General Winterization Thread

[HuffleClaw]

When do you start winterizing your coops? Weather wise.

And how low do you let the temperature go before using a heatlamp?

I’m thinking this year’s winter will be colder than others. It’s going to be 45°F tonight. I’ve already put plenty of hay as well as tarps on my coops.

I just received 18 new babies this morning from a Hatchery shipment. I know for SURE they’ll probably need a heat lamp whenever they go outside. I’ve gotten a pretty solid plan for that.

Feel free to share your winterizing tips and include pictures, if you’d like!

-Kayla

 

[NatJ]

My personal views:

Heat lamp is for babies as long as they still sleep under it. By the time they are a week old, I prefer to have their pen at least 4 to 6 feet long, with the heat lamp at one end. That way they have lots of space to be away from the heat, and they will feather out and adapt to the cold as quickly as possible. But they are not stressed by the cold, because they can always go back under the lamp to warm up. This applies even if you are brooding them in an outdoor building where the "cold" part is quite cold indeed. As long as the warm part is warm enough, they will still be fine, and may surprise you by how much time they are able to spend playing in the cold.

Adult chickens should not need a heat lamp at all.
They need liquid water when they are awake, or at least in the morning and afternoon if it keeps freezing.
They need free access to food.
They need a place they can sleep that does not have a wind blowing through.
They need plenty of fresh air.
They need enough light to see, so they can eat and drink--either going outside in the daytime, or a good window in their coop, or a light bulb.

One way to get the fresh air without a wind: have a roof and three solid sides of the coop, and one entire side covered with hardware cloth. As long as that "open" side is not facing the prevailing wind, it can work pretty well.

If you want to offer them a special "treat" in bad weather: you can take some of their normal chicken food and add water to make a wet mush. They seem to really like it at any time, but it is especially helpful when they need more water (winter when the water freezes over, or summer when it's hot.)

 

[Alaskan]

When do you start winterizing your coops?

I don't. Well, I guess if I knew my water heater was busted, I would order a new one.

And how low do you let the temperature go before using a heatlamp?

I don't heat.

I do think heat should be used if temps stay in the below -20 range for a week or more at a time (real temp, not windchill)

 

[Meg-in-MT]

The only thing I do to winterize is plug the heated bases into the outlet. I do not add supplemental heat for any bird, unless I have chicks, which I now use a heat plate for. I love that heat plate.

What kind of chicks did you get? I'd love to see them!

 

[adrikeen]

I have bantams and seramas so I use the Cozy Coop Heater(s) in the houses when it gets close to freezing out. Our winters are damp/wet and cold rather than frigid cold. Mother Nature will dump snow one day and then the next day it's a yard slushie. I no longer use heat lamps as I had two birds singe themselves one year (this is when I was first getting into chickens and had no clue!). I do use heated water bases. As far as the run goes, I put up clear plastic shower curtains around the coop for the months when I know we will have snow/ice/freezing rain.

 

[HuffleClaw]

The only thing I do to winterize is plug the heated bases into the outlet. I do not add supplemental heat for any bird, unless I have chicks, which I now use a heat plate for. I love that heat plate.

What kind of chicks did you get? I'd love to see them!

Thanks!

I got 8 buff orp pullets, 5 NH red pullets & 5 NH red straight runs

They’re moving to a bigger brooder very soon. I have them in this so I can monitor them as it’s their first day here after being shipped.

 

[HuffleClaw]

I don't. Well, I guess if I knew my water heater was busted, I would order a new one.



I don't heat.

I do think heat should be used if temps stay in the below -20 range for a week or more at a time (real temp, not windchill)

Awesome! Thanks

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Thanks!

I got 8 buff orp pullets, 5 NH red pullets & 5 NH red straight runs

They’re moving to a bigger brooder very soon. I have them in this so I can monitor them as it’s their first day here after being shipped.
View attachment 2357628

I love new hampshire reds! Very cute, thanks for sharing.

 

[RainbowHen]

Never used a heat lamp until it hit -60 one year (Wisconsin). You have babies so you will need supplemental heat until they are fully feathered. They are sooooo cute

 

[rosemarythyme]

I also don't do anything specific to winterize other than plug in my heated waterer (it's unplugged and capped rest of the year). But then again we don't get much colder than maybe high 20's F or so.

If it snows, I go out and beat snow accumulation off the netting, and shovel some clear areas in the run so the chickens will continue coming outside.