Ice with everything

[BUFFS]

we are now in our fourth week of 0 or sub 0 degrees and it is a struggle to keep birds healthy and happy.it seems that one of the blackrocks is moulting,her comb went very pale and i have been giving them extra feed.i was told that overfeeding may stop them laying,but with the hot mash in the morning,broken up toast or the like at midday,and hot rice and sweetcorn at about 3.30 -4 pm,and change the frozen water 2/3 times a day,they are giving 4 eggs from 5 birds a day.we had started to lose some of the worst of the ice..scraping/salting etc,i went out to feed them @7am (timed lights to give extra length of day) only to find an extra 3/4 inches of snow over the 2ins of packed ice,so if torville and dean want some lessons,they need only ask,my balance is not very good at the best of times,OH wants to film feeding times to send into YBF.weather people have just said 2 more weeks of this at least.temperature seems very localised, as my daughter lives 5 miles away, and temp there is consistantly 2 degrees higher at her location.it seems the birds can take the cold,as long as they are dry.this is our first winter and it is already the coldest for over 20 years,sunday night was -12 and last night felt colder,if we survive this with all our birds then nothing will faze us.wishing all out there the very best for the new year,and thanking you all for all your advice and help,i wish you all a good chookkeeping year.

[Flummery]

Hi Buffs - happy new year to you too! Our chickens are also eating more I think - they are getting hot mash (from Layers pellets) in the mornings and I'm adding tinned sweetcorn, raisins, mealworms etc. They don't half polish it off! They don't have too much snow to contend with as their run is covered, but the temperatures are seriously low. They have more mealworms with their mixed corn and grit which I scatter an hour or so before dark. We're getting 3 or 4 eggs a day too, from 4 birds. I tend not to give bread/rice/potatoes as I suspect they'd just fill up on carbohydrates whereas I'd prefer them to have their layers as a more balanced feed. Roll on Spring eh?

[Nicos]

Glad they're doing fine!
We had -13C for a few nights before Xmas- and I just kept them warm inside their coop for an extra hour in the morning..although to be honest they didn't seem to care!
It was walking on/in the 8" snow mine weren't too happy about- but after 6 days they half flew/ skipped across to go under a nearby shelter which was snow free. I think they were just bored of hanging around the same few square feet!
Mine certainly don't like the driving rain/gusts of wind in winter nor thunderstorms ( of which we tend to get quite a few)...they much prefer this weather!
(I'd much rather they put their energies into keeping warm than continue laying..we're getting 2 eggs/day from 7 layers)
It is a relief though isn't it when you realise their toes don't drop off due to frostbite!!!!
I do keep checking for eggs however cos if their water is frozen again within a couple of hours, I really don't want the eggs to freeze!

[BUFFS]

hi nicos,ref flummery,i give them the rice etc in the afternoon,after they have filled up previously on hot pellets mash,it is used up slower and gives them fuel to keep warm overnight and the eggs are just a bonus.i suppose most say that they will not get attached to their birds,but you find yourself worrying,enough food,enough water ,shelter etc,with all their stupid antics,they will always bring a smile to your face,they should give birds to people with depression..they would work better than tablets or listening to a trick-cyclist,having had ours for about 8 months now,we would never get rid of them,i saw them running on the big ice patch earlier,one slid across,wings flapping,only to be followed by the other four,doing exactly the same chaotic dance,only for them to all go back again...they could have just walked round..absolute classic bird brains,probably why we get attached to them.hope weather is okay with you in france( i envy you that location).i wish you the better dry weather that we all need.

[RichmondHens]

It is hard work looking after chooks in the snow and ice. However, don't be tempted to compensate for the weather too much and give lots of extra treats. You are just inviting digestive upsets, sour crop etc. A basic diet of layer's pellet plus a bit of extra corn in the afternoon will be sufficient. A few extra greens will be fine if they are not able to get at the grass as it is under snow.

[RedThorn]

of all my girls, only 3 are of a laying age, 2 are moulting . The only bright side to the temperatures at the moment is the mud is frozen too....sigh. Keeping the water in it's fluid state is hard work! The only concession my girls have got now is they have full access to the whole game at the moment which means my brussels are being decimated at the moment, but the girls are enjoying them so heyho