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Golden buff

In the Brooder
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Hello fellow chicken lovers! I live in NE Ohio. My story begins with my brother bringing me fresh eggs from a guy at work. I love cracking those eggs and seeing that yellow/ orange yolk. I didn’t want grocery store eggs again. This year I ordered day old chickens from Meyers Hatchery and picked 3 orders on different days. After raising them up old enough to be in a run one batch went home with my son and one batch went home with my daughter. The last batch I kept for myself. Unfortunately the ones I kept were such a small group of 3 little chicks and that wasn’t enough. So after looking on line I found someone selling 5-7 week old chicks. They were ISA Browns and a Perl Star Leghorn. I already had 2 Easter Eggers and a Golden Buff and were 7 weeks old so I thought the ISA Browns and Leghorn would be about the same size and because they were about the same age would be perfect together. So that’s my flock. I love watching them running around and am so glad I decided to raise chickens. I bought a Omlet Pro coop and have a 18 x 18 foot run also from Omlet. Easy to clean but I am worried about winter weather and the small coop. I’m hoping for advice on this site. I’m new to all of this and wanting to do the best I can for my chickens. Your advice is always welcome and appreciated!
 
Welcome!

Most important things to keep in mind when designing a coop for winter are 1. Space as they will be spending more time inside than usual and that can make birds more testy with each other (you want 4sqft of coop space per bird) and 2. Plenty of draft free ventilation. You want at least a square foot of ventilation per bird but more is better especially if it gets very hot. If you don't have enough ventilation moisture can build up in the coop and cause frostbite. It is not the cold itself that's a problem in winter, it's the moisture. Unfortunately omlet coops aren't the best coops in this regard as they are small with poor ventilation. They work best in very mild climates for very small flocks that get along well in close confinement but even then they aren't great
 
FrostRanger said:
Welcome!

Most important things to keep in mind when designing a coop for winter are 1. Space as they will be spending more time inside than usual and that can make birds more testy with each other (you want 4sqft of coop space per bird) and 2. Plenty of draft free ventilation. You want at least a square foot of ventilation per bird but more is better especially if it gets very hot. If you don't have enough ventilation moisture can build up in the coop and cause frostbite. It is not the cold itself that's a problem in winter, it's the moisture. Unfortunately omlet coops aren't the best coops in this regard as they are small with poor ventilation. They work best in very mild climates for very small flocks that get along well in close confinement but even then they aren't great
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I wish I would have looked around more when buying a coop. What sold me on Omlet was the fact that they were so easy to clean and weren't suppose to harbor any bugs. All that sounded wonderful. I didn't want a big flock so it all seemed like the perfect coop. Now that I have read more articles about raising chickens I regret buying it.
 
janiedoe said:
Welcome to BYC! Have you tried looking on Craigslist for a shed to convert? How are your carpentry skills? If you can use a skill saw & a drill, (and honestly, almost anyone can) you can throw something together.
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Hello! Yes I have been thinking about seeing if I can find something else on Craig's list or maybe Facebook. Then keep the Omlet for a bully or a sick chicken. I just hate that I dished out so much money for a coop that isn't turning out to be so great.
 

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