Biggish coop, few birds, will it stay warm enough?

[aart]

Probably doesn't help that I just HATE the cold... Humanizing my chickens already I guess

Ha!! @bobbi-j has a great analogy about heating chicken coops.
Put on all your winter gear then sit in your house next to the wood stove.
Something like that, she writes it up much better, but you might get the idea.

The first winter is hard on your brain.....until you see just how tough they are.

 

[MiaS]

Ha!! @bobbi-j has a great analogy about heating chicken coops.
Put on all your winter gear then sit in your house next to the wood stove.
Something like that, she writes it up much better, but you might get the idea.

The first winter is hard on your brain.....until you see just how tough they are.

Oh boy, the stuff that goes on in my brain!! I'm already spending half my nights thinking about chicken stuff...

 

[aart]

Oh boy, the stuff that goes on in my brain!! I'm already spending half my nights thinking about chicken stuff...

Oh, I Know...same here.
Viral Spiral Analysis Paralysis!!
I fight it all the time. SMH.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I’m in WAY Southern Ohio and got a Cozy Coop! We got down to -teens last winter, but the coldest the coop got was -2. However, our humidity is always over 50 percent (usually closer to 90 percent), so I figured it couldn’t hurt. I have it on the wall, in front of the lowest roost, so the girls can hang out in front of it if they want. They didn’t spend a whole lot of time in front of it, but I did!

We also enclosed the entire run with 6mil plastic and put bales of straw around the bottom of the raised coop to block the wind. That made the biggest difference. For them and for me!

 

[gtaus]

We also enclosed the entire run with 6mil plastic and put bales of straw around the bottom of the raised coop to block the wind. That made the biggest difference. For them and for me!

Very nice pictures. Is your coop/run always that clean? I use wood chips in the coop and it looks, and smells, clean. I have not built a winter chicken run, but like the idea of enclosing it with plastic. I have my coop built on an old boat trailer frame, so it is elevated. I use a dry deep litter bedding, which is about 6 inches deep right now, so I don't know if I would need straw bales around the bottom of the raised coop. Do you think straw bales would be necessary for me? Also, if you think I could benefit from straw bales, do you repurpose the straw bales after winter? I try to think ahead of how to reuse everything I get for the chickens. Straw bales are not cheap here, so I would have to make good use of them.

 

[MiaS]

Very nice pictures. Is your coop/run always that clean? I use wood chips in the coop and it looks, and smells, clean. I have not built a winter chicken run, but like the idea of enclosing it with plastic. I have my coop built on an old boat trailer frame, so it is elevated. I use a dry deep litter bedding, which is about 6 inches deep right now, so I don't know if I would need straw bales around the bottom of the raised coop. Do you think straw bales would be necessary for me? Also, if you think I could benefit from straw bales, do you repurpose the straw bales after winter? I try to think ahead of how to reuse everything I get for the chickens. Straw bales are not cheap here, so I would have to make good use of them.

I thought the same thing - wow, what a tidy area! LOL

 

[wamtazlady]

Could you ask her at what temp she turned on the Cozy Coop Heater? From what I understand, it's best to let the chickens keep themselves warm, but when it gets down to -40F, a lot of people started losing birds around here.

I can't tell you anything about the Cozy Coop Heater. I can only tell you that I live in NW Montana. Coldest it has gotten here in the 3 winters I've lived here is -22F. I do not have any heat in my coop nor is it insulated. Have never lost a bird to the cold as of yet. If it got down to -40 I would consider that Cozy Coop Heater.

 

[gtaus]

I can't tell you anything about the Cozy Coop Heater. I can only tell you that I live in NW Montana. Coldest it has gotten here in the 3 winters I've lived here is -22F. I do not have any heat in my coop nor is it insulated. Have never lost a bird to the cold as of yet. If it got down to -40 I would consider that Cozy Coop Heater.

Normally, we only have a week, or two, with temps at -22F, usually not one after the other. Last winter was an exception. We had a 2 week stretch of -40F. It was bitter cold. Lots of people lost birds at that low temp and I guess that is why we saw a run on the Cozy Coop Heaters at the local farm store.

Also, when the temps get that low and stay there, it is very difficult to keep fresh water for the birds. So I wonder if many of the lost birds got dehydrated, cold, and then died. I bought a water heater base for my metal waterer. It is supposed to keep the water from freezing down to +13F. Many people have told me that it does better than that, and I hope it does. I did not have any birds last year, but I hope I am prepared for this winter when I have laying hens over winter.

 

[MiaS]

I can't tell you anything about the Cozy Coop Heater. I can only tell you that I live in NW Montana. Coldest it has gotten here in the 3 winters I've lived here is -22F. I do not have any heat in my coop nor is it insulated. Have never lost a bird to the cold as of yet. If it got down to -40 I would consider that Cozy Coop Heater.

Good to know. You're not all that far from me.

 

[wamtazlady]

Normally, we only have a week, or two, with temps at -22F, usually not one after the other. Last winter was an exception. We had a 2 week stretch of -40F. It was bitter cold. Lots of people lost birds at that low temp and I guess that is why we saw a run on the Cozy Coop Heaters at the local farm store.

Also, when the temps get that low and stay there, it is very difficult to keep fresh water for the birds. So I wonder if many of the lost birds got dehydrated, cold, and then died. I bought a water heater base for my metal waterer. It is supposed to keep the water from freezing down to +13F. Many people have told me that it does better than that, and I hope it does. I did not have any birds last year, but I hope I am prepared for this winter when I have laying hens over winter.

So far my birds have never been without water during the winter. I use an 11 quart tote with lid (others use all sorts of containers), horizontal nipples, and a stock tank deicer that is okay to use in plastic. At -22 F the water is still thawed. My container is not insulated. I am sure that with some sort of insulation around the container the water would stay thawed to...well...who knows how cold? The best part of my waterer is that it only needed filled up once a week for a dozen chickens. They could probably go another couple days before running out of water. I am also fortunate to have a faucet that is usable in the winter and near enough to the coop to use a hose to do the refill every week.

By the way, the water is kept outside in the run. The run has a roof. Three sides of the run are covered in clear shower curtains for winter. This allows a draft free place for the birds to be outside all day. With the sun shining on the run it actually feels warmer in there than outside.