Topic of the Week - Kitting out the Coop

[ninjawesome]

This past winter (2015/16) I had some pine shavings for bedding (now I got straw). We also put in the foam insulation you can buy at Home Depot and we covered the foam in duck tape - because believe me, chickens love the Styrofoam! I made sure to allow ventilation in the coop because, it is true, when the coop is nice, dry, and warm, they will tend to resort to that option and when they are in there they still need fresh air and air flow so they can still...well...live. I have heard of others sticking the clear and waterproof shower curtain protector or a tarp on the ceiling and at the walls of the run so snow banks won't fall into the run. There's nothing like the outdoors and I think doing this will help your chickens a great deal. (I don't know about you but I sure wouldn't want to spend my whole winter cooped up (no pun intended) inside Having camped many times, camping could not be more miserable than when it is wet and when I am not prepared. Be sure the coop is water tight, but not air tight. Your chickens still need fresh air to come in and bad air to go out.

That being said, chickens are tough! They can withstand many a cold night bundled up on a roost or in the nesting box next to each other. I for myself have, do, and will continue to use a heat lamp because when the days are short and cold, it supplies supplement light for increased egg production and very nice heat. I have heard from quite a few chicken owners that the heat lamp is bad and by all means, it can be, but I have it clamped to a 2x4 up high and it is a fair distance away from the floor where the bedding is, and from the 2x4s where the wood is and it works just fine. Just be sure you won't have anything close enough to combust, because if it is close enough, it will. So be really really careful with a heat lamp. Oh! And one more thing - to keep your chickens busy, throw in a bit of cracked corn or oats. Chickens love their food and digging and scratching is a great way to get rid of boredom!

But yeah! There's my two cents. Hope that helps.

 

[jopheso]

I feel a bit bad. I have 11 turkeys and 8 chickens and I do NOTHING for them lol. They range all day and they don't even HAVE a coop. They just climb up on top of stuff like the fence for roosting. I do have a goat barn that I keep the floor covered in hey, but they only really go int here to lay. I just assumed they would head in there if they got too cold. I live in south Louisiana so it doesn't get that cold. It will freeze a few times a year and we will have only a few stretches were the temp stays in the 30s all day.

Should I be worried about my girls? I mean I have had quail that just stayed outside without issues but this is my first winter with Turkeys/Chickens.

 

[QueenMisha]

I feel a bit bad. I have 11 turkeys and 8 chickens and I do NOTHING for them lol. They range all day and they don't even HAVE a coop. They just climb up on top of stuff like the fence for roosting. I do have a goat barn that I keep the floor covered in hey, but they only really go int here to lay. I just assumed they would head in there if they got too cold. I live in south Louisiana so it doesn't get that cold. It will freeze a few times a year and we will have only a few stretches were the temp stays in the 30s all day.

Should I be worried about my girls? I mean I have had quail that just stayed outside without issues but this is my first winter with Turkeys/Chickens.

Yes, they definitely need a coop! Regardless of weather, you will eventually lose them all to predators. A coop is the most important part their environment and it's the only way you can keep them safe.

 

[jopheso]

Yes, they definitely need a coop! Regardless of weather, you will eventually lose them all to predators. A coop is the most important part their environment and it's the only way you can keep them safe.

Interesting. they roost up on fences and in trees with the turkeys, I guess if I have an issue with predators Ill make an adjustment. My main concern is about the weather, but that's isn't really much of a concern either, like I said they have access to a small goat barn with hey on the ground if they get cold.

 

[snywalker]

​Interesting. they roost up on fences and in trees with the turkeys, I guess if I have an issue with predators Ill make an adjustment. My main concern is about the weather, but that's isn't really much of a concern either, like I said they have access to a small goat barn with hey on the ground if they get cold.

While a coop would be good for predator protection, all your birds would need for weather is shelter (and shade) and it sounds like they have that with the goat barn. Your weather is not cold at all. Today it is 18*f here and we have 8 inches of snow. And the cold is still to come.

 

[deanaunderwood]

I live outside of Houston Texas and we might freeze a couple of times each winter and never for more than a week at a time. We don't have to worry about winter as much as we worry about the summer heat. I posted mainly to follow the post for any ideas I might incorporate as I know having the flock busy/entertained is never a bad idea. As always....thanks for all the good insight.

 

[Glennlarch]

- What bedding/material works best for the coop floor and the nest boxes?

We are in the South East corner of British Columbia Canada. Tonight we are dipping to -27 C. I do a combination. Shavings on the floor under the roosts. The shavings seem to be very absorbent and easy to scoop up when wet from droppings. In the nesting boxes and on the main part of the coop floor is a generous amount of straw. As mentioned, it is very insulating.

- How can you keep the coop dry, especially now, over the winter months?

Water outside for sure. I have a heated dog bowl I use that is elevated on cinder bricks. It is open, but rarely gets debris in it. The water is changed out daily with the bowl wiped out at the same time. I put a small amount of apple cider vinegar and multi vitamin for poultry in it. Still deciding on the best suited winter heater to replace it. I don't deep litter. The coop is small for 9 hens and a roo. Sunday morning is my time to refresh the coop.

- Roosts and nest boxes - How many do you provide, how much space on the roosts, what do you use as nest boxes and how do you make them attractive for the hens, etc?

4 roosts 4 feet long, stacked. This allows plenty of room for the pecking order to play out and become comfortable for all. A small two bird roost occupies an opposite corner that the roo seems to have taken to with his hen of choice for the evening. 6 nesting boxes stacked, lined with lots of straw. As mentioned in an earlier post they only seem to use two of them. Considering eliminating the two top ones and replacing them with another roost.


- What "boredom busters" can you provide to amuse and distract bored, cooped up birds when the weather is really bad?

Still searching for tips on this one. Both water and feed is in the outdoor run. They all come out in the morning for breakfast. Limited shelter. I'm considering tarping part of the run so there is a dry outdoor area just to move around in. Maybe once its tarped and reasonably dry, throw a few pats of straw out with a bale on top to investigate. Beyond that as posted earlier, keep them dry healthy and alive.

- What else do you provide/do to make sure the flock is happy and comfortable in there?

As mentioned the coop is small but efficient. Fully insulated with baseboard heater (mounted up on the wall for fire protection) and lamp on a tstat and timer. My husband is an industrial electrician (lucky me). There is a double slider window above the pop door. I keep each side cracked by a fraction in this weather and the small gaps in the pop door seem to be sufficient. Again investigating ventilation options here. My new roo has a very short tri fold comb and most of the hens have short combs too. Last winter my favorite roo had a beautiful tall comb that got frostbite in the coop. A week in the chicken infirmary and lots of petroleum jelly later the comb was half the size. Chime in if you have ideas for ventilation here. So blessed to have fresh eggs each day.

 

[junkman56]

- What bedding/material works best for the coop floor and the nest boxes?

We are in the South East corner of British Columbia Canada. Tonight we are dipping to -27 C. I do a combination. Shavings on the floor under the roosts. The shavings seem to be very absorbent and easy to scoop up when wet from droppings. In the nesting boxes and on the main part of the coop floor is a generous amount of straw. As mentioned, it is very insulating.

- How can you keep the coop dry, especially now, over the winter months?

Water outside for sure. I have a heated dog bowl I use that is elevated on cinder bricks. It is open, but rarely gets debris in it. The water is changed out daily with the bowl wiped out at the same time. I put a small amount of apple cider vinegar and multi vitamin for poultry in it. Still deciding on the best suited winter heater to replace it. I don't deep litter. The coop is small for 9 hens and a roo. Sunday morning is my time to refresh the coop.

- Roosts and nest boxes - How many do you provide, how much space on the roosts, what do you use as nest boxes and how do you make them attractive for the hens, etc?

4 roosts 4 feet long, stacked. This allows plenty of room for the pecking order to play out and become comfortable for all. A small two bird roost occupies an opposite corner that the roo seems to have taken to with his hen of choice for the evening. 6 nesting boxes stacked, lined with lots of straw. As mentioned in an earlier post they only seem to use two of them. Considering eliminating the two top ones and replacing them with another roost.


- What "boredom busters" can you provide to amuse and distract bored, cooped up birds when the weather is really bad?

Still searching for tips on this one. Both water and feed is in the outdoor run. They all come out in the morning for breakfast. Limited shelter. I'm considering tarping part of the run so there is a dry outdoor area just to move around in. Maybe once its tarped and reasonably dry, throw a few pats of straw out with a bale on top to investigate. Beyond that as posted earlier, keep them dry healthy and alive.

- What else do you provide/do to make sure the flock is happy and comfortable in there?

As mentioned the coop is small but efficient. Fully insulated with baseboard heater (mounted up on the wall for fire protection) and lamp on a tstat and timer. My husband is an industrial electrician (lucky me). There is a double slider window above the pop door. I keep each side cracked by a fraction in this weather and the small gaps in the pop door seem to be sufficient. Again investigating ventilation options here. My new roo has a very short tri fold comb and most of the hens have short combs too. Last winter my favorite roo had a beautiful tall comb that got frostbite in the coop. A week in the chicken infirmary and lots of petroleum jelly later the comb was half the size. Chime in if you have ideas for ventilation here. So blessed to have fresh eggs each day.

seems there is not enough ventilation, with just the window cracked and small gaps at the pop door, You should have up high vents along with low vents. the more the better

 

[Glennlarch]

Thanks for the info. Any suggestions on how to vent, but keep the heat in? The inside of the coop with the heater on hovers around -2 to -5 C while outside the temp plummets to -27 or better not including wind chill.

 

[crealbilly]

Thanks for the info.  Any suggestions on how to vent, but keep the heat in?  The inside of the coop with the heater on hovers around -2 to -5 C while outside the temp plummets to -27 or better not including wind chill.  

-5 Celsius is like 22 degrees Fahrenheit. I really do think thats all that cold for a chicken or am I all wrong?