HELP !!!!!!Winterizing my coop

[Skibunny6703]

my coop is too small for poop boards. I am doing the deep litter method. yes it needed more chips That video was before I cleaned it. Dogs don't bother with them and coyotes don't bother during the day the road is too busy to cross and my neighbors sit outside most of the day. If it happens oh well that's life..lol My neighbors chickens join mine over there because my neighbors feed them. My free range area is not accessible at night only if we let them out. My neighbors birds they have had for 12 years now and haven't had a coyote issue during that day. Thanks I am not to worried about them during the day when they r out. We r going to add the tunnel and try the flaps. I just havent done it yet

 

[chicken chic]

Published on Jul 12, 2013
I got tired of opening and closing the door every day on my 4'x4'x'4 chicken coop for my 5 hens so I made this automatic door that is on a timer. It closes at 10PM (after dusk) and opens at 6AM

 

[Skibunny6703]

I had two roosts and the 4 older ones by a few weeks would push the younger ones off. I got a little stool and put a third roost now the younger ones use the back roost and the older ones use the other two

 

[Yartenrag]

I had to add extra roosting poles and at different heights...and it took MONTHS for my younder girls to be allowed in the perches..

 

[Barbara in MN]

Great information here and photos!
Thanks,
Barbara

 

[pbarr86]

Hello, Another Mass guy here..
I don't have any heat in the henhouse portion of my coop but I do have an electric water heater out in the run next to their food.
I have a lights in the henhouse and the run that turn at 4pm during the winter and turn off at 8pm with my automatic door closing at 9pm
The light at night isn't really meant for egg production it's more for me to go out and check on them when I get home from work.
Below you can see pictures of my coop during the summer and my winter prep. during the winter I add the lattice work as you can see with sheet plastic sandwiched in between to block the wind/snow and all of the windows are now closed.

The automatic door is the D20 Add-A-Motor and I have a demo video from when it was first installed here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200293825610545&l=8503484755966652065

I also installed a Dropcam webcam in the henhouse so I can keep an eye on them, will be adding a 2nd camera to the run so I can watch them outside as well. henhouse webcam link here:
https://www.dropcam.com/p/coop1

 

[fenwickchic]

my coop is too small for poop boards. I am doing the deep litter method. yes it needed more chips That video was before I cleaned it. Dogs don't bother with them and coyotes don't bother during the day the road is too busy to cross and my neighbors sit outside most of the day. If it happens oh well that's life..lol My neighbors chickens join mine over there because my neighbors feed them. My free range area is not accessible at night only if we let them out. My neighbors birds they have had for 12 years now and haven't had a coyote issue during that day. Thanks I am not to worried about them during the day when they r out. We r going to add the tunnel and try the flaps. I just havent done it yet

I put up flaps in front of the nesting boxes and the girls just tore them down. My mistake after reading that the hens like it dark and private when laying. Well, they ripped the flaps down the same day I put it up. I'm getting 4-5 eggs/day from 5 hens, so I guess they were happy without privacy. I'm not about to try it on their pop door now. LOL

 

[whittychick]

first night with snow!! I hope my babies are warm enough

it's about 28 degrees and I have loads of hay and a draft free coop. Hoping they'll huddle together