After 12 years of raising chickens I've decided after these last few pass on to the great coop in the sky I'll be done with chickens for awhile. Carrying chickens over the harsh interior Alaska winters takes a lot of work and cash. I'm retiring this year and we want to travel a bit during the winter. The grandkids have their own things going on so getting someone to watch the chickens while we're gone is difficult. It's been a lot of fun and maybe in a few years I'll try a few more when we get finances all settled in our new lifestyle.
DE Chickening
- Thread starter musketjim
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I would bet winterizing chickens in Alaska would be a challenge
I agree on the wintering chickens being a hassle and expensive, you can always get a new batch in the spring if you miss them.
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- Mar 29, 2013
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Freezing water and feeding our livestock keeps us pretty close to home during winter too. We can't go anywhere for more than a day. For us chickens aren't any more expensive in the winter than in the summer.
My small flock pretty much stopped laying so they too are now in that big chicken coop in the sky.
If you have line power the heated base to set the metal waterer on worked well her in below zero montana.
I kept my dozen in a small coop and they all snuggled in next to each other near the ceiling which was six foot high. I kept a good pile of straw and droppings going all the time in the small coop and protected the birds from wind.
Our local farm store must have a good buyer because they brought in some cold hardy chickens,, complete with small combs and feathers on their feet.
No heat in the coop even at -38F.
In the summer I have left them for five days at a time with extra water and feed..
We have hundreds of eggs freeze dryed now and we know what the birds were fed and we know they weren't fed any antibiotics..
Going to get another dozen or so next spring..
If you have line power the heated base to set the metal waterer on worked well her in below zero montana.
I kept my dozen in a small coop and they all snuggled in next to each other near the ceiling which was six foot high. I kept a good pile of straw and droppings going all the time in the small coop and protected the birds from wind.
Our local farm store must have a good buyer because they brought in some cold hardy chickens,, complete with small combs and feathers on their feet.
No heat in the coop even at -38F.
In the summer I have left them for five days at a time with extra water and feed..
We have hundreds of eggs freeze dryed now and we know what the birds were fed and we know they weren't fed any antibiotics..
Going to get another dozen or so next spring..
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2017
- Messages
- 11,874
We never kelp our chickens in the pen, they had run of the cow pastures, pig pen & horse stalls.
I am in zone eight where it freezes just enough to say it freezes.
Up in the cold North one needs a greenhouse to keep chickens safe from the cold.
Traveling south in the winter sounds like a great Ideal.
We want to see pic's, too.
I am in zone eight where it freezes just enough to say it freezes.
Up in the cold North one needs a greenhouse to keep chickens safe from the cold.
Traveling south in the winter sounds like a great Ideal.
We want to see pic's, too.
