How do YOU winterize your coop?

[Firefoot]

What are your alternatives to wrapping? Visqueen and other thick-enough plastic sheeting just seems so expensive, especially as it also seems one-time-use? Last winter I zip-tied clear shower curtains onto the windiest corner and it worked great for a couple months but the wind pulled the curtain from the ties. I found some cheap-ish clear tarps on Ebay I might try this year -- does anyone use these?

And I get a 18% protein scratch that I feed as a treat year-round. In the winter I also give them oatmeal, meat/wet cat food/veggies in soup broth, and other similar things that will help get water into them. I've seen a lot of talk about flock raiser, though. I just transitioned to the Hearty Hen this summer and like a lot so far -- could I mix it with the flock raiser, or should the FR just be fed alone? I like the idea of higher protein but I also like all the other stuff in the Hearty Hen.

 

[RodNTN]

I use pine shavings in the spring, summer, and fall. In the winter I prefer to switch to straw or hay. It is much warmer and keeps my flock entertained when they are dying to go out!
One thing a lot of folks over look is removing wet/damp patches of bedding. This is so important, and I can't stress it enough. Stirring bedding underneath the roosts and removing patches of damp bedding around waterers helps so much!

Ventilation is also essential in winter, I have two screen windows that I do NOT close up. A dryer environment is better than a warmer one.

I do not heat in the winter, chickens acclimate to colder temps over time. Now, if there is a sudden, drastic drop in temperatures I will hang a lamp up.

I feed scratch or cracked corn on very cold evenings, it helps them stay warmer on bitter cold nights.

I've also heard of chicken keepers keeping their flock cooped up because it's cold out, true cold hardy chickens will want to come out of the coop, even if it is 0F

I prefer to clean my coop out at least once every two weeks, and that doesn't change in the winter, I love it when the coop is dry and sweet smelling, and the chickens do as well!

 

[MagpieDucks]

The corn thing is actually a myth. Perhaps @aart or @lazy gardener can elaborate more on it.

 

[lcwmt]

A timely thread, thanks!
My thinking is they are birds and are best treated as such. No supplemental heat, no supplemental light. The coop is dry with adequate ventilation.

Our coop is now 4'x12', ventilation at the top runs the full width, both North and South sides. There are two hoop runs, one (4x10') comes off to the South; the other (6x10') is to the North. The pop doors to each run are left open all the time, this helps with air flow too.
I have a monitor inside the coop to keep track of humidity inside of the coop and out. It's a good peace of mind tool.

Both runs are covered with greenhouse tarps - mostly to keep snow to a minimum in the runs so they can scratch around and dig, also to help buffer the wind.

As temps drop, I'll add lots of straw to the coop and to the runs. Small bale hay is easier to get here than small bale straw but it gets slimy when wet. I also use pine chips but straw is better as weather gets harsh.

This morning all the chicken's water sources were either iced over or solid ice. sigh (I personally am not ready for Winter. Last year's was a long one!).
Last year we used a heated dog dish to keep water liquid. Will get a second one, probably today.
They have All Flock all the time with Oyster Shell on the side.
Aside from berries, tomatoes or leftover cooked grains, their interest in treats seems weather dependent. During the warm months their access to bugs and such is unlimited. As the ground gets colder they are much more interested in sunflower seed, mixed grain scratch, much less so. Dried meal worms or soldier fly larva are saved for bitter cold or times when I'm trying to convince/teach them to come when called. HAH.

Long answer when the real one is I don't do much different in the Winter. Keep water from freezing, add bedding, make sure there is no moisture build up in the coop.

Our temperatures can drop to the negative 20 and 30s and can stay that way. Wind can regularly gust to 30+.
The chickens that live here are small comb varieties, no feathered feet, no silkies. Last year was brutal but everyone came through okay. They free range at will, during the day. They seem to stay in if the wind is heavy. If there is deep snow, they'll still come out assuming there's a tramped down path... of course there always is - I have to feed water, check on them etc.

 

[centrarchid]

The corn thing is actually a myth. Perhaps @aart or @lazy gardener can elaborate more on it.

Worded properly, it is not a myth and I will do correcting.

 

[kylemsenger]

STRAW!! The main thing I do in the winter, is switch to straw bedding. It keeps the coop a lot warmer than regular shavings. It’s also fun to scratch around on. (For the chickens that is). I also suggest using droppings boards under the roosts during the winter, to keep the coop cleaner, and more comfortable to live in.

I choose not to use artificial light in my chicken coops for egg production for a couple of reasons.

Last year I used rubber livestock feeding dishes for water and they worked a lot better than plastic ones. I’m looking at heated waterers this year, to see if they would be worth it. The rubber is nice though since you can bend it to get the ice out.

This is year I’m wrapping my runs in plastic (tarps) to keep the snow out. I’ll also put straw in the run.

Hope this helps. I’m sure I’ll think of more stuff.

Someone should start a debate thread on straw alone!! As a new chicken owner I have heard the two debated and people making both sound like they make sense. some say it better insolates cause its hollow others say it actually draws the heat away from there body to warm the hollow pocket in the straw wasting their heat. I'm no scientist and I don't really know who to believe!!

 

[centrarchid]

Someone should start a debate thread on straw alone!! As a new chicken owner I have heard the two debated and people making both sound like they make sense. some say it better insolates cause its hollow others say it actually draws the heat away from there body to warm the hollow pocket in the straw wasting their heat. I'm no scientist and I don't really know who to believe!!

Do an experiment yourself. Bust up a couple bales and pile it up. Then crawl in. Compare to how you feel outside of pile. Disparity will get even larger if windy.

 

[Firefoot]

Someone should start a debate thread on straw alone!! As a new chicken owner I have heard the two debated and people making both sound like they make sense. some say it better insolates cause its hollow others say it actually draws the heat away from there body to warm the hollow pocket in the straw wasting their heat. I'm no scientist and I don't really know who to believe!!

Hahaha omg the straw debate.

I can't imagine how straw could pull warm air away from a chicken, BUT I don't agree that it's warmer whatsoever. Straw is hollow, so yes it holds air. If the ambient air is subzero, then the air inside the straw will be subzero. If it's warmer (whether because it's warm out, or if it is close to warm chickens) then it'll be warmer air in the straw. I have bedded horses in straw for years and I hate it. It doesn't absorb anything, so urine/feces accumulate and for chickens that means adding to the humidity in the coop. Because of this, it also smells more, which is gross. And, at least with horses, I've had better luck keeping them warm in thick pine shavings than the thickest straw bed. Pine shavings can pack down more, create a thicker barrier, and trap more heat. Plus they absorb so you don't get so much moisture in the air.

BUT I'm also no scientist and have an obvious dislike of straw in the coop, so ... lol. I love straw in the run though! Straw on a snowy or frozen, cold day provides hours of entertainment and helps create paths in the snow when they'd otherwise stay inside.

 

[lcwmt]

Straw: My observations only. Your mileage probably varies <G>.
The pine shavings are great. They absorb moisture, are easy to rake, or scratch around in, but they compact down to the floor. The chickens do not form nests in them.

Straw fluffs out instead of packing down. It makes great nesting, according to my chickens; they can form the size and shape of their nest, whether that is for eggs or resting or whatever. They do have nesting boxes for egg laying but some of them are independent thinkers.
Our coop has a natural dirt floor, then layers of chips, some PDZ whenever it seems appropriate, and straw. (if small straw bales are not available I will use flakes of hay but do not like it as much)
The bedding stays reasonable fluffy, is easy to rake, or scratch around in. If I had dead leaves, they'd be added to the mix.

 

[ash_en_em]

This thread is amazing! Being my first winter with chickens I'm soaking up all the info I can!