Preparing Your Flock & Coop for WINTER

Thank you so much, iwiw. These feeders look great, and your directions are very clear. I have a small coop up by the back of my house that I am currently using as a grow out/brooder pen. I've thought about making a feeder like yours, but the coop is elevated maybe three feet off the ground and the 4' PVC pipe makes the feeder too high to fill. What do you think of mounting the filler pipe on the outside, maybe at an angle so it's not so high, and running it through a cut out into an inside feeding port? Are your feeders out of the wind and rain? Like under cover?


If height is a concern, may I suggest you consider using a plastic tube and elbows as discussed in this thread, post 3 is the same elbow I used...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...te-5-gallon-25-feed-bucket-feeder-for-about-3

I used a big 'Rubbermaid' like container and 8 elbows, giving me 8 feeding locations and the tube holds 100 pounds, yes two entire bags of feed and is give or take maybe 14" tall?

Picked the tube up at Goodwill for $5, the eight elbows cost $3.98 each...

http://www.lowes.com/pd_24870-676-41P0ST_0__?productId=3609606

Instead of roughing out the holes with knife or what not I did invest in a hole saw at Harbor Freight for a few bucks...

Anyway at the end of the day I'm fully happy with it, no waste and very low maintenance...
 
Thank you so much, iwiw. These feeders look great, and your directions are very clear. I have a small coop up by the back of my house that I am currently using as a grow out/brooder pen. I've thought about making a feeder like yours, but the coop is elevated maybe three feet off the ground and the 4' PVC pipe makes the feeder too high to fill. What do you think of mounting the filler pipe on the outside, maybe at an angle so it's not so high, and running it through a cut out into an inside feeding port? Are your feeders out of the wind and rain? Like under cover?
Gosh, with your brooder pen already 3 feet off the ground, when you add the height of the PVC pipe(s) ... that's TALL! Even if you cut down on the size of the pipes to 3 feet, that's 6 feet tall, so I don't know what to tell you...unless you use a small step ladder or "landing" to fill them. How tall is the coop itself inside?

I have 2 feeders iniside my coop (which I can stand in) and 2 outside in the run, but they are totally under cover...



(I have yet to 'straighten' out that center tube...aack!)

The feeders in the run I will watch closely for any 'dampness' that might occur which, so far, hasn't happened. Can you post a pic or two of your brooder pen setup so I can get a better idea of what you're dealing with?
 
Yes, I cannot use a tall tube in this small coop, but something like a bucket with the street elbows would work. I would have to remove the bucket to fill it. This coop was built by a friend who works in construction. It is built with salvaged plywood and it is HEAVY. My friend has never taken care of chickens kept in a coop, and this coop is extremely hard to manage. Will try to post pics tomorrow. Laurie
 
This is such a great thread for a newbie like me. Especially since we are in the process of building our chicken coop. I have seen a lot of people say they don't need warmth, just dry. But I live in the very south east corner of Indiana. Last year our wind chills got to 20 below zero. yuck! Do you think we have to insulate? Or do you think they will just be ok with the wood, and then we were going to wrap the coop and run in plastic to help prevent draft. With vents in the upper walls. Thank you for all of the great advice!
 
The bottom line is, no you don't need to insulate, and there are a lot of compelling reasons to not insulate: One reason that is not often mentioned, but which is the CHIEF reason why I don't insulate... at least in the conventional sense is: that insulation can be a haven for mites and mice. That being said: will your flock be more comfortable with insulation. I believe that it can be beneficial in that the coop will stay warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer. Sure, lots of folks say it's not needed. But, IMO, there's a difference between chickens surviving the winter, and thriving through the winter. There were several weeks in a row last winter where the day time high didn't make it above zero, here. My chickens were so cold that their normal activity ceased. So I gave them a flower pot heater, and it seemed to make a difference in their activity level. They also ate MORE when they had the heater. Be sure they have plenty of ventilation and that that ventilation is NOT directly over their perches, or if it is, that it's at least a couple of feet above their heads. Also, as mentioned by MrsK (I think it was her) be sure to have your perches far enough away from the wall and ceiling that they don't touch either, including with their tail feathers. Make those perches wide enough that their feet will be flat on the perch, not having their toes wrapped around the perch.
 
The bottom line is, no you don't need to insulate, and there are a lot of compelling reasons to not insulate: One reason that is not often mentioned, but which is the CHIEF reason why I don't insulate... at least in the conventional sense is: that insulation can be a haven for mites and mice. That being said: will your flock be more comfortable with insulation. I believe that it can be beneficial in that the coop will stay warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer. Sure, lots of folks say it's not needed. But, IMO, there's a difference between chickens surviving the winter, and thriving through the winter. There were several weeks in a row last winter where the day time high didn't make it above zero, here. My chickens were so cold that their normal activity ceased. So I gave them a flower pot heater, and it seemed to make a difference in their activity level. They also ate MORE when they had the heater. Be sure they have plenty of ventilation and that that ventilation is NOT directly over their perches, or if it is, that it's at least a couple of feet above their heads. Also, as mentioned by MrsK (I think it was her) be sure to have your perches far enough away from the wall and ceiling that they don't touch either, including with their tail feathers. Make those perches wide enough that their feet will be flat on the perch, not having their toes wrapped around the perch.
This is probably a newbie question, but why don't you want them to have to wrap their toes around the perch?
 
The bottom line is, no you don't need to insulate, and there are a lot of compelling reasons to not insulate:  One reason that is not often mentioned, but which is the CHIEF reason why I don't insulate... at least in the conventional sense is:  that insulation can be a haven for mites and mice.  That being said:  will your flock be more comfortable with insulation.  I believe that it can be beneficial in that the coop will stay warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer.  Sure, lots of folks say it's not needed.  But, IMO, there's a difference between chickens surviving the winter, and thriving through the winter.  There were several weeks in a row last winter where the day time high didn't make it above zero, here.  My chickens were so cold that their normal activity ceased.  So I gave them a flower pot heater, and it seemed to make a difference in their activity level.  They also ate MORE when they had the heater.  Be sure they have plenty of ventilation and that that ventilation is NOT directly over their perches, or if it is, that it's at least a couple of feet above their heads.  Also, as mentioned by MrsK (I think it was her) be sure to have your perches far enough away from the wall and ceiling that they don't touch either, including with their tail feathers.  Make those perches wide enough that their feet will be flat on the perch, not having their toes wrapped around the perch.
What is a flower pot heater? I looked it up and all I found was tea candles and a pot flipped over them? Can't imagine that's it? Sounds interesting and a possible good safe solution when it's real cold?
 
What is a flower pot heater? I looked it up and all I found was tea candles and a pot flipped over them? Can't imagine that's it? Sounds interesting and a possible good safe solution when it's real cold?
That is all I could find also. The thought of open flame (even under a flower pot) inside a chicken coop sounds like a disaster in the making.
 
Agreed! Our lamps are safe and secure, and the hens appreciate it by giving us nice big summer crop eggs. We see no change in egg production here in northwest Louisiana. I thank the lamps.
welcome-byc.gif
I'm out of Shreveport so totally understand. What kind of bulb do you use. The 250 watt is so energy draining. What kind of timer do you use and how many hours daily. I thought of buying a Christmas light timer that goes off after 4 hours.
 

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