Breeds of Chicken
Breeds of Duck
Breeds of Geese
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Pages collated by
Jill Bowis of
started November 1999
These pages are being made up from the wealth of practical and technical knowledge that can be found on the newsgroup. None of the topics are finished - they probably never will be - we always have something to learn. If there is something you wnat to know that is not here - get on the group and ask - they are a really friendly group and no question is too simple - and hopefully if it is complicated someone will be able to help find the answer. The group is made up from all walks of poultry keeping from 2 birds in the city to commercial egg and meat producers - and from all over the world.
POULTRY IN THE WINTER
In the cold what do
I do with my ducks in freezing temperatures?
The biggest problem with
free-range birds is that they don't know when to get off the pond.
It happened a time or two here. We had to rescue a bird frozen into
the pond. They also don't necessarily go to warm, littered areas and will
stand around on frozen ground. All you can do is offer them a place
to go and check them at least once a day. Usually, though, when confronted
with extremes in temperature birds will sit on their feet to keep warm
or cool down.
Our geese like a good bale
of grass hay, when we do have snow, tender, leafy hay at that.
Be careful in your choice of hay. No tough stems.. We also
feed a little more corn and protein supplement then. They come through
the winter pretty well, laying by February 14 most years.
For the ducks we just increase
their regular rations. They eat more bugs than greenery. But
they do go through the cows' hay in the fields. They dig, so I suppose
they are looking for bugs, not the grass. I guess it would be harder
for someone who has a continuous snow cover (probably why wild geese migrate).