Chickens can live in a Fridge to keep warm in cold climates.

[aart]

For very very cold climates, you can use an old fridge or freezer for roosting. I lay tall ones on their back so that the door becomes a door on the top. In what is now the side of the fridge, you can drill through with regular drill bits, you can cut (use gloves) the sheetmetal using tinsnips, or if you have no tinsnips, you can use an angle grinder (dangerous) or an old knife or lawnmower blade. Put the blade or knife into the hole and hit the back of the blade with a hammer in the direction you want to cut. Good idea to cut larger than the chook by enough margin to line the hole with wood, so the chooks are not tempted to eat the insulation. If the fridge is put into the chooks current coop, you'd have to wait until after they settle in for the night on the old perches and then move them into the fridge for up to a dozen nights until they learn to go in themselves. If it is a new coop or chicks, they get the idea straight away.

I've done this many times so I can advise on whatever is not clear if I am still here. I originally wrote this as part of a different thread, but it is better as it's own topic. I can post some pics however it is just a fridge as described. Chicks love it in cold weather, I had a light on inside one that was outdoors, you MUST be careful with that because any standard light bulb or heat lamp will cook the chicks no matter how cold it is outside, at least in the daytime. I didn't lose any, but you need a timer bare minimum if not a thermostat. Any size of chook likes this arrangement and obviously it extends the laying period into and through the winter because they have an area to make an adequate nest and raise chicks, so with enough food, hormones do the rest. Mine lay through winter when everyone else in town say theirs have stopped laying.

The surprise advantage of the light at night to keep the chicks warm is that lots of bugs fly in during the early evening giving the chicks a feast and lots of practice catching, and it's free, they love it.

There are so many things wrong about this, I am not even going to start listing them.

 

[GodofPecking]

yes I know what you mean, it's hard to find a single thing wrong with it. Now with the pictures,



in all the pics you can see that the cutting is rather rough. The plastic inside the fridge is easy to break, the insulation in the middle is messy and like meringue, and the outside is sheetmetal. you can see on the left the space where the compressor was. There is an upside down container sitting there. You can just see in the pic on the right where I cut out all of the shelves of the door of the fridge. It's not necessary, and luckily in this case there was a kind of paper already covering the insulation, so the chicks don't eat it at all. The shelves came out in one piece which means with two screws through the top of the shelves, they would attach to a wall and provide about 6 shelves for not much work at all.


and here is the lovely result, a zombie chicken who couldn't breathe the air that came through the hole. Looks good doesn't she ? Yes, you too can raise ZOMBIE chickens using a fridge which incidentally keeps them warm in winter.

 

[Teila]

Thank You for the pictures; unfortunately they do not show ventilation, roosts etc.

Sadly, I have to agree, if the timber framed chicken door is the only ventilation, that would be a cause for concern.

Again, I live in Aus, different climate etc, but I can not picture my gals being happy roosting in there .. besides no ventilation, no windows, no room to move it just kinda gives the impression of a coffin, not a coop.

Exposing the highly flammable insulation and then adding a heat source kinda freaks me out. Even it does not catch fire, if the insulation is exposed and warm, it could be releasing toxic fumes. I can not back that up with scientific fact, but it is cause enough for concern for me.

Condensation on the plastic can result in moisture, damp nest etc, possibly leading to fungal growth and respiratory disorders.

If you were keeping chicks in there, the plastic could be too slippery, causing leg development issues and if you had bedding in there, the condensation is going to make the bedding damp.

I believe if you add adequate ventilation to the fridge coop, the temperature inside is going to be similar to that outside so the effort of converting the fridge is really not beneficial. Adding the required amount of ventilation in such a small area risks the chickens being exposed to a draft.

Also, while the chickens may not be able to get to the insulation, the mites will be able to get through and the ‘cavity’ will be a great place for them to sleep during the day.

Chickens are more tolerant of the cold than they are heat and I believe that closing them in the fridge is just going to be too hot.

Just my humble opinion, but there are probably safer, easier to convert, easier to move, lighter [weight-wise] items to convert to a roosting or brooding spot.

 

[GodofPecking]

Thank You for the pictures; unfortunately they do not show ventilation, roosts etc.
Sadly, I have to agree, if the timber framed chicken door is the only ventilation, that would be a cause for concern.

That will come as disappointing news to the chicks I raised in there since ANZAC day which are now beginning to lay.

Roosts are far too controversial so I didn't mention them. What kind of roost you have depends on your political leanings. Terrorists for example use 3D printers to make roosts for their chicks, such as this http://www.si.edu/Exhibitions/Details/First-3-D-Printed-Presidential-Life-Mask-and-Bust-5720 whilst governmental types will line the bottom of the box with http://www.donnellycolt.com/catalog/humrightposter.html so I'd prefer not to discuss roosts. I think people will just have to get a few friends together and brainstorm together a way to make roosts for their chicks out of available items.

Again, I live in Aus, different climate etc, but I can not picture my gals being happy roosting in there .

where did you assume I live ? have another guess, is ANZAC day a good hint ? huh ? huh ?

The fridges are perfect for chicks especially anywhere in australia. It's like a big cuddly blanket for the middle of winter. My chooks love them.

Exposing the highly flammable insulation and then adding a heat source kinda freaks me out.

Condensation on the plastic can result in moisture, damp nest etc, possibly leading to fungal growth and respiratory disorders.

Luckily for me my chickens are non-smokers, so I don't lie awake at night worrying that the coop will spontaneously combust, however I might put a smoke alarm in there just to be safe. Every heat lamp can catch fire if people are not careful with them, and I've already outlined that special care is required so the chicks don't get TOO hot. A timer or thermostat is a great idea, because you may forget. The danger is to the chicks, if they don't know to go outside to escape the heat during the day. I mentioned this already. I should re-iterate over and over again and again.

Where is all this condensation supposed to come from ? Chickens don't even sweat !!

[...]the mites will be able to get through and the ‘cavity’ will be a great place for them to sleep during the day.

I'm going to have to write a list of items to lie in bed worrying about, a blazing inferno, mites that can burrow through the inside walls of fridge, there are so many implausible things to worry about. It's all worked no fuss for me so far but that must have been a long series of flukes by the seat of my pants, and while fridges have been IDEAL in winter because it keeps them so safe from the big cold night sky and the cold winds, oh how wrong I've been. Plus, there is the economic factor too, it's too cheap and eco-friendly.

 

[Teila]

Apologies, I had no idea you lived in Aus as you did not mention ANZAC day until the above post. My mistake; when you mentioned “very very cold climates” I assumed you were talking about many degrees below freezing, snow and ice etc.

To avoid confusion, it might be worth mentioning your location in your avatar; you do not need to be specific, just ‘Australia’.

I also assume that if in Aus, nowhere near me; even in winter, it is never cold enough for the gals to need a big cuddly blanket.

Condensation is caused by expansion of air, not sweating chickens.

In the pictures I see a gap between the timber frame and the fridge wall, where insulation and a cavity is exposed. I am not suggesting that mites will “burrow through the inside walls of [a] fridge”; simply that they have easy access right there.

I sense a little hostility? Apologies if I am the cause. As you shared your thoughts on a forum, I shared mine as to why I would personally not go down that path.

If it works for you .. great … to each their own. However, I think it is fair that anyone else reading this thread has a list of pros and cons on which they can make their own decision.

 

[blucoondawg]

No chickens don't sweat, they breathe. I am guessing you are in Australia, maybe you are in a dry enough region that the moisture problem everyone else has to deal with is helped out by your climate, you need to realize for those of us not in Australia we have a far different situation, you don't even need to worry about heat in your climate at all, even at the record coldest temperature ever seen on that continent they wouldn't need heat, you suggest using these freezer coops for a solution to extreme cold, I do have extreme cold, a lot of it, in northern Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, Canada and other northern states of the USA have severe cold -10F is common and-20 to -35F happens for extended periods every winter, that is just in my area, Canada and northern Minnesota and others get far colder than that, your coop will not work in these extremes set up as it is. Those of us who actually deal with severe cold know an uninsulated coop which breaks wind and provides ventilation to remove moisture is what works.

 

[GodofPecking]

Apologies, I had no idea you lived in[....]

Oh that's ok.

The idea of using fridges is a good idea for any cold or arid climate, including sub zero, which australia has a lot of.

In the pictures I see a gap between the timber frame and the fridge wall, where insulation and a cavity is exposed.

It's too far from the chicks at the other end and not worth blocking, after all, they'd just go out the door and underneath to the soil.

I sense a little hostility? Apologies if I am the cause. As you shared your thoughts on a forum, I shared mine as to why I would personally not go down that path.

If it works for you .. great … to each their own. However, I think it is fair that anyone else reading this thread has a list of pros and cons on which they can make their own decision.

No don't worry there is no hostility at all, none. Actually I shared both thoughts and more importantly experience and photos, it is other people who have only shared their thoughts, which are really just imagined guesses, and contrary to the reality I have access to. One is not equal to the other, and should not have equal weight in an effective decision making process.

 

[GodofPecking]

[...]your coop will not work in these extremes set up as it is.

That is incorrect. You would be correct if you said "I guess or assume your coup wouldn't work" or in your opinion it wouldn't work. You have to either guess or assume because you have not tried it.

Further, for some reason, I guess faulty logic, people are fond of dismissing evidence that shows a reality which they're unfamiliar with.

Also, we have yet to see any explanation as to why it wouldn't work, despite evidence to the contrary. No diagrams or factual ideas, just guesses which don't seem based in any kind of science or reason.

 

[blucoondawg]

That is incorrect. You would be correct if you said "I guess or assume your coup wouldn't work" or in your opinion it wouldn't work. You have to either guess or assume because you have not tried it.

Further, for some reason, I guess faulty logic, people are fond of dismissing evidence that shows a reality which they're unfamiliar with.

Also, we have yet to see any explanation as to why it wouldn't work, despite evidence to the contrary. No diagrams or factual ideas, just guesses which don't seem based in any kind of science or reason.

I have not tried it because I have seen others who have had similar setups though not built from a refrigerator but the same size and the same concept built from wood and I have seen their results which have been dismal. I prefer to keep all my birds alive through the winter I'm not going to fashion a coop that is detrimental to their health when I know better.

You guess and assume your design will work when you have absolutely no experience with our climate.

The explanation of why it doesn't work is plastered all over this forum do some research on the threads pertaining to cold weather chicken keeping, it's all over the place. Sealing up a coop throwing in a heat lamp while providing minimal ventilation through the chicken pop door makes for build up of ammonia in the coop as well as moisture which causes frost bite and respiratory illness in chickens. A simple Google search will give you plenty of websites which will tell you that, in addition to numerous threads on this forum.

 

[GodofPecking]

I have not tried it because I have seen others who have had similar setups though not built from a refrigerator but the same size and the same concept built from wood and I have seen their results which have been dismal.

Reminds me of the time when I was a kid and had a car for my birthday, but it only had two wheels and only one seat and no engine and no steering wheel, just handlebars and I had to pedal it. Ahhh yes, that was a good car. I really knew what driving was like. HUH ?????

You guess and assume your design will work when you have absolutely no experience with our climate.

Ah, well, only people who live in the same house same bed have the exact precise same identical climate, so you have me there.

but I'll get you next time Gadget!!!!!!

The explanation of why it doesn't work is plastered all over this forum do some research on the threads pertaining to [....]

.....and yet it's not plastered anywhere. Actually, I'm the only person I know who has done it. Does that make me the only expert on it ? woohoo !

Actually I think the same as all other sensible advice on this forum, people can make up their own minds. I can post pictures, explanations, descriptions of my experience and you can drag things off topic until people lose patience and ask a mod for assistance. Haha, I don't think it's quite there yet, but trying to fill the thread with pointless interjecture and dishonest guessing, just to get the thread locked, is not helping the forum. I think a little bit of this is just fun, but too much may be a bad idea.