First winter with my chickies!!...

[gladimsaved]

I have 4 chicks, 2 roosters (they were supposed to be girls!) and one duck (we had 3, but had to get rid of the 2 males). I put the duck up with the chickies at night. I do not provide them food or water for those hours.

It's to be in the teens for lows tomorrow night..can you all please help with what I still need to do for them?? The coop should be fine, but we just stapled up some tarps to cover the 2 sides of their run. Unfortunately they are blue instead of clear. Is that ok for them?? Is that too much coverage, or would it be best to tarp the small ends of the run also?

Thank you all for your words of wisdom, as I'm a first time chickie mama, heading into a season I DESPISE, but want to make as comfy as possible for them!!!!!

 

[lazy gardener]

Pic of your set up please. Age of birds? If they are fully feathered, they should be fine with freezing temps as long as they are dry and not in a drafty area. No matter the time of year, adequate ventilation is good. I staple clear plastic around my winter run to cut the wind. It helps a lot, while giving them lots of sunshine.

 

[blackdog043]

Pics will help, to see what your talking about, with the run. Blue tarps will be ok, but clear plastic would be better, it would let more light through.

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!

Yes, pics ....and add your location to your profile please.

Do you have a way/plan to keep water liquid?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Your concerns are really common for first time chicken owners. But after you see your chickens go through a winter those attitudes tend to change quite a bit. That's all normal.

To allow your chickens to keep themselves warm and comfortable when temperatures go below freezing you need to provide them with three things: protection from strong breezes, good ventilation, and a dry place. With their down coats they can manage from there.

It would really help us a lot to know how old they are. Since you were able to tell those ducks sex I'd guess the chicks are well over 2 months old but I hate to assume. I think there is an outstanding chance you don’t have to worry about them as far as age. Photos and sizes of your coop and run in feet or meters could also help a lot. I think you are in great shape but it would be good to confirm that.

Knowing approximately where you live could help too, at least whether you are north or south of the equator. From your post I’d assume you are in the States since you mention temperatures in the teens. I’m guessing that is Fahrenheit and we’re one of the few place in the world not in the tropics that still use that scale, though Canada uses both Fahrenheit and Celsius.

I don’t see that blue tarp being any kind of problem whatsoever because it is blue. So what if it doesn’t let a lot of light through. Plenty of people keep their chickens in the coop section only in winter and those walls are often made of wood that doesn’t let any light in at all. They depend on windows for light. With the end of your run open you are providing them a sheltered place out of the wind with a big window on the end.

My only concern in all of this is how that tarp is attached, with those staples. Will a good wind rip the tarps off? I don’t know how it is attached. You might consider using furring strips. By that I mean a strip of wood maybe ½” to ¾” thick to fit over the connection and screw that on, drilling pilot holes to help start the screws and keep the wood from splitting. That helps keep it from ripping off and makes it a lot easier to take that tarp off later.

As I said I think you are in great shape but a few photos might and a bit more information might confirm that.