Coop Fire - New shed - extremely cold - seramas

[WVduckchick]

It says ‘real feel’on the map I saw. So I’m guessing that’s a bit of wind chill.

F for Fahrenheit my behind!

That’s just nutty to the bone. Those temps are beyond F.

As far as doing chores faster, I have to space them out, doing partials at a time! Plus carry my electric hand warmer. I can only handle a few minutes at a time. Not long enough to cover them all in one trip. And its not half as cold here as there.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

The high for my area went up to 0°! But windchill of -35° is still possible. The snow keeps getting rained on and refreezing. To the point where I almost don't sink in.
Everything is a frozen mess. Then next week we are showing high 30's.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Saturday we get a 26!

Oh. Yes that’s above!

I’ve had that red lamp on so long my girls are starting to lay again. I’m re-activating their ovaries! Lol. Which isn’t horrible but the darn things are frozen and cracked as soon as those magic fluff feathers get off the nest.

I put on DH carharts. Snow pants and coat. I was out for 5-10 minutes. The cold was through the coat in that time. I was cold in carharts!

Anyways. Upper Midwest problems.

 

[Spartan22]

Awh thank you for thinking about us! This weather is relentless! I'm from southern Indiana and have only lived in northeast Ohio for 2 years. I want to move home so badly. This weather makes it worse!

Hey it’s not that bad, it only happens few days in a year. My wife’s from Florida, she hated NE Ohio for couple of years then I can’t convince her to move back few years later.

 

[Aleelupton]

I forgot to add a picture of our warming box. We added a second box on top for more roosting room. The chickens seem to like the rafters more than our box though...

 

[The Lazy L]

... Our chickens huddled in one corner basically on top of each other this evening...

Chickens don't handle new (strange to them) very well. It's possible they are huddling not from being cold but because they are scared.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

I am really late in posting, but I just wanted to back someone else’s post when they said to do the deep liter method. Leave the poops in it, just turn it every so often and add new fresh bedding on top. The composting poo/bedding combo below will start to decompose and as it does this it will add heat. (Compost gets hot). Obviously you don’t want heavy ammonia scents choking your birds, but the extra litter will insulate the coop floor from the cold ground. I’d insulte the walls as well, as long as it’s covered up with plywood sheeting. I’ve also sometimes made straw bale “boxes” or huts to put my hens in. They don’t like it so much because I didn’t have a roost for them, (could be easily fashioned with a two by four built in between bales) but it was warmer in that small insulated place within the coop.

These two things can raise the heat in your coop about 10 degrees. I’m always amazed how much comfier I feel as I step into my coop in the most fridgid of winter days. Both the bird’s body heat and these other factors make it warmer.

Oh, and flat roosts-like 2 x4 ‘s helps the chickens cover their whole feet with belly feathers. Keeps the ties from the nip of being frost bitten.


I’ve been looking into some “natural” methods of heating- one using compost and the other using aluminum can “solar panels”. When it comes to fridgid winter days, I think flocks just need supplemental heating to keep the bite of freeze off. They seem to do well in 36*F to 50*F. Their feathers make them amazingly adaptable.


For my Seramas, I use large heavy duty packing cardboard boxes modified with doors cut out placed over and outside of pet heating pads. I then use old used torn up ski jackets to cover the whole box plus the openings/doorways to keep the heat in. When winter is done throw out the dusty box. Replace when prepping for winter. Wash the ski jacket and store it for next year. ... I’ve had great luck with this until I got rats in my coop- luckily I had the heating pads off at the time, but the rats had chewed right through the extension cords. So, rats, mice... any critter having a hankering for plastic cord could be hazardous.

Your new coop looks great. I’m so sorry to hear about your misfortune with the last, but so glad to hear your chickens werent harmed.

 

[Aleelupton]

I am really late in posting, but I just wanted to back someone else’s post when they said to do the deep liter method. Leave the poops in it, just turn it every so often and add new fresh bedding on top. The composting poo/bedding combo below will start to decompose and as it does this it will add heat. (Compost gets hot). Obviously you don’t want heavy ammonia scents choking your birds, but the extra litter will insulate the coop floor from the cold ground. I’d insulte the walls as well, as long as it’s covered up with plywood sheeting. I’ve also sometimes made straw bale “boxes” or huts to put my hens in. They don’t like it so much because I didn’t have a roost for them, (could be easily fashioned with a two by four built in between bales) but it was warmer in that small insulated place within the coop.

These two things can raise the heat in your coop about 10 degrees. I’m always amazed how much comfier I feel as I step into my coop in the most fridgid of winter days. Both the bird’s body heat and these other factors make it warmer.

Oh, and flat roosts-like 2 x4 ‘s helps the chickens cover their whole feet with belly feathers. Keeps the ties from the nip of being frost bitten.


I’ve been looking into some “natural” methods of heating- one using compost and the other using aluminum can “solar panels”. When it comes to fridgid winter days, I think flocks just need supplemental heating to keep the bite of freeze off. They seem to do well in 36*F to 50*F. Their feathers make them amazingly adaptable.


For my Seramas, I use large heavy duty packing cardboard boxes modified with doors cut out placed over and outside of pet heating pads. I then use old used torn up ski jackets to cover the whole box plus the openings/doorways to keep the heat in. When winter is done throw out the dusty box. Replace when prepping for winter. Wash the ski jacket and store it for next year. ... I’ve had great luck with this until I got rats in my coop- luckily I had the heating pads off at the time, but the rats had chewed right through the extension cords. So, rats, mice... any critter having a hankering for plastic cord could be hazardous.

Your new coop looks great. I’m so sorry to hear about your misfortune with the last, but so glad to hear your chickens werent harmed.

That's awesome advice! Thank you so much! The coop remodel is coming along now and we are so happy with it. Insulating the walls has helped keep the coop 10ish degrees warmer than outside. We also put in a floor so it's easier to clean and hold some warmth in!

 

[Willowspirit]

I was just looking at this. Do you think it would put out enough heat to be beneficial in a space that large? I feel like with 16 chickens I may need several so they could all be near the heat.

I have two of these. It's important to know they are radiant heat and not designed to heat the whole coop. The chickens get warm from it because it warms them, not the air. They can get closer and farther away as they need. It uses much less electricity this way and is much less dangerous than a heat lamp.