How do YOU winterize your coop?

[Coop de Grass]

I bought a silver tarp at harbor freight with a coupon of course the size of my coop/run that covers top and sides. The tarp is sun reflective, waterproof, and snow proof. It’s important that it states all three otherwise it isn’t. $14-15. I’m told straw is great also but putting in dry leaves with current mulch at this time since free and abundant but may switch to straw when cooler here. Little bit worried about straw as saw examples of impacted crop due to straw when chickens tried to eat it. Not sure how often this happens. My girls pick occasionally at their mulch but more or less moving it looking in it for goodies than trying to eat it. Not sure yet about waterer. Read online you can stick water bottle filled with salt, close up tight, and stick in water fountain to prevent freezing. Debating that or de-icer for it.

I put several bales of straw down to cover the mud last spring. I lost 2 hens to impacted crops before I figured out what was going on. I took one to the vet for a necropsy, he mentioned that there was long stuff in her crop. I checked them all as soon as I got home. Treated for impacted and sour crop. Won't ever put straw down again.

 

[bobbi-j]

I put several bales of straw down to cover the mud last spring. I lost 2 hens to impacted crops before I figured out what was going on. I took one to the vet for a necropsy, he mentioned that there was long stuff in her crop. I checked them all as soon as I got home. Treated for impacted and sour crop. Won't ever put straw down again.

Interesting. I have only ever used straw and never had that problem.

 

[Firefoot]

I put several bales of straw down to cover the mud last spring. I lost 2 hens to impacted crops before I figured out what was going on. I took one to the vet for a necropsy, he mentioned that there was long stuff in her crop. I checked them all as soon as I got home. Treated for impacted and sour crop. Won't ever put straw down again.

Interesting. Did the vet say that the straw was the cause of death?

I used straw all last winter. It was the only thing that got my girls out and about in the snow and kept them occupied when everything was dead and frozen. They loved scratching through it. I'd rake it up in big piles after they went to bed and sprinkle some feed and other stuff in there. In the morning they'd scratch through for hours getting everything. Was a real mess getting it out this spring though.

 

[Coop de Grass]

Interesting. Did the vet say that the straw was the cause of death?

I used straw all last winter. It was the only thing that got my girls out and about in the snow and kept them occupied when everything was dead and frozen. They loved scratching through it. I'd rake it up in big piles after they went to bed and sprinkle some feed and other stuff in there. In the morning they'd scratch through for hours getting everything. Was a real mess getting it out this spring though.

He didn't specifically say the straw was a problem, but his comment about the long green stuff made me start watching. I had been throwing down scratch grain for them, and the straw was really wet from the rain. I could see that their droppings mainly fiber and I noticed that their crops weren't emptying. There was gross liquid coming out of their mouths. I started massaging their crops and fed them bits of bread with olive oil, and also Nutridrench with an eyedropper. I saved 3 that had been lying down with closed eyes and very lethargic.

 

[Firefoot]

He didn't specifically say the straw was a problem, but his comment about the long green stuff made me start watching. I had been throwing down scratch grain for them, and the straw was really wet from the rain. I could see that their droppings mainly fiber and I noticed that their crops weren't emptying. There was gross liquid coming out of their mouths. I started massaging their crops and fed them bits of bread with olive oil, and also Nutridrench with an eyedropper. I saved 3 that had been lying down with closed eyes and very lethargic.

How awful for it to happen to so many! Glad you were able to save the 3. I wonder what the long green stuff was -- I usually hear that about people putting grass clippings in for their chickens but straw is typically super dry, golden or almost white, has zero nutritional value, and is much harder and coarser than hay so I can't imagine a chicken choking it down (although I've known tons of ponies to do so, so what do I know). I wonder if you had hay, which is usually tastier, and maybe they ate too much of that. Hay would look more like grass, though not always green.

 

[Beer can]

I don't do anything different to winterize compared to any other time of the yr. We can get down to subzero and -20 degrees F wind chill for months. I keep my coops open all yr, well ventilated .
I guess I do one thing just because it's that time of yr to get them in the fall, I put a heavy layer of dry tree leaves in the coop, add to the deep litter.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Corn is not a myth. Most feed have corn. Cracked corn in winter DIGESTS slowly. Just think of the rate something like a pellet breaks down compared to a hard kernel of corn.
In long cold winter nights a crop full of corn will last longer. Common sense.
Is corn a complete food-No

Is having some calories to burn when it’s 5 degrees outside a good thing-yes
I give mine cracked corn before bed every night when it’s bitter cold.

 

[RWise]

I too feed corn in the winter, but I no longer use straw anywhere. The problem we had with straw was with the rabbits, it was infested with mites. But to me, if it holds mites that attack rabbits, it could hold mites that attack chickens,,, never again!

 

[bobbi-j]

He didn't specifically say the straw was a problem, but his comment about the long green stuff made me start watching. I had been throwing down scratch grain for them, and the straw was really wet from the rain. I could see that their droppings mainly fiber and I noticed that their crops weren't emptying. There was gross liquid coming out of their mouths. I started massaging their crops and fed them bits of bread with olive oil, and also Nutridrench with an eyedropper. I saved 3 that had been lying down with closed eyes and very lethargic.

Did you use straw or hay? Straw is yellow and coarse, hay green and usually finer than straw. I could see grass hay as a potential problem.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Did you use straw or hay? Straw is yellow and coarse, hay green and usually finer than straw. I could see grass hay as a potential problem.

I was wondering the same thing.