cold

[mudbogs]

we will be negative 27 with t he wind chill we have such the hatch door as they haven't been coming out we are having issues with there water freezing we are changing the water out a few times a day, we have a 60 watt bulb and a 40 watt bulb inside the coop to help with the frigid air just having issues with the water freezing any suggestion?
the coop is off the ground as we have wheels on it in case we ever want to move them to another area of the run, where we have them at now the wind isn't as bad plus we took on the fencing an put wind blocker of heavy duty plastic stapled around various parts of the run.
thank you

 

[xmonster0]

get some heated bases for your waterers and that will help alittle, but with those temps the water will probably still freeze

go get a red heat lamp bulb it will put off more heat in the cold than a regular light bulb and the red will keep them fro pecking each other so much

 

[Coop de Cuse]

It was -27 here, also (wind chill), -3 actual. I was very surprised to see the temp in the coop at almost 30. No heat, no insulation and I have ventilation.

I have problems with the water freezing, so I use smaller waterers, and change them when they freeze (about twice a day). I take the water out of the coop at night since they don't drink while sleeping and give them fresh in the morning and start the process all over. It is not really worth the cost of buying a water heater since they get a lot of water in their food.

If you don't want to change the water, buy a heated dog bowl and that will help

 

[annagarret]

Did you wrap your coop with tarps?

 

[Coop de Cuse]

I sealed all the spaces between the wood with caulk over the summer, but had to cover the addition with plastic (just regular rolled plastic from home depot) because it was too cold to caulk.
I also pile up the snow around the coop to keep the heat in. That might help if you gets lots of snow...it works as insulation.
What kind of bedding do you use?

 

[annagarret]

Great idea with the snow as we are getting 10 inches as we speak. I use hay for bedding. I read it traps heat better than pine shavings. The coop is wrapped in plastic and tarp.

 

[Coop de Cuse]

Make sure you have ventilation to get rid of the fumes from the poo and reduce the humidity...that's important. I leave my slider windows open just a few inches to make sure they are getting fresh air, no matter what the temp is and I have permanent ventilation in the addition. Fresh air is key to healthy chickens

Hay is good for heat, but not very good at drying out since it does not have the properties of shavings and sand and, yes, it gets moldy when wet and you don't want that happening! I use hay for the dirt floor (I have 3 levels in my tiny coop). The hay on the floor takes a beating and insulates the dirt floor. When it gets worn out, I just rake and put in fresh. I have only used 2 bales of hay since September.

The coop itself has the mixture. I use a combination of a bottom layer of sand mixed with PDZ and I cover the sand in large shavings. The sand dries out the moisture and the PDZ is a freshener (also a drying agent). I then cover the sand and PDZ with large shavings (which also dry out moisture). It took me a while to find the right combination and I hardly have to completely change out the bedding. You can kind of see in the photo what I mean. I will have to take some more photos of the actual bedding

I get the sand from home depot (the sand in the tube bags for the back of a truck--cheap). I use about 70lbs for the whole coop, give or take. I am still on my original bag of PDZ since August and the shavings are $4 a bag. I am very generous with the shavings. They last a long time and are easy to clean up and the birds love playing in it. The bedding doubles as a dust bowl for when the chicks want to roll around, so no need for an additional area for that. And they get their grit from the sand since it is not the filtered play sand, there are all different sizes of pebbles and sand mixed.

I used to put a layer of DE on top of the shavings when I changed it out, but DE is not cost effective, creates a dust storm inside the coops, and becomes useless when wet.

If you have any other question, don't hesitate to ask

I hope this helps

 

[annagarret]

Thank you!

I have a small flock of 3 hens in a very little coop and run. I am going to utilize all the snow to create an igloo effect on top of adding more hay inside. I actually switched to a smaller waterer that gives them more room but I have to check on it every 2 hrs

. When my husband built the coop last year I knew nothing about ventilation. With that being said there are some natural cracks in the little upstairs door that I think have worked for natural ventilation. I have never had any sickness or disease. As you can see, they are in an open field. Applying the plastic and tarps has really helped with the wind. Do you think it is to small for 3 hens? They seem happy and chirp and talk when I go to see them. I haven't found any injuries or pecking abuse. I give them veggies every day and open their door for a while, while I babysit, to give them an option to walk out.

​

chicken

 

[bobbi-j]

we will be negative 27 with t he wind chill we have such the hatch door as they haven't been coming out we are having issues with there water freezing we are changing the water out a few times a day, we have a 60 watt bulb and a 40 watt bulb inside the coop to help with the frigid air just having issues with the water freezing any suggestion?
the coop is off the ground as we have wheels on it in case we ever want to move them to another area of the run, where we have them at now the wind isn't as bad plus we took on the fencing an put wind blocker of heavy duty plastic stapled around various parts of the run.
thank you

It was -27 here, also (wind chill), -3 actual. I was very surprised to see the temp in the coop at almost 30. No heat, no insulation and I have ventilation.

I have problems with the water freezing, so I use smaller waterers, and change them when they freeze (about twice a day). I take the water out of the coop at night since they don't drink while sleeping and give them fresh in the morning and start the process all over. It is not really worth the cost of buying a water heater since they get a lot of water in their food.

If you don't want to change the water, buy a heated dog bowl and that will help

The best thing I have found for keeping water from freezing is a heated water bowl. Even in this cold, they don't freeze up. I have one for the chickens and one for the outside cats. Since you have bulbs in your coop, you must have a place to keep one plugged in. Even if they're getting water in their food, I'd keep plenty of fresh water on hand in this cold. Animals can dehydrate easily when it's brutally cold outside.

 

[annagarret]

Does the heated water bowl run on batteries? I can't run electrical out to my coop.