How to Prepare Your Flock For Winter 101 *Official Thread*

[nanawendy]

I keep an extra bag of feed as well as corn and BOSS. Just in case we get snowed in... I'm sure it won't happen as long as I'm prepared

 

[Wildsky]

Be careful with the tarp idea, you want some air movement, of you'll end up with frost from the moisture of chickens breath!

If you're in a snowy area - you don't want to cover the run either - the snow load will have the whole thing collapse.

All I do is close up a window and we're good to go, I do add a de-frosting thing for their water. I have a second window that opens into the horse barn, that one is left open.

 

[cabot]

My nine move into the extra stall in the barn: 10X14 with shavings and sawhorse perches. This way they have light, heated water, draft free but well ventilated. They can free range around the barn or back in the coop/pen on nice sunny days. My coop is too exposed and no way to heat the water for new england winters... They'll make the move mid november depending on the weather.

 

[karen]

That is a sweet deal for your flock Cabot! I agree with the danger of moisture build up and air circulation being important.
Winter is a challenge for the snowy endowed chicken owners!

 

[chrissum]

I had heard, or read somewhere that during the winter months the ventilation should be open on the east and south sides, is this correct in anyones experience, or is a vent on the north side ok as well, I live in northern MO, thanks!

 

[Elphaba2140]

This will be my first Winter with chickens so I am watching this thread for sure.

 

[4luvofchickens]

This will be my first winter with my girls but I do have a few plans. I will be adding plexiglass to the windows for a tight seal and to keep out snow. I do have higher ventilation holes that i plan to leave open for good air circulation. I also purchased a heated dog bowl to keep thier water from freezing. I am thinking of putting a few bales of hay around part of thier run for a weather block & extra insulation.

 

[GrandmaAnn]

We get really cold here, it used to go to -40, but the last few years it has been warmer. We close the coop up pretty tightly, but it still leaks enough that we have some ventilation. We have a lot of vents for the summer that are enclosed with hardware cloth. For these, we bunch up newspaper and cram it into all the vents, including the one up top that is a spinning vent. The newspaper allows for moisture to escape, but cuts out the harsh winds. The ceiling gets panels of 2" styrofoam added. Bags of leaves are stacked up against the outside walls. When the snow comes, it is also shoveled up on top. The waterers are changed to heated dog bowls. Since we have to collect eggs twice a day, hot water is brought down to them twice a day. In order to keep them laying, a light would go on at 4:00 a.m. and off again about 9 a.m. When the kids were raising show bantams, we had a lot in cages, so there were a lot of small waterers that were frozen solid. The kids would bring a couple of 5 gallon buckets down and put all the frozen water containers into the buckets, then replace them with fresh, hot water. Then, they had to carry all those up and dump them in the laundry tub where they would thaw out and drain. They were all cleaned out and put into the 5 gallon buckets for the next trip down to the coop. It was never fun during a blizzard making the 200' trip down to the coop. I am so glad that this year there won't be any in cages. I also insisted on no Polish - I could never stand those frozen feathers clinking like icicles!

We never got any frozen combs, but we did coat them with Vaseline a few times when it was super cold. We also ran a small heater when it got colder than -20. The heat of the chickens themselves usually kept the coop 10 to 20 degrees warmer than outside. We also have two sets of doors. First we enter the front section of the coop, then shut the door tightly, then enter where the chickens are. That way, there is no huge cold wind.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

What do you feed your chickens in winter to keep them warm?
Right now I just have Layer Pellets in their feeder 24 - 7.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

I'm zone 7b on the western edge of Central Texas...we rarely have snow or single digit temps. My chickens are in a run that has a roof, back wall is a privacy fence that faces the north/northwest, side wall is a shed that faces north/northeast, side wall that is wire that faces south and front is wire that faces east . My DH thinks we can put tarps on the wire and they will be fine...my problem with this is it will make it dark for the girls. I'm thinking of putting clear plastic or some of the patio doors I've collected for a greenhouse over the wire. ETA: The floor is sand...no shavings.


Sort of hard to think of Winter since we have been in the 100's for weeks and no rain. Tonight we have a cold front coming through...rain by-passed us as usual. We are suppose to be in the upper 80's and 90's for the next few days...Thank the Good Lord!

This is my first Winter with chickens so any advise is appreciated.