Chickens Arctic Conditions Prolonged Period

[Hokum Coco]

On really cold days my hens stay in their coop on their on volition.

 

[Just Chicks]

Hi! I'm new to BYC ...I have been reading as much as I can as this is my first flock...I am so happy to see this thread (I read up to page 4..will keep reading) of a fellow Canadian as I have been wondering what to do during the cold months...my flock is being fed organic and I wanted to keep them in as natural conditions as one can in a back yard...my flock has half of my hubby's garage, but its not insulated..and they have use of most of the back yard and garden for free ranging....I would hate to lose any of my girls to cold weather...I had planned on not heating nor using lights during winter as well...do you think I need to insulate? We don't really have money to do more than what we have...Ty for journalling your experience!

 

[Just Chicks]

A few pics of my set up

 

[Hokum Coco]

Nice Job Buddy!!

 

[Hokum Coco]

R

 

[JacobMaxwell]

Hokum Coco: What do you do to keep your water liquid in the winter? I'm in Canada as well and last winter (my first winter with chickens) I had a lot of trouble keeping water available for the girls.

 

[Hokum Coco]

For along time I used heater tape around a bucket with chicken watering nipples. It worked excellent. However me being me I neglected to change the water as often as I should.

Last year I switched to white rubber contains the wife found somewhere. The freeze solid every night but the ice just pops out of them in the morning and I replenish them with fresh warm water. They have black ones at the feed store that are similar but large than mine.

The chickens congregate around them like people having their morning coffee in the winter months. The only draw back is my yard is pepper with small ice bergs the size of the buckets.

April looks after that however..

 

[Gloria2hens]

I live in Bluevale, Ontario which is 30 minutes from Lake Huron and one hour from Kitchener. I bought my 2 red sex links from Freys hatchery in St. Jacobs. I picked them up since it is only 50 minutes to drive. I was hoping to see more of the place but from what I saw, it's quite the operation. They have a lot of pictures on the website in the gallery. The chickens look quite happy. They are well cared for. My girls are a new experience for me this year. I picked them up in August, they were 19 weeks old. One laid an egg the next day and has laid one daily ever since. The other I think may be a dud. She is most likely going to be a companion hen. haha. Each day on my way out to the coop I hope there will be 2 eggs. Sadly, not yet. Very well mannered birds and so full of personality. They chase my 3 cats when they are out for a few hours when I'm home. The cats just run by now hoping they aren't seen. I am trying to find out some cold weather tips as well. I have them in an overhang of my garage that has a metal roof and was once used for fire wood storage. I enclosed it with hardware cloth and we built a frame at the front to accommodate a door. They are using a small hutch that I purchased at TSC. I'm not sure if it will keep them warm enough. We are making an insulated area inside the garage/out-building for the winter. I think I might put plastic around the enclosure to keep the wind out until they are moved inside. The only question I have is mainly about the pop door. I keep it open right now so they can come outside to their food and water first thing in the morning. Will it get too cold leaving it open now that the temps are around 0 C at night?

 

[Hokum Coco]

@ Gloria 2 Hens

I housed 6 red sex link birds and one Delaware Rooster in my coop last winter.
My Coop is a salvaged 4x8 metal shed here are a few tips and a quick look at my set up.
My floor are planks with a layer of tin for rodent proofing. On top of the tin I have a piece of vinyl flooring cut one foot longer than the length and width of my coop (roughly). Six inches squares are cut out of the 4 corners of the vinyl flooring. This allows the friction fitted flooring to travel up the walls six inches around the perimeter of my 4x8 salvaged metal coop. Shovel out the heavy stuff into a wheel barrow. Pop out the vinyl flooring hose it off pop it back in.
Easy Peasy!

I have been around the sun 63 times.

It is not my first "Rodeo!"

Nobody "I know" heats a chicken coop.

Healthy "cold hearty" chickens die from heat not cold.

I live in Canada last year was subject to -40º (C or F take your pick) no light or heat in coop NO PROBLEMS. You have to feed heavier during cold snaps with extra corn I find.

Chickens have been raised on this continent for over a hundred years without heat.

If you feel you must supply heat to your chickens I suggest keeping your chickens in the house that way you can huddle with your birds when the hydro goes out.

Chickens will die from cold if not given the chance to acclimatize. Hydro is more apt to go out in an ice storm or blizzard when subject to below 0º temperatures in my opinion.

How would you supply heat then to your un-acclimatized birds ???

Watering
For along time I used heater tape around a bucket with chicken watering nipples. It worked excellent. However me being me I neglected to change the water as often as I should.

Last year I switched to white rubber contains the wife found somewhere. The freeze solid every night but the ice just pops out of them in the morning and I replenish them with fresh warm water. They have black ones at the feed store that are similar but large than mine.

The chickens congregate around them like people having their morning coffee. The only draw back is my yard is pepper with small ice bergs the size of the buckets.

April looks after that however..


I have used all types of litter for coops.

I have not tried sand (sand gets good reviews on this site).

Of all the things I tried to date wood pellets have been the best. (I tried wood pellets as a last resort when pine shavings were not available.) They are super absorbent and swell up and eventually turn to saw dust. The droppings just seem to vanish and turn to dust when it comes in contact with wood pellets .

Replace my litter and clean my coop every October after I harvest my garden.


Works for me in my deep litter method.

I do add to pellets from time to time.

I have anywhere from 10 to 15 birds housed in my 4x8 coop.

Through the winter months the pellets froze harder than concrete with -40º temperatures. The poop froze before it could be absorbed by the pellets and there was like a crusty layer of poop in certain areas where they collectively took aim (no smell, messy feet or flies @ -40º). Come April things started to look after themselves.

POOP BOARDS are the "BEST" addition yet. Handles well over ½ of the poop in my set up keeps ammonia smell in check 3½" below roost excellent for catching eggs laid through the night. I recently friction fit a piece of vinyl flooring over my poop board.it makes clean up even easier; Pop out; Scrap; Hose; Pop in.

In my nest boxes I fold a feed bag to fit (nest boxes are 1 ft³). When a bag gets soiled; fold a new one; pop out the soiled; pop in the new.

Easy peasy!.

Chicken coop is salvaged 4x8 metal shed.











I house an assortment of birds in this baby barn (¼ inch veneer plywood between birds and elements) no heat no light no problems.

 

[JacobMaxwell]

I live in Bluevale, Ontario which is 30 minutes from Lake Huron and one hour from Kitchener. I bought my 2 red sex links from Freys hatchery in St. Jacobs. I picked them up since it is only 50 minutes to drive. I was hoping to see more of the place but from what I saw, it's quite the operation. They have a lot of pictures on the website in the gallery. The chickens look quite happy. They are well cared for. My girls are a new experience for me this year. I picked them up in August, they were 19 weeks old. One laid an egg the next day and has laid one daily ever since. The other I think may be a dud. She is most likely going to be a companion hen. haha. Each day on my way out to the coop I hope there will be 2 eggs. Sadly, not yet. Very well mannered birds and so full of personality. They chase my 3 cats when they are out for a few hours when I'm home. The cats just run by now hoping they aren't seen. I am trying to find out some cold weather tips as well. I have them in an overhang of my garage that has a metal roof and was once used for fire wood storage. I enclosed it with hardware cloth and we built a frame at the front to accommodate a door. They are using a small hutch that I purchased at TSC. I'm not sure if it will keep them warm enough. We are making an insulated area inside the garage/out-building for the winter. I think I might put plastic around the enclosure to keep the wind out until they are moved inside. The only question I have is mainly about the pop door. I keep it open right now so they can come outside to their food and water first thing in the morning. Will it get too cold leaving it open now that the temps are around 0 C at night

That's really funny because my hens came from Frey's too! I have 11 red sex links, 2 barred rocks, 2 columbian rocks, and 2 black sex links. I've always wondered what the Frey's facility looks like.