Help Winterizing Ideas for my chicken barn!

[EllenReimer02]

Hey everyone! I live in the Yukon and am a little late winterizing the barn. The snow came beginning of October and I have been having a really hard time figuring out how I can make the barn warmer this winter. It seems no matter what we have done the last few years each of our roosters and hens always lose toes each winter and I feel really bad. This summer we built a new small barn when we got our new chicks. the walls will be insulated, we have a heat lamp that can have 2 bulbs in. I find it feels colder when we use straw on the floor, I prefer to use sawdust as I think its a bit warmer and it keeps the barn a little cleaner. Quite often the Temperature is between -30 to -40 Celsius. In January/February it often gets down to -50 or -55 Celsius. I also got a heated water dish so they are not drinking cold water all the time. I am also looking for ideas for some new nesting boxes. I would love to hear all the ideas no matter how many years I've had chickens I just cant figure out what really works and is small budget friendly. I would gladly get pictures of the barn for anyone who would like to see what we have so far. The chickens are currently back in the old barn so we can re insulate with proper insulation and figure out the layout as we want to somehow make part of the barn an artic entrance sort of thing & we can put the extra feed & bedding in there. I would be greatful to hear any and all ideas, tips anyone has who has similar winter weather to me.

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Sally PB]

Can you post some pictures?

@Alaskan, do you have some tips?

 

[Alaskan]

@Sally PB thanks for thinking of me. I like to be helpful.

I highly recommend you read through my article:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

Other than the article... I REALLY like the rollout nestboxes this lady in Sterling/Soldotna (somewhere around there) in Alaska had.

Anyway... pretty much a standard, make it yourself community style roll out nest box (verses the roll out boxes that are for individual hens).....

What she did, is where the eggs roll out, they roll up against a tube of pipe insulation... and she put a strip of heat tape through the middle of that pipe insulation. No frozen eggs!

She had photos etc... somewhere here on BYC... but I don't have it bookmarked....


If you have any questions after reading the article, please ask! I would love to help!

 

[EllenReimer02]

Can you post some pictures?

@Alaskan, do you have some tips?

@Sally PB thanks for thinking of me. I like to be helpful.

I highly recommend you read through my article:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

Other than the article... I REALLY like the rollout nestboxes this lady in Sterling/Soldotna (somewhere around there) in Alaska had.

Anyway... pretty much a standard, make it yourself community style roll out nest box (verses the roll out boxes that are for individual hens).....

What she did, is where the eggs roll out, they roll up against a tube of pipe insulation... and she put a strip of heat tape through the middle of that pipe insulation. No frozen eggs!

She had photos etc... somewhere here on BYC... but I don't have it bookmarked....


If you have any questions after reading the article, please ask! I would love to help!

Thanks so much!! I will definitely check these out!