How do you set up you birds for winter? Unofficial Poll!

[MIgardengal]

We live way way way up north on the north shore of lake superior. We get wicked weather here. Coop is built south facing, off my tool shed. This keeps the north wind from howling in. We have the coop walls well insulated with R-10 batting. And a louvered window open 4 inches to keep moisture out.

Pretty soon we will be zip tying a tarp to the roof of the run. So hopefully they can get out and enjoy not being cooped up the whole winter.

And strange but true snow has wonderful insulation properties. Those of us up north here make a practice of banking our foundations (Like shoveling snow against them). If you get snow a good 12 inches thick it actually insulates very well (think like how people lived in igloos). So I will also be banking snow around the chicken coop.

We have already had a few days around 20 degrees howling winds and no frozen water in the coop yet!

 

[oldhen2345]

I live in East Texas so it doesn't snow here much- if we get two inches, everything shuts down. I do put up fresh shower curtain liners along the outside of the run and close the window shutters. I stack the pine shavings a little higher in the coop so they can snuggle down farther if they want to. I do have heated water bowls for the few days it gets below freezing. they get warm treats like warm rice or oatmeal with fly larvae (eww) and BOSS. They still love to free range even in the snow.

 

[Unsworth]

To keep the water from freezing I bring a metal water container inside the coop. I have a walk-in chicken coop with 22 birds. (One rooster and 21 hens) I have been putting the water can on a homemade container with a lightbulb in it. This year I am going to try using a battery warmer strip. Hauling water out to the chickens by hand every day through the cold months gets to be a long winter chore.

I run an extension cord to my chicken house for electricity in the winter. I am not mowing grass so it can just sit there through the winter, snow and all. I am in Michigan. I put plugs on the wall and a light socket and just plug the extension cord in to power the sockets and light. I also use heat lamps if really cold.

I put a plastic tube around the wire that gets down close to the chickens so they can not peck it, just in case. The feeder is inside the chicken house - no outside problems. When it snows a lot the chickens do not like it. I try to shovel some of the snow away from the front of the chicken house so they can get out a little. They generally have to tough it out. They have a large area to scratch around in all year but the snow does make it miserable for them. The chickens and myself are very glad when springtime arrives.

I try to give them some good stuff to eat, especially in the winter, besides their feed. I buy kale at the store, for example They love kale. (I grow it for them in the summer in the garden) Turnip greens are good too and not too expensive. Sunflower meats (for birds) from the feed store. They love those too.

 

[Vicker]

In North Texas, we do go below 0 and have gotten over a foot of snow. We don't stay below freezing for too many days in a row, however. I have a large open-air metal coop that gets repositioned for summer and winter conditions. In winter, the openings face east and west. I cover the openings with clear plastic panels. I have moveable poultry fencing that I reconfigure to allow them fresh areas to move onto. I use a heated water bucket. For boredom busting, they get scraps, scratch, garden trimmings, etc thrown out in the run. I fill the holes they dig with sand so they can find a dry spot for a dirt bath. And occasionally, I let them out to roam under supervision.

 

[LeeWren]

I have a very secure small coop that my three chickens can keep quite warm until temps fall into low teens -- I leave bricks and stones on my radiators all day; they get almost too hot to comfortably carry without gloves. I put them on floor of coop when locking up for the night. No fire worries and it makes enough of a difference so that my gals don't get frost bit toes or combs. If temps are 5 and below during day I let them hang out in my basement! Yes I'm a softie....

 

[Ladies of the Forest]

Hi! I live about an hour below Montreal, Quebec and have many, many cold, windy nights. I mean days of -30! I’ve tried the shower curtains and they last as long as the wind isn’t over 30MPH, or so. My favorite thing is to line up straw bales as an extra wall, all around the pens. The birds stay out of the wind, and in the spring I get all that seasoned straw that the bird shave been using to roost on throughout the winter months. Garden gold!

 

[Melky]

I have new standup coop this year shed design and hope with straw bale in for added insulation with straw on floor and in boxes for manure they will stay warm and dry. I brought food/water inside because last year well it was just horrible to go out in the freezing cold to manage food/water that kept freezing and got deicer for waterer. Still some days the water in tray of fountain froze but not inside. I hated knocking it out. This year hoping water does not freeze in fountain but again will have deicer at ready in case still does inside. We did not provide house insulation in our coop as others have advised against and does not stay cold long here below freezing. I do not have roof on run so will see how girls respond to winter and snow before consider tarp on roof of run. Last year we put tarp on run because smaller house everything freezes easy when exposed. This year will see how reacts to snow since have a spacious inside to run to for warmth. I am washing my curtains for the winter and will consider this by pop door if blustery. Windows are shut to hold heat. We have 4 and can open slightly while cleaning or for awhile when things heat up for the day for ventilation. We are 50-60s during the day with 30s-40s at night and sunny so the girls are enjoying the weather going in and out. The great part is our humidity stays pretty low in the coop so it is a dry fall, yeah!
Coffee is up and running!

Say some prayers have a church member young adult dad with two kids COVID-19 positive in isolation at home. Has respiratory signs with fever. They isolated him to one room in house for 10-14 days with Claire his wife handing items of need in. They are sleeping separate and everyone else is negative so far. A mother elderly lives in the basement now isolating to protect my Chris. She lives there for assistance purposes. Claire seems like running a COVID-19 B & B while her and the kids live upstairs by themselves. Saying prayers for them! We have had others in their 30s-40s believe they had it and survive well. It takes a little bit for the respiratory part to subside. Thankfully they are young and healthy otherwise. Chris is Band Teacher and helps out at Church and his wife works and helps out at Church. Prayers to everyone for speedy recovery! Sorry so long.

 

[Melky]

You know at least we do not have a Polar Vortex this year planned! I am crossing my fingers because that was the worst work in heck for chicken keepers! I couldn't open a single door to the coop without pouring hot water down the side to unfreeze latches. Hope this year with larger latches no freezing. I only had a few frozen eggs last year to which I scrambled and threw back in for the chicks. They loved this hot treat!

 

[B-Goock]

I run a 12ga electric cord to my coops for a heated waterer triggered with a thermal cube. It only kicks on when it gets down to 35.
This year I grabbed some black rubber animal bowls that I'll place that they can get sun. Even thought about making a sunroom in the run.

I own alot of woods so I go back and load up on leaves for the run. Keeps them busy. If I'm lazy some leafs of straw or hay.

 

[PsychoChickenLady]

This is an excellent idea! And just in time too! After getting my husband to hang Christmas lights around the coop and run last weekend, I was running out of "Honey Do" things!