The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Dans on March 28, 2016, 09:49:05 am
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Do you guys put your chickens in during gad weather. The other week it was persistent rain to the extent of srand in water but the chicken's just sat on the patio looking like drowned rats so I shut them in early, about 3/4ish.
Today it is terribly windy but they are out, despite not being able to walk in a straight line due to the force of the wind. Should I put them in? They free range in the back garden and there's plenty of trees to take shelter under but they are in the middle of the lawn.
Then hen house is shed convert.
Starting to think I have very stupid chickens.
Dans
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I leave the door to the chicken shed open 24/7 and the chickens come and go as they please. In my experience they stay inside if it is too bad for them. Mine also come out and hunker down outside in the wind and rain and look pretty miserable but if its too much for them, the seem to know to go inside.
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:wave: Did you buy them as free range stock Dans? If they are not used to being outdoors they won't know initially to go to shelter, but will have to learn. It will help to shut them in, or at least put them in with the pophole open during the day, so they have the chance to come back out if it stops raining. Occasionally we leave ours in all day if there's deep snow, which they hate walking over, and seems to blind them temporarily, but in rain and wind they just find their own shelter. Yours should do that eventually, with a little training from you.
Chickens seem very bright in some respects, such as being able to fly (certainly more than I can do :trophy:) but with brains the size of a pea, maybe their problem solving is limited .
What breed did you get? :chook: :chook: :chook:
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I use to have very pampered bantams and they use to have access to a greenhouse with converted rabbit hutch during bad weather. The door would be left open enough they could go into the garden but rarely would if it was cold/wet/snowy. Once it was warmer they had a real chicken coop outside of the greenhouse.
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Ours spend the Winter in coops with roofed runs or converted pigsties with solid bottom doors and top doors made from pallets to keep airflow going. Our hilltop can be very windy and it's why we no longer keep Orpingtons, which simply couldn't cope with being blown around.
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Mine always have access to the outside-the brighter ones run the gauntlet of the exposed driveway and spend the day in the stables (as do the ducks). I have however, decided where I live is not great for chickens and drastically cutting down/letting the flock run down and will just keep 1/6 a dozen or so. I am simply too exposed and can't build anything that will stay up myself although they have some tree/bush cover it really is a miserable place for them during a low. The ducks are much wiser and shelter under the truck/stableyard and don't even try and fly when its blowy out.
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We have a hybrid cockerel who was very much free range (didn't actually have a coop) and some pure breed hens who didn't make the cut for breeding. They will have been penned. We've a Norfolk Grey, 2 Cream Legbars and 3 Brown Marsh Daisies. The Marsh Daisies are the worst for getting blown about.
Thankfully they had gone back in when I went out. I think they are learning. Pop hole is open all day for them.
I think the cockerel knows what to do but a couple hens will go out so then he follows them and the remaining hens follow him. Will give them time to learn and shut them in if they are being very silly. Thanks guys.
Dans
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Hard if the sheds are damp and its raining I light the wood burner to filter the heat in the sheds they love it. This is day 2 of rain and the fire is on.
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Mine stay out in all weathers often looking like drowned rats. Some of the less daft ones take shelter in the lambing shed, but most don't bother.
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That's a fancy looking chicken shed VF!
My girls are being a lot more sensible now thankfully.
Dans
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This is the sort of difference that I find between chicks reared by a hen vs incubator/brooder, even though I get all mine outside and in runs ASAP. Mine are spoilt!- we have an open sided lean to roof, about 30 x 10m that they can go under and scratch about in the dust there.
Pleased to hear yours have learnt!