Raising Chickens – Warnings For Raising Chickens During The Seasons

Despite the fragility inherent in chickens, you can rest assured they have ways to endure through the harshest seasons in the year. Make sure you remember that there are inherent differences in all chickens as well and no matter what you need to watch out for their well being. So make sure you do protect them in the harshest of seasons.

Though you can encounter chickens that can hold up in winter, summers can be preferable. Just keep these things in mind, as well as the weather that you are experiencing during the time you opt to buy chickens, so you make sure you get the right ones which will let them survive in your care.

Winter

Make sure your chickens are not heated for the smallest reason when the weather starts to get cold, especially in wintertime. The flock might be dead as a result of that. Just so you know, due to their ability to change their metabolism, chickens are highly adaptable, so keep that in mind.

For those people who live in places with longer winters, be sure to take precautions when setting up your pen so your chickens are not put at risk, especially if your winters are far longer than summers.

You might run the risk of the wattle and comb of a chicken being hit by frostbite. If you want to forego this, make sure to moisturize those parts of the chickens on a daily basis.

Make sure their water supplies are not frozen. Get water to them regardless. If your water outlet is frozen, they can’t drink from it. Keep the water purified as well. Keep it as sanitary as you possibly can. Water heaters are a good idea, so that they can keep the water from icing up. In the event you lack one, keep the waterer in an interior location at night, bringing it back at morning.

Summer

In the event that you reside in warmer area, you might be exposing your chickens to a great amount of warmth. Dehydration, as a result, can be a danger. In the summer months, always keep a substantial water supply for them so they can stay hydrated. Make sure the water is clean as well. Give the chickens plenty of shade as they roam in their area. Ventilation should be offered within the pen if a run is not present.

Hens do not lay as many eggs in a heat wave. If you are encountering this, you might be stressing out your chickens with all that heat. After the heat starts to lower a bit, they will start to lay eggs more normally.

In the event you see exacerbated conditions, watch the chickens for a while. What do you see? In the event that your chickens are acting strange or developing colds, make sure the chicken in question gets isolated from the others. Provide the feed and water to that animal separately as well.

Talk to your vet once you get things a bit under control. Inform them what the chicken is doing and going through.

Make sure you inform the vet what is actually occurring in front of your eyes, so they can make an informed diagnosis. As you raise your chickens in these extreme weather conditions, you have to keep these things and more in mind. Make sure you keep your chickens safe and not ignore them.

No matter what area you live in a chicken coop provides a great shelter for chickens and you building one for them should be highly considered.