How do you winterize your coop?

[PhantomSlayer]

Here in michigan we can have some brutal winters. Well in previous posts of mine I have mentioned I'm not to sure my sister in law and them are doing the best they can for the chickens and today that was proven after two days of wet snow, rain and cold windy weather... They covered their coop in plastic but yesterday I noticed it coming off and informed them. Well apparently they didn't fix it and I went down today to fix it myself but part of the back is completely exposed. So I want to know how it needs to be done right. Its a hoop coop with a metal/wood extension off the back. They basically weighed the plastic down with logs on the hoop part and stapled the plastic to the back. I'm thinking zip ties and heavy duty tarps but I want to know others take on how they do it. Mainly those living in the more brutal winter areas.

 

[DobieLover]

The entire coop should not be covered in plastic. It NEEDS copious amounts of ventilation to remove moist, stale air from the coop. The idea is to block off the harsh winter winds and protect the roosted birds from drafts strong enough to open feathers.
Having an outdoor area that is protected from snow is also highly advised.

 

[mowin]

Pics of their setup would help us help you..
That and it's way to early to be talking about snow. When I read the post, I automatically thought it was old.... or was hopeful anyway.

 

[TX Chick Noob]

Pics of their setup would help us help you..
That and it's way to early to be talking about snow. When I read the post, I automatically thought it was old.... or was hopeful anyway.

Some areas ARE already getting snow. And people post here from all over the world. Plus it is never too early to plan.

I am lucky that my area gets snow once every 5-10 years. But we do have cold rain with high winds and some years have bad ice storms. So I am working on a removable way to block wind/rain/ice on the front of my semi-open coop.

To the OP, yes pics would help a lot for people to give you better advice.

 

[mowin]

Some areas ARE already getting snow. And people post here from all over the world. Plus it is never too early to plan.

I am lucky that my area gets snow once every 5-10 years. But we do have cold rain with high winds and some years have bad ice storms. So I am working on a removable way to block wind/rain/ice on the front of my semi-open coop.

To the OP, yes pics would help a lot for people to give you better advice.

Have you ever heard of sarcasm?

 

[Callender Girl]

Winters here are frigid and windy. I use extreme-weather zip ties to attach heavy duty tarps to the north side of the runs (where MOST of the bad winds come from) and across the top to try to give them some protection from snowfall.

The tarps are from Amazon, are pricey but hold up really well. My sister ordered them for me off Amazon last year and they are still completely intact. Cheaper tarps get ripped right off their grommets here.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I do nothing fancy, just thick straw in the henhouse. Never lost a bird to the cold.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Ideally the coop would be large enough and has enough ventilation for all the chickens to comfortably stay inside during the worst of the weather. But a roof/tarp over the run does keep some snow and wind out of the run which makes the chickens more comfortable to come outside.

 

[TX Chick Noob]

Have you ever heard of sarcasm?

Sorry it didn’t come across that way to me.

 

[aart]

Have you ever heard of sarcasm?

You forgot to use the facetious font.