Posts made in November, 2019

How to Keep Your Chickens Warm this Winter

By P.H. Winterton & Son on Nov 15, 2019 in Biomass fuel, Blog |

With winter well on the way, finding ways to protect your flock from the elements can be challenging – especially for smallholders who don’t farm poultry on a larger scale. One of the most innovative ways to keep your chickens warm is by heating the chicken houses with P.H Winterton’s brand of biomass fuel. We offer two grades of biomass fuel, P16 grade and P35 grade, with the only difference being the size of wood chips used to create the fuel. In our latest blog, we are also going to share some handy tips you can use to complement using our biomass fuel. Happy Chickens will Keep Laying Eggs It’s true that chickens are hardy birds and if they aren’t warm enough, they will stop producing eggs, with weaker members of the flock becoming sick; which can be harder to recover from in colder weather. Here is some advice to ensure your birds are protected from the colder weather – Minimise Drafts – Wind chill can increase heat loss from your coop, and if it is more than five years old there are chances that parts have started to rot and will need repairing. The cheapest way to repair holes is to use cut-to-measure plywood over holes. Keep Coop Well Ventilated – You shouldn’t have any large holes in the coop, as this will reduce airflow too much. This could lead to serious issues such as ammonia build-up. Placing vents towards to the top of the coop, as this will vent out the warm, moisture-laden air and replace it with cooler, drier air that keeps humidity down and prevent mould from growing in the chicken bedding. Your mesh vent should have a hatch that you are able to open and close that will properly vent the coop during the day and close it up in the evenings when it’s colder – especially during heavy rain. Frostbite Protection – During cold months and freak weather, breeds with large combs and wattles are more susceptible to frostbite. Give your chickens extra protection by covering their combs and wattles in petroleum jelly that keeps off the worst of the cold. Find out more about Biomass Fuel P.H Winterton and Son are part...