For those who DON'T heat in the winter....

[scooter147]

I have tried the vaseline on the wattles and combs on my roosters. It does seem to work but you have to be vigilant about it. It does wear off quickly and especially when the rooster dust bath, they rub it right off.
The wattles seem to suffer the most on the rooster as they get them wet while drinking.

 

[sussexgal]

Just a touch below Utica, NY here but up in elevation. Winter brings us temps that go minus 10 or more.... on the coldest nights I turn on a heat lamp for the kids. So far no troubles. Even with temps at -20 F. My coop is solid but not insulated.

 

[Harley's girl]

I am in north east Ohio, last winter we got down to -5 or something like that but the wind chill was -20! I do not heat. I lost 2 silkies and 3 frizzles. I did have issues with frost bite. But this winter I will be putting Vaseline on their combs. I have a few young roosters that have large combs and I do not want them to lose their points.

My birds free range all winter long. I have heated waterers (yes they are pricey) but if was worth the investment. Good luck to you this winter.

Yeah, you live in an extremely cold winter location.lol... anything north of the 40th parallel.

Sorry I can't help you as I live in Phoenix... My birds survived 116 this summer.

My heart hurts for you to have such horrible winters! I sure hope all is well for you this summer....er I mean winter! LOL

 

[momofdrew]

Quote:
Thanks for the info I was thinking of buying hay for the inside of the run and straw to stack up around the outside of the coop...I use the straw for mulching anyways...we are below 0 by January & last year we had 10 feet of snow should I put sand or shavings on the floor of the run????
Pam

 

[curly_kate]

My DH & I have just started discussing what to do in the winter, as this will be our first with the gals.

We have a mesh floor in our coop. How do you insulate that? I saw someone mention hay bales. If we stacked them around outside the base of the coop, would that work? Seems like it would be more insulating than just nailing boards around the bottom. Also, is it OK to range them during the winter? Ours have a run that we move around.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Cut a piece of plywood to cover the mesh, fitting very closely at the edges so no drafty gaps. Then put a THICK layer of shavings on it, like 8-10+ inches (you can gradually add more as the winter goes on) so that not only does the bedding act as insulation but they can snuggle down in it to help keep warm too.

Stacking haybales around the coop is fine, just remember they can become a mouse or mold farm and you just wanna keep an eye out.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Chickenaddict]

Quote:
Thanks for the info I was thinking of buying hay for the inside of the run and straw to stack up around the outside of the coop...I use the straw for mulching anyways...we are below 0 by January & last year we had 10 feet of snow should I put sand or shavings on the floor of the run????
Pam

The run I have is just dirt floor but i add several layers of straw or hay in the winter on top of the bales i set in there for them to roost or dig in. Glad i could help a bit

 

[The Chicken Lady]

In Michigan, I kept RIRs and Barred Rock x Leghorns in a non-heated coop. I had lots of birds (they would snuggle together on the roost for warmth) and used the deep little method (TONS of straw). I covered the windows with Visqueen to keep the drafts out. I also gave the chickens plenty of cracked corn to eat along with their usual laying mash. I usually made a wet mash for them with hot water so they could have a warm meal.

I figured that if the wild birds could survive outdoors, the chickens (who have more fat) would do okay. I never had any problems with keeping them this way.

 

[1Chick Magnet]

at what temp do you need to start being concerned about drafts, water freezing, heaters and insulation? this is my first winter. we are still building. coop is up and birds are in. insulation on 1 wall so far. wondering how fast we need to work.

 

[momofdrew]

water freezes at 32 degrees