this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2026
1 points (100.0% liked)

Backyard Chickens (and Other Birds)

1009 readers
1 users here now

[Were you a mod of backyard chickens on Reddit? Message me if you're interested in modding here.]

This is a community for people who keep chickens in their back yard. This includes pets, layers, and meaties at levels that are sub-industrial. Family farms and homesteads are included.

EDIT

The Fediverse is small. There probably aren't enough people here to make up a community for every type of bird that someone might keep so for now, everyone is welcome. Bring us your ducks and geese, turkeys and quail, Guineas and Peacocks, emus and parrots. The community will be focused on chickens but until there are enough of each bird community for their own community they will find care and comfort here.

/EDIT

There may be discussions of animal processing. This is part of chicken keeping. If you don't like it leave and block the community.

You may also be interested in:

Homestead

Parrots

Cockatiel

RULES:

  1. All Lemmy.ca rules apply here.

  2. Everyone (see rules 4 and 98) is welcome.

  3. If you've seen a question 100 times answer it the 101st time or ignore it. Even better, write a complete, detailed answer and suggest that the mod(s) pin it to the community.

  4. There will be ZERO tolerance for shaming, brigading, harassment, or other nonsense of those who keep and process chickens. You will be permanently banned the first time.

  5. No, it's not a calcium deficiency. Wrinkled eggs are the result of insufficient or insufficiently viscous albumen. Tiny eggs and missing shells are misfires. They happen.

  6. If you post a picture that includes a dead animal or blood mark it NSFW. We're not going to tolerate the militant anti-hunting and anti-farming bullshit here but we're also not going to tolerate people rubbing their hunting and harvesting in people's faces. See rule 98. If you post blood, gore, or dead animals and don't mark it NSFW it will be removed and you might be banned.

[Did you actually think there were 98 rules?]

  1. If you present something as fact and are asked to provide proof or a source provide proof or a source. Proof must be from a reliable source. If you fail to provide proof or a source your post or comment may be removed.

  2. Don't be a dick. Yes, this is a catch-all rule.

  3. The mod(s) have the final say.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
MapleEngineer@lemmy.ca
MapleEngineer@lemmy.world
1
Cold-weather Egg/Heritage/Gosling Breed Suggestions (lemmy.ca)
submitted 3 months ago by lemonySplit@lemmy.ca to c/backyardchickens@lemmy.ca
0 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

We're finally looking to get some chicks, a rooster, and possibly a guard gosling this spring. We're plant hardiness zone 4a (Canada) I believe, and get about one to three weeks of -20C in a normal winter, maybe a burst of -30C for a day or four but getting noticeably more mild these days with climate change.

So the question: Are there any breeds of egg or heritage birds that can handle that amount of cold in an insulated coop without heat or should I plan on a little ammo can waste vegetable oil heater for the few cold days/weeks? (We're offgrid and don't even have proper power for ourselves yet, so a heatlamp or anything like that wouldn't work for us). I don't mind if they don't lay through the winter but I want them to be comfortable in the coop at minimum.

I'm going to be building a roughly 1.2m wide x 1m tall x 2.4m long coop (4ft x 3ft x 8ft) very soon. Thinking low wall height to keep it warmer, but maybe I should go with 1.2m (4ft) high walls to allow for more air circulation and roost bar spacing? Thinking 4" rockwool walls and probably 4" for the roof and an exterior insulation panel on top. Want to keep the construction fairly light so 6" walls may be out, unless I slap exterior insulation panels all around. But they aren't cheap. Some amount of rockwool panel under the floor. Probably go with the deep litter method for free added bottom insulation too.

It'll most likely be an elevated chicken tractor setup with a (highly) electrified caged grazing area coming off the coop because we have a lot of black bears on our property in the summer, as well as some other predators. That way they'll have fresh scratching ground every day or two, whenever they've torn it up. People nearby just free range their hens and roosters without much issue, but I don't think we can get away with that here since they said they rarely see bears on their property.

Also wondering could they all be housed in the same coop if they're raised together from hatching or is it more common to separate the rooster and maybe get him a social buddy instead? I kind of assume for the rooster and/or goose to be effective guardians they need to be IN the coop but idrk.

Thanks for any insights!

no comments (yet)
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
there doesn't seem to be anything here