Seasonal Changes affect Poultry
As we move
into the fall months, cool weather will soon arrive. There are special
considerations for the poultry flock during these months of changing
weather conditions.
We just went
through a rainy summer with high humidity, but the cooler weather brings different
conditions for our chickens. Cold rain
can bring more stress to your flock. Make sure your birds have a place to get
away from the rain. Chicken don’t like the rain and will prefer to mostly
remain under cover, especially with hard rains. Make sure that roosts are
available for your birds, so they don’t have to sleep on the wet ground. Cold
temperatures are usually not of concern for adult chickens in Florida but adding
wet, cold and windy conditions can make their lives miserable. It takes
temperatures well below freezing to impact their health.
In the fall,
chickens will begin to change their eating habits. Because the weather is
cooler, their feed consumption will increase. In order to stay warm, they need
to burn more calories. Also, chickens that have been on the range or pasture
during the spring and summer will find far less feed in that same pasture. The
grass and weed seeds as well as the insects will be gone. As fall progresses,
the pasture or range will green up as the temperature cools and rains irrigate
them, but chickens receive nearly no nutrition from eating grass. It is the
seeds and insects that they are after, and since they will be mostly gone, they
will turn to the feeders for nourishment. In this time of dependence on
prepared feeds, it is important to limit supplementation with scratch or table
scraps to no more that about 15 to 20% of their total daily consumption.
When we have
large amounts of rain from storms, chickens may encounter standing water.
Drinking water from the ground can lead to the infection of pathogens and
parasites. Intestinal round worms are a common problem in chickens drinking
from standing water. Worm infected chickens will generally appear healthy but
seem to always be hungry and eating but remain skinny for their breed. You may
also observe worms in their droppings. Wormers are available that will
generally take care of the problem. When using wormers, strictly follow the
label directions for safe used of these compounds.
“Mud balls”
on chicken feed can also become a problem when chickens are walking on wet
flooring. Because of their scratching behavior, soil and manure can collect on
the birds’ claws and the ends of their toes. If allowed to grow large, they
inhibit walking and can result in broken toes. In severe cases, the ends of
their toes will die and fall off. The mud balls can become nearly as hard as
cement and difficult to remove. It is best to watch for the problem and remove
the balls when they are small.
The primary
impact of season change from summer into fall is a reduction in egg production.
Chickens are stimulated to lay eggs by day length. Long days and increasing day
lengths encourage egg production. As we move from summer into fall (in North
Florida) , day length declines from about 14 hours per day in June, to a low of
10 hours per day in December. Declining and short day lengths will result in
reduced egg production in most hens. Some hens may completely stop laying eggs.
During this period, many will molt, usually starting in October, a process to
lose their old worn out feathers and grow new ones. It’s time to put on some
extra weight and reserve body fat and nutrients for the winter months. In this
area chickens usually begin laying again in late January.
To reduce
the effects of reduced day length on egg production, artificial lighting can
“fool’ the chickens to remain in production. Lights in the chicken house that
keep the day length at above about 14 hours per day will keep hens laying well
through the fall in winter months. Only low wattage lights are needed, a single
25 to 40 watt bulb on a timer that turns the lights on before sunset and off at
about 10 pm is sufficient.
Here is
another article you may find of interest when planning for winter:
https://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/11/16/cold-weather-chickens-8-things-not-to-do/
