Coop in snowstorm 2/11, how's yours holding up?

[darkmatter]

It's been snowing since this morning and we have 6 inches of snow already with another 18 hours of snow predicted. So far, the chickens have been doing fine. It's 16 degrees outside with blowing snow and it's still above freezing inside the Coop due to a combination of chicken body heat and the 18 inches of deep litter composting in the sub-ground level dirt floor. (See my BYC page for good weather pics of the Coop/Run setup)

 

[cfdf]

NO snow here just ice/sleet and strong strong cold winds. The ice isn't too bad now. Some has melted due to the wind hitting it. The temp is in the 20's suppose to go to the lower teens here...chill factor into the negative tonight. My chickens are doing Great so far. I didn't think they would want to go out in that horrible wind and cold but they have. They are on the South side where the wind doesn't hit them so bad. I will close the coop and chickens up tight tonight with a heat lamp on them. I am a bit worried about them. Not because of the temp but because of the temp. swings from the 70's to the teens in a 24 hour period. This doesn't give the chickens here time to adjust. It's a shock to them I am sure. I know it's a shock to me!

BUT..I won't complain...you guys up North have it sooo bad. I will keep my fingers crossed that all your chickies stay safe and warm through the week. We are expecting the temps to stay in the 20's and lower this week with a chance of snow and ice again on Friday. I plan to stay as snug as bug in the rug by my fireplace

(OH OK...I'll go outside and take care of the critters but that's as far as I'm a goin!)

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

No pics (maybe tomorrow) but we got 5 inches and are expecting more tomorrow after getting freezing rain tonight. Cleared the roof of the tractor and shoveled out the run. Girls went out and stayed out all day. It was around 26 in the tractor and 17 outside. Deep litter method in the tractor helps.

 

[DutchieWannabe]

trying to send good vibes to you all in the middle of the storm...

we are fairly cold here -Idaho- (days around freezing temps) but otherwise sunny with pretty blue skies. the ladies are loving it,

almost like spring (or the sun brings the hope of spring)

but with this storm i am not sure that groundhog will even get out of his home tomorrow to check for his shadow!!!!

stay warm!!! make ur chooks a hot breakfast tomorrow!

 

[patandchickens]

We are only supposed to get a foot or so of snow and I have zero concerns about my coop, but will say here for the benefit of anyone anticipating this storm (or experiencing it) who may read this thread:

IF YOUR RUN IS ROOFED OR HAS A TARPED OR WIRE-MESH TOP, go out and add additional vertical props NOW, remove run-top tarps if that's reasonable, also go out and sweep snow off the top as frequently as you can during the storm.

Even though this is not an unusually wet-snow type storm, I expect there will be a bunch of flattened runs among forum members (sometimes doing great structural damage that is real hard and obnoxious and expensive to fix), and it is pretty avoidable in most cases. Even mesh (wire or otherwise) can catch a large load of snow, especially if the snow is wet or starts out as freezing rain, so do not be counting on 'oh it will just fall thru the holes in my run top' cuz usually in a big snowfall it won't and snow is heavy.

Just a heads-up, good luck to all,

Pat

 

[foxinachickenhouse]

You make an excellent point Pat, as usual. I can imagine how quickly ventilation can freeze over as well. When our little freezing rain blew in this year, I had the north side vents closed, the ice came from the SE and left only one small west vent clear. That would not have worked for long.

Our weather is currently mild here in the PNW, but it looks like much of the rest of the continent is taking a whipping. I have been wondering, how hardy are the birds for wild temperature fluctuations? I wonder about my friends in Texas who saw 80F a few days ago and now have 5F. That seems very stressful. We can sometimes fluctuate 40 degrees in a day or two but 75!?

 

[happychickengirls]

Well I am here in Ct. and we are getting hit with another snow storm once again. We have gotten about 71
inches or snow already plus about another 6 inches last night. Its crazy!!!! Here is a pic of my coop. Yes we do
snowblow a path to it every snowstorm and yes I did go and clean off the top of it since we are getting more snow.
Its holding up however the hardware wire cloth on the outside which is covered now with plastic has sagged a bit.
Thats why I went up to clear it off!!! What we do for our chickens.........

 

[abChicken]

This global warming is killing me

 

[CopperCT]

Quote:
Also in CT. We have removed snow from the run three times this winter as it was bowing with the weight although one area with a gap in the tarps has the deer wire hanging down about two feet into the run as it's full of frozen crusty snow. I expect we'll be clearing the roof of the run off again tomorrow while we worry about the weight on the roof of the porches and house itself... there's well over three feet up there and the ice dams are sending a steady stream of water into our dining room and bathroom. There's lots of pots on the floor catching the drips. All the while the chickens are nice and dry.

And now MORE snow ice and rain are coming....sheesh!

It's an old victorian house with roofs of every angle and impossible to clear safely three stories up.

Sigh......so sick of the snow. All we can hope is the house has been here 100+ years and has lasted this long so hopefully it can handle it. No worries about the coop though...that was built to last. Chickens are doing great...they don't even seem to care but the dog is soooooooo bored. There's no where left to run around.

 

[babyrnlc]

We put a tarp (actually a tent) over the coop and a tarp over the run. The run only has 1 inch to a dusting in the run. The coop was dry when I checked it this morning. The girls were fine and happy, even had two frozen eggs (so both layed). They were up on the perches, came down when I put the cracked corn in. I had to replace the water. They seemed happy and clucky.

We got 12-18 inches of snow (pretty rare for Oklahoma) and it was a blizzard. The nice thing was the way the snow blew, there was a sort of path all the way to the coop! It was like 1-2 inches there, with drifts on either side!!