Winterizing my coop

Hi everyone. Does anyone have any suggestions on winterizing for guineas. Since they are so picky about changes I don't know the best way to winterize their house without them totally freaking out; they are a noisy bunch.

What do they currently have for a coop? What steps are you considering for winterizing?

I wouldn't recommend insulation - it's bad for air quality and can cause lung issues which leads to illness. Redsoxs has good questions, when answered that will help others give feedback.

Yes skip the insulation, we did it and it encouraged mice to nest and breed. Then we had some running around with no hair on their backs. It was awful!! I put mine into the chicken barn, though we don't have and chickens at the moment. We live in Canada so I would like to hear what everyone's opinion on heating the coop, last year was nasty we had -28F for most of Dec/Jan. We had a space heater in there for the last of our chickens however I am reading that Guinea's don't do as well with the cold. Ideas?

siamese said:

Yes skip the insulation, we did it and it encouraged mice to nest and breed. Then we had some running around with no hair on their backs. It was awful!! I put mine into the chicken barn, though we don't have and chickens at the moment. We live in Canada so I would like to hear what everyone's opinion on heating the coop, last year was nasty we had -28F for most of Dec/Jan. We had a space heater in there for the last of our chickens however I am reading that Guinea's don't do as well with the cold. Ideas?

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Actually providing heat prevents animals from properly preparing for the cold weather. It is not uncommon for me to have temperatures from -20°F to -30°F during the winter. I do not provide heat for either my chickens, guineas or turkeys. Roosters with large combs can suffer some frostbite but that is about all the damage any of my poultry get. It is necessary to provide ice free drinking water whether you do that by using a heated waterer or other method.

My alternate method is to dig a hole that is at least 6" deeper and 8 or more inches bigger in diameter than than the water bucket that I am using. I fill the hole with manure to a level that the top of the bucket sits 2" to 4" above ground level. I center the bucket in the hole and finish filling it with fresh manure. The manure must be fresh and can not have been composted. As the manure decays it releases heat keeping the water in the bucket from freezing. I prefer using a tapered bucket which makes it easier to pull the bucket when it need cleaned.

Providing protection from the wind is important as are proper roosts.

So no heat at all? Can I put one of those red light blubs to at least offer them some light or I am just making myself feel better.
We are already getting dark earlier, will be dark at 4pm in a month after the time change.
Hubby wants to stay with the old fashion metal feeders and waters, he is afraid if I put in a heated dog dish they will drown in it. We will either have to buy another metal waterer or a heated dog dish. Thanks for all your help.

My poor guineas will have another shock coming as well. We read that the roosts should be flat and about 6" wide. Ours are flat and are 1x6 however we don't have it set up so all can get up on top board and sit and sleep comfortable. The chickens were fine with it however the Guineas are going to be much bigger. Again thanks for your help and time.

siamese said:

So no heat at all? Can I put one of those red light blubs to at least offer them some light or I am just making myself feel better.
We are already getting dark earlier, will be dark at 4pm in a month after the time change.
Hubby wants to stay with the old fashion metal feeders and waters, he is afraid if I put in a heated dog dish they will drown in it. We will either have to buy another metal waterer or a heated dog dish. Thanks for all your help.

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In my opinion the light is just to make you feel better. Some people do provide a light at dusk to encourage the guineas to enter the coop since they do not like going into dark places.

Guineas will not drown in a heated dog dish. Very young guineas can have difficulty getting out of a bucket or dish of water but they do not drown. In such cases they will most likely die from hypothermia. Adult guineas (6 months and up) can walk into and out of a dog dish.

siamese said:

My poor guineas will have another shock coming as well. We read that the roosts should be flat and about 6" wide. Ours are flat and are 1x6 however we don't have it set up so all can get up on top board and sit and sleep comfortable. The chickens were fine with it however the Guineas are going to be much bigger. Again thanks for your help and time.

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My guineas are roosting fine on the 2"x4" rafters in their coop. The 2" side is the part they are roosting on. If possible use 2"x4"s withe the wide side up for roosts. They do not need a 6" wide roost. I would not use a 1"x with the wide side up because it is not sturdy enough over the long run without multiple supports.

The guineas are not going to be larger than standard size chickens. Regular guineas (not jumbos) are closer in size to bantams than anything else. A full grown guinea will dress out at about 2 1/2 lbs. while even young roosters can easily dress out 3 1/2 to 5 lbs. and much bigger for the meat breeds.

I have mine on 2X2 as they fit through chain link well. Will that be a winter problem?we do not get snow