Winterizing a Small Store Bought Coop

cgiaco said:

Hi there! I found your post doing a google image search. I am thinking about buying that same coop online (I am new to raising chickens and I live in South FL) and I was wondering what you thought of it? I know this thread is very old but I thought I'd give it a try! 

Thanks! 

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ChickenTeen13 hasn't posted since May 2014 so you probably won't get an answer. You might try searching the forums using the model name of the coop or start a new thread.

I have that coop and I really can't recommend it.

First of all, it is very small. As you can see, Teen's girls are using the nest boxes for sleeping in because there isn't much else room to sleep. There is a small area in front of that with two small perches. The girls can't really sleep on one of the perches because it's too close to the wall. When one of my girls tried to sleep there, she had to put half her butt out the door over the ramp. That leaves just one perch. They'll choose the nest boxes instead, and then you have poopy nest boxes.

Also, the nest box is not very sturdy. As my girls gained weight, as they slept in the nest box, it got very heavy and started to sag. I had to add legs to keep it from falling completely under the weight, and my birds were only four months old.

Also, you will need an attached run or free range your birds. There is just no room in there for birds.

That's why I ended up building a coop after only four months. My flock outgrew this coop that quickly. I'm now using it only for chicks. Rather expensive for just that.

ChickenTeen13 said:

I am pretty new to chickens and bought a pre-made Precision Pet Extreme Hen House Chicken Coop to start my new flock. I live in a place with hot sommers and cold winters. It usually get to 10-30 degrees at night in the winter. I was wondering what I needed to do to get the girls ready for winter.

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I am subject to -40º weather l live in Canada think North Pole. I have 65 trips around the sun and have been keeping chickens and birds for decades.

Your best practice I find is to not be too concerned about winterizing or heating your coop to help your birds combat the cold.

Predator proofing "ABSOLUTELY".

Your efforts should be spent in winterizing your birds and letting them acclimatize to their surroundings.
This is done by feeding them whole corn if available or cracked corn as an added supplement in a separate feeder.

The extra protein is more the adequate to bring them through the
"COLDEST" winter.

Do keep an eye open for birds that maybe not be adapting well to the new menu and may be at the lower end of the pecking order they can sometimes run into problems and may need extra TLC.

That being said in a perfect world the flock will flourish and do just fine .

I do not add any extra heat or lighting.
Egg production does slack off but I have more than enough eggs for the table all winter long (24 hens).

Some people may disagree with my method but it has worked well for me and I am not about to change.

I look at it in the same light as winterizing your car.

You really do

"NOT"


have to winterize your car if you can keep it in a controlled environment at all times otherwise you are in for

"MAJOR" problems.

I have the same thing except I have two silkies I have a prefab coop with no insulation what should I do? That's my coop in the back I was in the middle of building a run. If anyone has any ideas can you reply to this thread or send me a conversation, thanks I have never owned chickens and I am scared that I will loose the to the cold this winter.in the picture the coop that I have is in the back it is orange colorthanks

In store bought coops predator proofing is more of an issue then wind proofing. Every winter I get temps below zero for extended periods of time, the last two years we have had wind chill temps -25 degrees over night. As long as the wind is not on the birds they will be fine. I have 4 windows in my coop (well above the roost) as well as a vented ridge cap that runs the entire length of the coop, plus the pop door, they all stay open year round and have never had any issues.