First winter with chickens ... a couple questions

[MIChickandGuinea]

Hey MichiNeighbor!
I keep my feed and water in the coop.
Easier for me, especially during my harsh winters, and my run is not covered,
and because I use supplemental lighting it's essential for the birds.
But I have a roomy walk-in coop, no rodent problems, a spill proof-waste free feeder, and use a horizontal nipple waterer.

I close all windows but have beau coup eave venting and put some cardboard over the roosts to deflect some drafts that can get strong there. No heat used ever.
I have 6x16 coop space(plus another 30sqft of roost boards) for 17 birds, tried keeping a few more last year, it wasn't pretty during the days long storms we can get. But my the majority of my run is rather unprotected and I only shovel out part of it, so the extra coop space is essential IMO.

I don't change my feed regime except to grow some wheat fodder here and there to add green cheer for both the chickens and myself(just my eyes, I don't eat the stuff-haha).

Oh, also - I was planning to put in some "shelves" - not for storage, but to give the birds multi-level choices (shelves like broad ledges under windows, in corners, etc). Are chickens self-preserving enough to seek shelter under a covered place like under a shelf, if the drafts in the coop get strong during a windy blizzard? Or will they sit in a draft and suffer if that's the prettiest roosting spot? I am really struggling with the balance between major huge amounts of ventilation (as I am repeatedly urged to provide) vs. protection from drafts. Will they snuggle up together if they're cold, like penguins do?

 

[PirateGirl]

Hi, everyone! This will be my first Michigan winter with chickens, and I want to be sure that I'm well set up to keep the ladies happy and healthy. To start with, we have 10 chickens - 1 rooster and 9 layers (Leghorn, marans, easter-egger, light brahma, isa brown).

I would have thought that it would be best to keep the food/water inside their coop (which is fairly large - 4'x8' floor, with elevated sidecar nesting boxes, and a roof tall enough for a person to stand up inside ... perches, ledges, etc. available for additional "personal space" for birds to move around in). But I am gathering that most people keep food/water outside of the coop, in the covered run?? What's the reason for this?

What is the best way to make sure that there's non-frozen, CLEAN water available? I use a nipple waterer right now, because it's so much cleaner than the drinkers with the tray around the bottom. But I worry that in very cold weather, the valves will freeze up even if the water has a submerged heater to keep it from freezing.

I keep reading about people adjusting their feed regimen to provide winter weather support to their flock, but there's a huge variety of approaches. Is there a ready-made feed product or additive that I can get that will give the girls what they need without me needing to be a full-time chef/mixologist for birds?

VENTILATION and HEATING!! I know that ventilation is a huge deal for chickens, and most of the year, it's not a problem - we have sliders and windows all over the place to keep airflow going. But when it gets very cold (or if a nasty windy blizzard is howling), I imagine we should close the windows to let the ladies conserve their body heat. But then there's the concern of the humidity from their respiration accumulating, condensing, and causing frostbite. The roof of their coop has insulation boards in it, but the rest of the coop is not heated or insulated ... because I was told that heating the coop can cause under-developed feather/down development and temperature shock when they spend time outside. So does anyone have guidelines about HOW COLD it can be and have the chickens still safe/comfortable with some open windows/vents? And is there a temperature at which a panel heater or overhead heat light would be a good idea? I absolutely know that this can all be managed, because loads of people in our area keep chickens. I just want to make sure that I'm properly prepared so that I don't lose any of our little friends to "learning things the hard way".

All of your questions will have answers that are primarily personal preference and your birds will survive either way. In other words, you probably can't mess up too much here is what I do...

Food and water in the run only, never in the coop. I find it keeps the bedding in the coop cleaner longer. It also forces the birds to get up an about for breakfast and seeing it outside it's easier for me to see if they need more food or if their water spilled or froze or whatever. Also we have lots of rodents and I don't want them in the coop. BUT in the summer sometimes I put food in the coop because I'm sick of also feeding the wild birds and prairie dogs.

I only have 5 chickens and find that a heated dog bowl is sufficient for water. I fill it with fresh once a day and that's it. It holds a gallon and a half.

My ventilation runs the length of the roof. It's always open 24 hours a day regardless of weather and does not have a way to close it up. It's designed in a way that a draft cannot blow on the birds in the coop.

I do not heat the coop now that the girls are near full grown. I have insulation board in the roof but otherwise the coop is not insulated. I throw a few extra inches of pine shavings in the bottom on days it's especially cold. The girls have been fine down into the single digits so far and a few 24 hour spells where it never got above freezing.

I have not changed their food. It's cold here much of the year and could be below freezing any night of the year. I sometimes throw them some scratch or veggies before they go to roost. If nothing else it makes them a bit more active and gets the blood flowing.

 

[PirateGirl]

Oh, also - I was planning to put in some "shelves" - not for storage, but to give the birds multi-level choices (shelves like broad ledges under windows, in corners, etc). Are chickens self-preserving enough to seek shelter under a covered place like under a shelf, if the drafts in the coop get strong during a windy blizzard? Or will they sit in a draft and suffer if that's the prettiest roosting spot? I am really struggling with the balance between major huge amounts of ventilation (as I am repeatedly urged to provide) vs. protection from drafts. Will they snuggle up together if they're cold, like penguins do?

Sometimes we affectionately calm our chickens "the idiots" but they do know how to stay out of the wind. I have seen them scratching about outside and then a big gust comes and they all run and huddle behind their wind break or go in the coop. If you give them a good draft free spot they should figure it out eventually.

 

[aart]

Aart - thanks for the ideas on the feeder and waterer. A couple clarification questions. For the feeder, do I understand that it's a big water bottle like from one of those office water coolers, a 5-gallon bucket with lid, and 2" PVC pipe? And that's it? It looks very do-able!! I will probably also make one for my free-ranged guinea fowl, who like to act like they're WILD BIRDS, and make an unholy mess with their food.

And for the waterer, why did you decide to use an aquarium heater instead of one of the commercially available submersible water heaters for livestock? There are many made/offered for heating water in a 5-gallon bucket. What advantage did you see in using the aquarium heater?

Simple, those other heaters won't fit thru the neck of the bottle I was already using, and wanted to keep using....plus warmer water/nipples to deter nipples from freezing. I've had these be fine down to -12F, then the spring and pin can lock up, I think the warmer water lowers the' free point'. I tracked the power costs with a Kil-A-Watt meter for a whole, really cold winter, came up to like $2-3 bucks per month average. I also bought a good heater($30), first cheap one failed fast.

And how do you secure those nipple water valves so that they don't leak? I have several waterers that I have made over the past few months, and they always start out fine and end up leaking. Ugh!!

Gotta have a the 'touch'. ....and be 'thread savvy'.
Bolt threads, not forum threads..haha!
There's couple key things when installing threaded nipples into any vessel.
Here's a couple posts where I explained, I should consolidate these into an article.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/8...ing-loaded-watering-nipples/330#post_14593735
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/8...ing-loaded-watering-nipples/210#post_14202676

 

[aart]

Oh, also - I was planning to put in some "shelves" - not for storage, but to give the birds multi-level choices (shelves like broad ledges under windows, in corners, etc). Are chickens self-preserving enough to seek shelter under a covered place like under a shelf, if the drafts in the coop get strong during a windy blizzard? Or will they sit in a draft and suffer if that's the prettiest roosting spot? I am really struggling with the balance between major huge amounts of ventilation (as I am repeatedly urged to provide) vs. protection from drafts. Will they snuggle up together if they're cold, like penguins do?

Eh.....they would rather all roost together, better to provide a draft free roost area then try to stick other spots all around. Balance between ventilation and drafts is delicate and can be tricky, much depends on your coop configuration. Post pics of coop for more specific suggestions.

@PirateGirl please add your location to your profile so we can evaluate how your climate relates to ours.

 

[PirateGirl]

@PirateGirl please add your location to your profile so we can evaluate how your climate relates to ours.[/QUOTE]

I've tried, and I can't! Maybe it will work on a desktop, but I get error messages on my phone.

I'm in South Park, Colorado, USA

 

[aart]

@PirateGirl please add your location to your profile so we can evaluate how your climate relates to ours.

I've tried, and I can't! Maybe it will work on a desktop, but I get error messages on my phone.

I'm in South Park, Colorado, USA[/QUOTE]
I can see it under your avatar now, Thanks!!

 

[MIChickandGuinea]

Eh.....they would rather all roost together, better to provide a draft free roost area then try to stick other spots all around. Balance between ventilation and drafts is delicate and can be tricky, much depends on your coop configuration. Post pics of coop for more specific suggestions.

@PirateGirl please add your location to your profile so we can evaluate how your climate relates to ours.

Aart, coop is under construction. It’s 4x8 and 6.5’ tall at the high side, 4.75’ tall on the short side. The overall structure is 16’ long, and the roof will cover all of that. So 4’x8’ is the enclosed coop and 4’x8’ is covered pen/run. This will connect to our existing 8’x12’ run (of which 4’x8’ is covered). Those nest boxes (a row of 4) are 12”x14”x14”. Approx 2’x2’ windows on every wall. 22”x5.5’ person door into coop and same size into pen. 2” gap at eaves all around, under 10” overhang. Roof will be insulated to prevent condensation/sweating. No other insulation planned at this time, but structure allow easy after-the-fact addition of insulation if needed. Windows will be framed, piano-hinged, plexiglass with hardware cloth behind, and weather stripping at closure to maximize my ability to deal with drafts from different angles during different weather/seasonal situations. Coop will face north, pen south, with the high side of the coop (and largest light-allowing window) facing east. Most of our storms and winds come from the north and west, so the coop will provide a wind-break in the worst conditions. There is one huge window in the coop, in the wall that is contiguous with the pen, so that they can have one window that is NOT facing the prevailing wind and NOT at risk for rain or snow blowing in. There is a hinged panel at the bottom of the north end of the coop to allow easy shovel-out intro a waiting tractor bucket. There will be lofts/roosts above the nest boxes, and in a couple places at window height.

 

[NikAndHerChicks]

Hi fellow Michigander! You're already getting some great advice, so I won't chime in too much. Mainly want to comment to follow this thread... some great questions. I'm still pretty much a newbie (only had my flock for a little over a year and a half). I do keep my feed & water in the run, but mainly because I have ducks & they're slobs!

 

[aart]

Sweet!!
Will you leave eaves open, but covered with 1/2" HC, front and back?
That should provide great air flow for ventilation.
Air flow can be easily dampened/re-directed near roosts
by tacking cardboard(or something) on the undersides of rafters near roosts.
Where will roosts be?

Will the windows be top hinged?
I love this for windows open all summer, even during rains.