Excited for winter

[Grizzlydog]

I must say that I am excited for winter this year because of getting to learn about raising chickens in frigid weather. I live in northern NY State (right on the Canadian border near Vermont) and our winters are downright brutal. I currently have only 5 chickens, and am holding off on replacing my small Boomer & George coop until next year so they can stay warmer together in the small coop. I do have a nice outdoor run for them and I'm going to either wrap some tarps around the run or put some plywood up to keep it from being filled with snow.
I have been putting my GoPro camera up in the corner of the coop to watch them lay eggs and the kids and I find it absolutely enjoyable.
This winter I'm going to put a small light in there on a timer just to give them a couple extra hours of light and because I want to see them snuggled in during subzero weather. I find this all so fascinating, and I am continually researching how to provide better care for my flock and see to it they are happy, along with making the coop as user friendly as possible.
Over this coming winter I am building a 5x6 saltbox style coop in my garage, and I'm going to add another 8 -10 birds when the warmer weather arrives next year.
Thanks everyone for all the great advice these forums provide!!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'm excited for winter too. Your chickens don't necessarily keep each other warm. A smaller coop might be harder in winter. With deep snow and cold temperatures your birds could end up confined for days. Covering the run could end up causing condensation and extra moisture which is bad in winter, so make sure you have good ventilation and don't close them up too much.

Another thing to think about is chickens can get bored during winter confinement, and sometimes picking can occur, so make sure you have things to keep them busy and moving which can keep them warmer.

A chicken can keep itself warm during winter. Provide warm water at least twice a day, good ventilation, a proper roost, things to do, block the prevailing winds, perhaps a warm mash on those cold days, some hay to stand on and scratch around in, some scratch to scratch for, and a patch of sunshine to sit in if it's shining, and your birds will be fine.

 

[Grizzlydog]

Thank you very much. My coop is tiny and I'm going to run an electrical heat tape around their water supply to keep it from freezing. I'll give them some activities inside the coop and also try and keep them as warm as possible. I'm looking forward to it!!

 

[aart]

small Boomer & George coop

I hope the snow up there doesn't completely bury it!
Is tiny coop inside bigger run...post pics please?

so they can stay warmer together in the small coop

This is a bit of a fallacy...adequate ventilation makes 'holding heat' moot.
Ventilation much more important than heat, they are wearing down coats .

a 5x6 saltbox style coop in my garage, and I'm going to add another 8 -10 birds when the warmer weather arrives next year

Go bigger. 5x6 will be very tight for the 5 plus another 8-10.