Off grid cabin with chickens and limited access - possible?

[WingItRanch]

yeah we have a ton of water via rain and will set up a system for them. My 12x12 roof caught 300 gallon in the last 30 days. so no problem.

I think winter hardy is the 2nd most important. since I have no power there I cannot give them heat. I will set up a super insulated water cooler with nipples and solar heating element so it won't freeze.. I will put inside the coop so maybe it'll produce some heat and they can warm it with their bodies at night. maybe even do the auto door on coop so it keeps them warmer at night but it will get very cold up there

But winter is my greatest concern. My worst case will be to sell or give farm back - before winter but I would love to keep them in winter.

Then friendly will be nice. My boys (6 & 9) love animals.

So order of importance is 1.tick 2. winter. 3. friendly.

I was thinking guinea fowl but I am concerned they will go to my neighbor and bother him and also winter is rough for them so I think chickens might be the way to go

Great. I would go with a chicken that has a smaller comb if you're worried about winter. The large single combed chickens (like RIR) will be subject to frost bite. Consider one with a rose comb, maybe. And a larger breed would better suit cold temperatures. A light Brahma or Dominique might be a good choice for your scenario.

And yes, Guinea fowl are notorious to keep contained.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Yeah I don't care that much. It is not sunny there at all. Extremely wooded. You think I shouldn't touch the eggs then? assuming I check and find all eggs when I am there some eggs can be two weeks old. Too long?

It’s more about temperature fluctuations. Once the egg gets cold then warms up and sweats it can introduce bacteria into the egg. If you had rollaway nesting boxes that might help cut down on the risk of poop getting on them. I don’t refrigerate my eggs but I don’t leave them out in the coop either. If you had older hens who lay less often that might help. Definitely not a high production breed like RIRs in their prime laying years. Maybe there are some game fowl that lay less often and would be a good fit. Something slightly less domesticated but not as coop-averse as guinea fowl.

 

[The Moonshiner]

If you let them free range I don't see it working. Without anyone there sooner or later something's going to show up in the daytime and once they find the chickens they will keep showing up until they are all gone.
If you don't free range them are they really going to do much for tick reduction? And for that matter is a few hens really going to put any kind of dent in the tick population? IDK?

 

[paddock36]

Hey,

I have 20 acres in upstate NY. Off grid cabin without power or water. Very wooded with state land butting up against me.. Wooded as well.

We visit the cabin 3 weekends a month. Friday to Sunday. I was wondering if I get a nice size coop with run, and assuming I can figure out auto feed, auto water, and predator protection - can I start with a little older chicks ( maybe 12 weeks? or 16?) then keep then in there for 4-6 weeks. I will check on them when I come up and make sure all is well. Then once they are used to their house. Make them an auto door so they can free range - it'll open in the am and close at dusk.

Will this work? and by work I mean... will they stay there and live or will they just wonder off and be gone?

If yes then I am assuming the Rhode Island red is the one to get? Any other tips?

I care less about the eggs (will be happy to get them of course) but I am hoping they can do some tick control. Maybe 6 chickens?

Lastly.. I rather just buy a prebuilt coop and run and haul it to my land then to build one. (extremely handy and can build it is just time wise I don't have). And rec on where to buy a good one near Sullivan county or between nyc and Sullivan county?

In a perfect world that would be great, but it won't take long for a predator to find them, not to mention if the water system breaks and your not aware. Just my opinion but I don't think it's a good idea for that length of time.

 

[paintedChix]

Here in sandhills of North Carolina, when temps drop to 32°f, the eggs freeze solid if left in nests overnight. Shoot, lately having issues w/ fridge freezing our eggs again. Seems the fridge can "move" the dials.

During any heat, 2 weeks sitting outside? Gak. That's 2/3 of incubation period to hatch chicks. & you wouldn't know if you had a broody mama setting originally & get off the nest. I've cracked partially developed eggs. Not.Fun.

Do you have a neighbor who can check on your birds, make sure they are accounted for, collect eggs, check water & feed?

Mature birds shouldn't need heat & more important is lots of ventilation. More important when it's cold to keep chicken breath from causing frost bite. The breath vapor & damp from all the "night soil" (they poop more while roosting at night, then during day moving about) needs to leave the coop.

And I can not imagine dealing w/ 2 weeks of stacked, frozen poop under the roosts.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

There are specific breeds that would do well in NY during winter. Chaunteclare & Salmon Favorelles would work. Buckeyes also have smaller combs than RIRs. If you can keep eggs from freezing, all 3 breeds lay into winter. Both Chanteclare & Buckeye are excellent foragers, not sure about Salmon Favorelle. My SF died in the heat here w/o fans.

There are other breeds that would be well in winter. RIRs may do ok, not sure.

 

[hammyanne]

Hey there! I’m in the Hudson valley, so not too far from you. This person’s been working on a “Catskill Homesteader” breeding project for chickens suited for the area—cold hardy, good foragers. I don’t know too many details beyond that, but I’ve seen them offer started pullets too:

https://www.instagram.com/paradise_in_disguise_farm?igsh=MTQ3Z3JheTRkN20zbQ==

My flock consists of small comb breeds (Ameraucanas and Brahma) and Polish (although I would definitely advise against these for unsupervised free-ranging) and they fared well this past winter.

 

[saysfaa]

yeah we have a ton of water via rain and will set up a system for them. My 12x12 roof caught 300 gallon in the last 30 days. so no problem.

What is the water source in the winter?

... since I have no power there I cannot give them heat. I will set up a super insulated water cooler with nipples and solar heating element so it won't freeze..

Set up where you live to test it through a winter before getting chickens.

I chose to not use electricity in my coop. For many years, I've been watching for such a system (either or both insulation or solar) that might work and haven't seen one yet. If I have time tomorrow, I might try to find a few of the more serious discussions about why so many people talk about solar but none have actually done it. I'm not saying it can't be done but please let us know the results of any testing you do.

I will put inside the coop so maybe it'll produce some heat and they can warm it with their bodies at night. maybe even do the auto door on coop so it keeps them warmer at night but it will get very cold up there

The birds keep warm under their feathers. Not enough heat gets past the feathers to make a difference in the temperature of the coop so of the water.

Ventilation is much more important than heat. Without enough ventilation, the water vapor from their breath, bodies, and poops cannot escape the building. Chickens produce much more moisture per pound those ways than mammals do. That dampness causes far more health problems than cold causes.

A square foot of opening per chicken is the rule of thumb minimum that may work - that is actual the open parts after subtracting things like louvers or wires that might cross the space. More than the minimum is better. It makes it impractical to count on the chickens heating the water in the coop.

...Then friendly will be nice. My boys (6 & 9) love animals.

The characteristics that give chickens a better chance of surviving on their own are the characteristics that make them less kid-friendly. Things like quickness, flightiness (aka, more reactive, less calm).

Please don't be discouraged from having chickens someday.

Or looking for solutions.

 

[townchicks]

I think this is a bad idea.