Are you northern members ready for winter?

[aka Rachel]

I think..almost ready

At least the plans are in place. We will only be putting one 250w red heat lamp in our insulated and vented coop. The window is only single pane, but I was really kinda worried about making it too air tight with the insulation.

Your coop looks great!! Did you mean to keep it at 35c or f? When I first read it I was assuming 35c, LOL. Tho 35f makes much more sense. I will be trying for breeds that do well in winter for my coop.

 

[centavo71]

This is my first winter and I am starting to get a little worried! Right now I have a fairly large coop (compared to the examples I have seen on this site) and it really isn't insulated at all. I have 44 chickens right now but in a couple of weeks that number will be cut down to 12 leghorn hens. I am wondering, should I just close in a section of the coop and insulate that. I don't know the measurements of the coop but maybe in the morning I will go out and measure and see what y'all think. Right now I have it divided in 2 for the meat birds and the leghorns. I really want to get this done, it is starting to really feel wintery out there! We live in northern Alberta and it can get quite cold (colder than -30C) i the winter.

 

[centavo71]

oops, sorry for the double post!

 

[poultrypatch]

Coop is really nice. I do love your setting....those trees are so nice. I don't know where U live, but here in southern MA I'd go bankrupt running all that lighting for them. Electric here....NSTAR....very expensive !
Liz
Rochester, MA

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
Er, is there a particular reason WHY you'd want to do that, because that is much much warmer than healthy chickens need (even bantams or large-combed breeds) in a decently managed coop.

That is a lot of electricity to waste, and potential fire hazard, for no purpose. Honest, chickens do pretty well with cold... and 35 F is not *approaching* real cold for them.

You do have to have adequate ventilation. If you shut the coop up tight, with only a pophole for air, you *might* need to blast yer electric bill out the roof, because you'll end up with so much humidity. But with sensible ventilation, even though yes that makes the coop a little cooler, the air is DRY and thus not apt to cause frostbite except at Real Very Cold temps.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

I'm with Pat It seems like a fire hazzard You really dont need that kind of heat.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I had one heat lamp in my 8 X 8 coop and only turned it on when it got down closer to 0 degrees. They were just fine with that and noone got frostbite

Looks like your coop is insulated? Do you have a heated pad for your waterer? If so I would only have one heat lamp going and just turn it on if it reaches zero and they should be fine. Your coop looks awesome though and those there are going to be the warmest chickens on BYC

I found that heat lamps running 24/7 cost us 20 bucks a month for just one.

 

[Chickenmaven]

Lovely coop. I have to chime in with the "too much heat" crowd. Chickens do not need to be kept warm. I have a 12x14 coop and I have been AMAZED at how much heat 25 or 30 chickens generate. I did run one 250 bulb (on a timer) to heat during the nights that were below 10F, here in Michigan. Even that limited use was pricey. Because my out buildings are on a seperate meter, I was able to calculate that it cost me $30-$40 per month. I fear that your two bulbs will not only be unnecessary for your birds, they will be expensive and a fire hazard. I would recommend aiming to heat *up to* 10 or 15 degrees. Chickens have lovely down coats and snuggley chicken friends to keep them warm. They will be fine.

 

[augustmomx2]

Your coop is very nice

I would certainly listen to the advice on this board, they are experts

I live in Central Indiana, not as cold as you Michiganders, Canadians, etc but I do feel as though I need to make some adjustments.

I plan on:
*blocking the N-side ventilation area, leaving the S, W, E open for proper ventilation (thanks Pat!)
*purchasing a heated water bowl, waterer...not sure which one
*we already have electricity ran out to the coop, I'm going to add a small light for the girls and their egg production. I also may hook the brooder light back up if it seems to get FREEZING cold, but I'm going to play it by ear and watch the girls behavior to see if its necessary
*partially cover the run once it starts to snow, so the girls will have a clear area and I don't have to shovel too much

 

[sparkles2307]

Well we're ready in the sense that our birds will be warm and cozy, but not ready in the sense that I might have a breakdown at the first sight of snow...

 

[mightieskeeper]

great coop! I like the trailer Idea. Could you show more outside pics? I want a coop on trailer. Thanks, Ryan