Canada winter & eggs chickens

I also live in Canada(Alberta) and started getting frozen eggs this week. I leave for work at 6:30 and dont get home till 3:30 which by that time the eggs are frozen(cracked) everyday. Has anyone found a solution for keeping the eggs from freezing???

As a note its been -20celsius (-4 F) or colder for this week. I dont run a heater in the coop as it seems that they walk around outside all day and dont mind the cold, my issue is i hate going out to find broken eggs everyday. what a waste.

Winnipeg, here. this will be our second winter with chickens. Last year, I had 2 heat sources. One was an interior car heater, and the other was a 250 watt ceramic reptile heater. Between the two, it kept my 4x6 un-insulated coop right around the freezing point. I have both hooked to a thermostat set to go on at about 2 degrees Celsius (maybe 35 Fahrenheit)

What I learned is that it's too dusty in a coop to use the car heater. the dust clogs up the elements inside, and actually catch fire from time to time. I was lucky I didn't burn down the whole coop.

This year, I'm using two ceramic reptile heaters (simply funny-looking light bulbs that plug into a normal heat-lamp shroud - they don't create light....just heat).

As soon as it drops below -10 or so, however, we start losing eggs.......unfortunately, there's not much we can do about that. The need for ventilation kind of makes insulating pointless.

I live in northern North Dakota and we had an early cold snap with -2 degrees with -13 wind chills at night. My coop is 4 by 6 foot old wooden playhouse that is made not very airtight (however not drafty on the chickens). There is insulation board on the walls but the roof is tin with just plywood covering it. Even with a red heat lamp and closing up vents on the northwest side it still was only 18 degrees in there this morning. Is that warm enough? There was no condensation on the window at all. My australorp roo and orpington pullet had frostbite on their combs from a previous day outside that was bitter (they wouldn't go in!) and I don't want it to get worse.

Hi Hokum Coco,

I am looking to buy 3' by 6' mini coop.... thinking for about 4 hens? I would let them out in spring/summer/fall but obviously they would be a bit limited through the Southern AB winter. Do you think this coop would be big enough to overwinter 4 hens in?

Thank you!

GeorgiaD said:

Hi Hokum Coco,

I am looking to buy 3' by 6' mini coop.... thinking for about 4 hens? I would let them out in spring/summer/fall but obviously they would be a bit limited through the Southern AB winter. Do you think this coop would be big enough to overwinter 4 hens in?

Thank you!

Click to expand...

Yes.

MountainIceMan said:

I also live in Canada(Alberta) and started getting frozen eggs this week.   I leave for work at 6:30 and dont get home till 3:30 which by that time the eggs are frozen(cracked) everyday.   Has anyone found a solution for keeping the eggs from freezing???

As a note its been -20celsius (-4 F) or colder for this week.  I dont run a heater in the coop as it seems that they walk around outside all day and dont mind the cold, my issue is i hate going out to find broken eggs everyday. what a waste.   

Click to expand...

Hi, this is kind of an old thread but I ve stumbled upon it and would like to chime in! As for frozen eggs, I got rid of my old tin nest boxes and built wooden ones (hoping the wood would hold onto heat better than tin), and I also put a piece of that foil bubble insulation under the bedding in each box. My theory was to at least delay the freezing slightly and so far this seems to be working better with only the occasional frozen egg. I have been toying with the idea of running a heat tape under the nest boxes on a timer to keep eggs unfrozen on the days I don't get home til late, but am concerned about potential fire hazard. Thoughts, anyone?

I also want to mention that I'm north of Edmonton AB and also don't heat my coop. The last couple winters I did so with a heat lamp but chose not to this year for several reasons, and am finding my birds are healthier and actually go outside in their covered run almost daily (which they rarely did when the coop was heated).

Their coop is insulated but I also have vent holes near the ceiling and a small duct fan running constantly, pushing condensation out. I have poop boards under the roosts which i clean off daily to reduce humidity (albeit minimally I'm sure!). As well I use a homemade heated water bucket with drinking nipples so no open water. Seems to me humidity is way more the killer than the cold!

I chose not to heat the coop this year because:
1. Picking broken bulb glass out of bedding is not fun
2. We experience power shut offs on occasion and I didn't want the birds to be cold-shocked in the event of sudden no-heat (same for broken/dead bulbs)
3. Cost
4. Fire hazard

I was worried at first goimg into this winter but other than the odd frozen egg, I'm glad I made the switch and won't be going back to heating! I mean, chickens have been kept in north america for how long without heat bulbs! that's what I keep reminding myself.

Cheers!

I have solved all my frozen water and egg problems.

Click on my links in my signature.

Hope it helps.

RonP said:

I have solved all my frozen water and egg problems

Click on my links in my signature.

Hope it helps.

Click to expand...

Where?

Bukbuk Betty said:

Where?

Click to expand...

Heat the nesting boxes to stop eggs from freezing.

Forever Water Heater one that lasts.

Hope this helps

RonP said:

 

[COLOR=B42000]Heat the nesting boxes[/COLOR][COLOR=797774] to stop eggs from freezing. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=B42000]Forever Water Heater[/COLOR][COLOR=797774] one that lasts.[/COLOR]

Hope this helps

Click to expand...

Yes, that's great. Thanks!