their "laying life." This makes sense because hens are born with all their ova already in place - if they lay more eggs over the winters then there are less eggs left to lay in the future. Other people just like to give their hens "a break" over the winter - let them go through a natural molt in the fall and not lay again until spring.
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AuthorJen & Dave Paul, owners & operators of Old Post Farm Archives
May 2013
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