kesm543
In the Brooder
Good morning. It is a brisk -10 right now, in Williston North Dakota. We got 8-9 inches of snow last night and winter continues! We moved up here a little over a year ago from sunny Arizona, and we got chickens right away. I was worried about the cold and having chickens, but I can now see the worrying was not necessary. Chickens are quite hardy, and my flock have done very well. I started them in one of those cheap $100 coops from Tractor supply (the first 6 gals) but they quickly outgrew that and I knew it wouldn't work in the winter. So I bought and converted a shed into a coop and use an Omelet fence for the run.
My girls are doing great, and the cold hardly bothers them. I don't heat the coop, and I am glad I don't. I went back and forth about whether I should or not, and now after having experienced a cold winter with them.. I am glad I didn't. They are doing great. I have 17 ladies and a rooster right now. I had to cull 2 roosters the other day, but the flock is happy and content. I will share some pictures of my coop build. I don't insulate or heat my coop and it stays about 15-20 degrees warmer than the outside ambient temp. I use the deep litter method, and heat the water with a simple 250 watt stock tank heater in a rubber bowl. They eat layer feed pellets, with some grit mixed in because they can't go out and get rocks naturally right now, and every other day or so I mix up a lettuce/cabbage/kale/scratch salad for them. They are pretty easy to maintain, and handle the cold very well.
For anyone on the fence about getting chickens in colder climates, don't be scared. They really don't mind the cold as much as you do.
-Kevin
My girls are doing great, and the cold hardly bothers them. I don't heat the coop, and I am glad I don't. I went back and forth about whether I should or not, and now after having experienced a cold winter with them.. I am glad I didn't. They are doing great. I have 17 ladies and a rooster right now. I had to cull 2 roosters the other day, but the flock is happy and content. I will share some pictures of my coop build. I don't insulate or heat my coop and it stays about 15-20 degrees warmer than the outside ambient temp. I use the deep litter method, and heat the water with a simple 250 watt stock tank heater in a rubber bowl. They eat layer feed pellets, with some grit mixed in because they can't go out and get rocks naturally right now, and every other day or so I mix up a lettuce/cabbage/kale/scratch salad for them. They are pretty easy to maintain, and handle the cold very well.
For anyone on the fence about getting chickens in colder climates, don't be scared. They really don't mind the cold as much as you do.
-Kevin
We're so happy you've decided to join us 
