First Winter

[my2gs]

Hi everyone. We are new to chickens. Our girls are currently 5 months old. I'm concerned about their first winter here in central Ohio.

- We live up on a hill where it gets pretty windy. Here is our current set up. It is uninsulated.
- Their window faces west and their roosting bar is on that side of the coop under the window.
- Their door/ramp faces north.
- There's a man door on the southside
- Their exterior mounted nesting boxes are on the east side.

What would you suggest for winterizing their coop and run to keep them happy and healthy this winter? We have already purchased a heated waterer and my husband just ran electric to their coop.

 

[Penpal]

The air coming in needs to be above their heads when on the roosting bar. You may need to put a window under the eaves and close the one shown in the picture. You can also raise the roof and put hardware cloth between the walls and roof.

Since the prevailing winds come from the north, turn the coop so the doorway is on the south side. If that is not feasible, place a wall a couple of feet from the doorway to block the wind.

 

[my2gs]

The air coming in needs to be above their heads when on the roosting bar. You may need to put a window under the eaves and close the one shown in the picture. You can also raise the roof and put hardware cloth between the walls and roof.

Since the prevailing winds come from the north, turn the coop so the doorway is on the south side. If that is not feasible, place a wall a couple of feet from the doorway to block the wind.

We plan on keeping that window shut in winter. They do have roof and eave ventilation. We thought about putting straw bales around the open area under the coop as well as building a straw wind break near their door/ramp.

 

[Chicken butler]

I just moved from Ohio!!!!!!! The hay bale ideas is great! I know a lot of people are against the ideas of heat lamps in the winter for chickens because of the fear of fires, but I have use them for years with no problem. I put a heat lamp above the roost and my girls LOVE IT! I hang it from the roof, get one with a cage on the light. I also use wood chips or hay on the ground to give them something to lay on if they don't want to roost, also I buy poultry cell for their water in the winter, it gives them the minerals they are missing from not foraging. If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to help.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Hi everyone. We are new to chickens. Our girls are currently 5 months old. I'm concerned about their first winter here in central Ohio.

- We live up on a hill where it gets pretty windy. Here is our current set up. It is uninsulated.
- Their window faces west and their roosting bar is on that side of the coop under the window.
- Their door/ramp faces north.
- There's a man door on the southside
- Their exterior mounted nesting boxes are on the east side.

What would you suggest for winterizing their coop and run to keep them happy and healthy this winter? We have already purchased a heated waterer and my husband just ran electric to their coop.

View attachment 4233725

Where do your prevailing winter winds come from?

I saw a mention of north but can’t find where that was posted.

Basically:

Make your coop tight along the three feet or so where they roost, above and below. No breezes blowing directly on them.

A good foot or more above their heads are when they roost, provide openings in the coop wall screened with hardware cloth. This prevents buildups of moisture and ammonia by allowing warm rising air to escape to the outside.

Maybe have an additional air gap near the ground for fresh air to come in.

Unless you’re up around Barrow Alaska or so, you shouldn’t need auxiliary heat. Your chickens are wearing their own down jackets 24/7. But you can’t let drafts blow directly on them when they’re roosting, and you ABSOLUTELY can’t allow moisture/humidity and accompanying ammonia to build-up in a too-tight coop. <- That’s when frostbite etc occurs.

If you simply can’t stand the idea of not having an extra heat source (again, chickens generate a lot of heat all by themselves), look into heat plates, I think they’re called. They are apparently less of a fire hazard.

(Please let me know about this last paragraph. This was a summary of what I’ve learned here from experienced posters. I’ll update with edits if I’m wrong.)

 

[Penpal]

People up here put straw bales under their mobile homes in the winter, I think just around the edge. It must work, so good idea.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I suggest adding a covered area in the run. The chickens won't want to be cooped up all winter but they also don't like snow. They would love an outdoor shelter with dry bedding to scratch in, a dust bath, etc. You can also pick up some windows (you can often find old windows for free) and lean them against the shelter, the coop wall, or some hay bales, facing the sun to create a warm chicken sunroom of sorts.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I suggest adding a covered area in the run. The chickens won't want to be cooped up all winter but they also don't like snow. They would love an outdoor shelter with dry bedding to scratch in, a dust bath, etc. You can also pick up some windows (you can often find old windows for free) and lean them against the shelter, the coop wall, or some hay bales, facing the sun to create a warm chicken sunroom of sorts.

I hadn’t thought of the hay bale liner serving as the base for the windows!

Once things warm up, do you cannibalize the hay for run bedding or garden mulch or ?

 

[StinkyAcres]

Once things warm up, do you cannibalize the hay for run bedding or garden mulch or ?

After sitting outside all winter hay bales usually become very moldy in the center so they should go into the compost or be used as garden mulch.

 

[SourRoses]

After sitting outside all winter hay bales usually become very moldy in the center so they should go into the compost or be used as garden mulch.

Do be careful because a bale with mold growing inside generates heat and they've been known to spontaneously combust. A lot of livestock barn fires started that way until farmers spread the wisdom of separate buildings for hay storage, and only kept soon-to-feed hay in lofts and tack rooms.

It seems like a good idea for a windbreak, but personally I would keep it from touching the coop. I don't know how much space would be needed for true fire safety, but if there's a gap all around I'm just guessing the exterior cool temps would keep internal temps from reaching combustion range...?