Anyone here have a coop set up in New Jersey?

[My11BabyChicks]

Have a few questions regarding the winter and how you get ready... Im not sure how to run a good heat sourch for them... Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[bleith]

From everything I read here, it is recommended to not use heat. Let mother nature run its course and allow the birds to feather out their down to keep them warm. They will be more likely to brave the winter out ranging in the yard versus staying cooped up with the artificial heat. I live near Chicago where it gets pretty cold and have no intentions of heating the coop at all. there are people up in Alaska where it gets down to well below zero that don't heat their coop

 

[Rosaleen]

Here in Vermont our winters get pretty darn cold and the chickies do very well with their own "down" coats. What is most important is to be sure they stay dry and not be in any drafts. Good ventilation is also a must.

 

[7L Farm]

Birds normally adjust to the climate they live in. As mentioned keep the wind off of them.

 

[ladybug99]

I live in central Jersey and we were slammed with lots of snow last year. By the time winter came around mine were 6 months old. I had no heat at all for them and they did fine. I did have to heat thier water to prevent it from freezing. I used a bird bath heater under a galvinized waterer and that worked really well. Our coops are not fancy at all and have no electric , so to run the bird bater heater we just ran an extension cord from the house to the coop.

 

[blefky]

Quote:
This was pretty much my situation and solution as well. Everyone came through just fine. My back suffered from digging paths to the coop and shed, but the birds were fine!

 

[PHILMAN]

Im from NJ too . This will be my first year too . Im not worried about the winter so much from what i read here I know they should be alright . just to keep them ventilated well and to keep the draft off them . My main concern was to have a big enough coop that would house them if it gets bad that they have to stay in for a couple of days . But i think i have that covered too . Good luck .

 

[ladybug99]

When we got those really big storms last year they were one right after another and honestly the my girls were inside for 2 weeks straight... they did not seem to mind I hung cabbages, gave them flock block and threw down scratch so to keep them busy. When we finally dug out the run a bit they would not step on the snow... so we threw down some hay and wood chips over the snow and they walked on that just fine. But they spent the majority of the day in the coop till spring... mine don't seem to like the cold... they are such spoiled girlies LOL

 

[My11BabyChicks]

Thank you everyone!!!! What about a light? Should there be one in the coop?

 

[Eggcessive]

Lights should be off durin g nighttime for the chickens to sleep. If they are laying eggs from 5-6 months old, I would place a light on a timer to come on around 5 AM and go off by 5 PM. They need 12-14 hours of light for laying in winter. You want the light to go off before dark so they can see to get to the roost at night. Some choose to not provide extra light in winter, so the chickens are forced to lay--it is just a matter of choice.