Greenhouses for Chicks. Part 3 of How to cope with chicks cold weather

If you have just arrived at this topic, then Part One can be found here. One of the easiest all round solutions for chicks in cold and wet weather is to get a greenhouse, or better still to build it yourself from reclaimed materials. On our Green Lever blog and Organikmechanic youtube channel we have detailed information on the design and fabrication of a cheap yet robust greenhouse, totally suitable for poultry. For the more adventurous, there is also our design for a reclaimed glass window version too. Links to both are at the end of this piece. 

 

What about the weather?

During the Spring I am usually looking to put even day-old chicks outside with their mother at around 16°C  or 60°F. As already mentioned in the previous post, if I know my mother well, I will also let them free-range from day one. In the Autumn/Fall, I am always trying to achieve these temperatures by using the means as outlined in the previous post (Part 2), in particular for Frizzles, Sebright and Ardenner or other fine feathered crosses. However, the problem is that I can't always guarantee either an Indian Summer or dry weather.

SOLUTION One of the secondary uses for a greenhouse in cold weather, other than growing food, is that it is invaluable for chicks. If you are getting ready for planting Winter vegetables then all the better as your chicks can sort through compost and work it into the soil. They can also do some weeding and clean up pests hoping to overwinter in comfort. This greenhouse is one designed by Andy and is made of repurposed materials, untreated pallet wood and wire netting from the dump/tip. We did pay for the polythene and originally this was low grade and cost less than 5 Euros but after 3 years of use we changed it to horticultural grade, which we bought on-line. This greenhouse will also stand up to snow but hopefully by then these chicks will be on the way to full feathers!

Before I had the above greenhouse I used a glass coldframe for the chicks but this has now grown into a full sized glass greenhouse, again designed by Andy and again made from repurposed materials, old windows and untreated pallet wood. This will cut down on a great deal of wind chill and can give your chicks plenty of room, even if you have plantings and have to use a run, which you can keep moving.

How do I ensure optimum growth in cold weather?

As already mentioned, my main idea for getting chicks outside is for them to hoover up as much nutrient as possible before the onset of Winter. What I am normally looking for is some wing feather development by day three. If I see that I usually think I am on track. With large hatches of mixed chicks, you can sometimes get one or a couple of chicks who are larger anyway, so you will need to keep an eye out that there are fair shares for all.

SOLUTIONS 'Breakfast like a king', we do that so our poultry do too. Here pictured left, the very small start their day in the run to make sure they all get a good feed. I actually let all my chicks out first, even though I have some adult birds roosting in the trees. Thus even though they are down to breakfast at the same time as the chicks, I make sure I have enough plates filled to accommodate everyone. I have never fed crumbs of any sort to chicks. My mother hens break up food and anyway I am feeding sprouted grain, so it is soft and easy to digest. I do give some rolled organic five cereals sometimes, because they seem to like it but more importantly I want my chicks to get their fair share of anything from the compost bin. I also have a friend who has a beautiful organic garden, which she keeps immaculately, so all her leaf mould and debris is stored neatly in a single area, which I can go and fetch a supply from if in need. It's good to have reciprocal agreements like this to fall back on. I get a lot of organic fruit and vegetable 'waste' given me too and again I make sure the chicks get their fair share.

In wet weather recently I positioned the breakfast plates in strategic areas so that the mothers with chicks could keep dry under the bushes whilst the chicks could have a sort of self-service buffet when they felt like emerging.

What about your hen?

Amongst all other pressing considerations, don't forget your mother hen! As the weather's changing she will be constantly under stress to work ever harder to find food, you can do a great deal to help her provide this. There is however, one thing that should not be overlooked and that is to verify that she is eating too. Hens can lose a lot of weight being mothers and in cold weather this can be dramatic. Your hen can also be in the moult at this time of year so bear in mind she needs her share of those feather-building amino acids, folate (B9) from leafy greens and the all important B12!

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

All the very best,

Sue

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Caring for Chickens in Cold Weather. Make a coat to prevent & cure cold stress

Although this might seem to be some chichi fashion statement, the idea of creating a coat for your chicken, matching or not, is deadly serious. It was brought home to me some years ago that when my fine feathered breeds, such as Sebrights and Ardenners get older, particularly if they are also frizzled, they do not react well to cold weather. Older birds are very susceptible to cold stress, which if left untreated can be fatal and within twenty four hours.

How to identify birds at risk from cold stress

I have already written a piece on this and I'll put the link at the end of the article but as a general rule of thumb, any bird standing hunched on its own, who has stopped talking or preening and finally eating, is at risk. In particular I would be looking at the very old as already mentioned and very young, who within a flock will be the most likely to suffer stress from other birds and thus are doubly at risk when the weather gets colder. In writing this, I am not suggesting that flocks intentionally pick on older or younger birds but there seems to be a hierarchy-linked rite of passage birds at these ages go through. In normal weather conditions, this can be shrugged off but it is the combination of two possible stress triggers, which can push a bird over the edge into a full-blown stress attack. 

Sweep above is exhibiting typical stress body language, Garboesque in its 'I vant to be alone' interpretation, so I immediately brought him inside to give him some 'time-out' and perched him on the log basket so he could get some warmth from the woodstove. Sweep is 8 years old and although recently displaced in the hierarchy, has actually formed his own coterie outside the main flock or rather as an adjunct to it. This was all going really well until the cold weather hit him.

Coat Designs and Modifications

 

I based my coat on the turkey saddles, we had on our farm, they were made of strong canvas and were to protect the hen turkeys from over-amorous males. Obviously this pattern is just a starting point, each bird will need to be measured but if you start with a template along these lines and use a thick paper, then you can mould it to your chicken and work out a suitable design. When you are planning your coat consider how your bird holds its wings, i.e. in the Sebright they are rather low and also the tail is held high when on alert. Sweep liked his coat so much I left it on him on nights when it was really cold and he needed to be able to fly up to his perch/roost in it, so I took all that into consideration when I came up with my final design.

I also used a double fabric for extra warmth. For Sweep, who likes going out in all weathers this was wool and fleece, which has some degree of waterproofing being made of recycled plastic bottles. The plaid fleece fabric was from a car blanket I'd used to make a jacket for Andy, so there was just enough in remnants to make one for Sweep. The second coat was made for Sweep's nephew Squarky, who hates damp weather, so had a double wool fabric, as you can see the design was made-to-measure for each bird. This pattern can also be used to make chicken saddles for your hens, should they begin losing feathers due to similar problems to those of our hen turkeys.

Today, on the first day of November, the outside temperature was 21°C or 70°F and although we live in a micro-climate on the North Western coast of France this is still pretty unusual. It should be mentioned that sudden changes in weather can also trigger stress in vulnerable birds. I wanted my Polish hen Bungle to model a home-made chicken saddle but even though in fine denim it was too much like hard work when added to her Winter plumage. She immediately flopped down for a sunbathe.

Update: Spring Collection 2016 It has to be denim. I just noticed this little Frizzle has had her feathers damaged by a cockerel, so she is out and about in her new denim coat.

Fabrication

Pin the pattern to the fabric and cut out, including a seam allowance. Repeat the process with another piece of fabric.

With right sides together, sew along the seam allowance, leaving an opening at the neck. Use this to turn the fabric. Then fold in the seams of the opening, sew together and press with a warm iron.

To make the wing loops, cut a piece of fleece, with some stretching ability or use elastic. You will need to plan this so the coat fits snugly to the back but allows the wings to slip easily through the loops. If you use my proportions in the photographs, these work very well.
  
Cut the piece of fleece for the loop from enough fabric so you can make a cylinder, this way you can stop any potential for the fabric to fray. 
 
Sew the  piece of fleece to make the wing loops as per photograph.

If it is too loose the bird will easily remove the coat, by accident and if too tight it will be uncomfortable and restrict movement.

In the following film I go through the whole process in detail, plus there are tips on putting on and taking off the coat. However, after the first couple of times, I found my birds would actually help me do this.

This coat made such a difference to the quality of life of both these birds in the Winter months. Instead of huddling unhappily in a corner, they were happy to be out foraging even on the coldest days.

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

All the very best,
Sue
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©  Sue Cross 2015

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