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

[Lostbody]

I'm building an 8x8' house for my new flock, and was planning to try the deep litter method for an additional heat source. Should I worry about the coup getting too damp? Will DE and daily turning be enough?
The design we're working on has ventilation screens just below the roof. Is that enough? Do I need a fan?

Also, I've got 11 girls who will be 2 months old in late November, when they'll move out into the main coup with the 5 adults. Should I keep the age groups seperate? For how long? I don't want the older girls dishing out extra thrashings because of winter boredome.

Does anyone know how to build one of those drip watering systems? With the nipples, or whatever?

 

[sunflowerenvy]

Quote:
I'm building an 8x8' house for my new flock, and was planning to try the deep litter method for an additional heat source. Should I worry about the coup getting too damp? Will DE and daily turning be enough?
The design we're working on has ventilation screens just below the roof. Is that enough? Do I need a fan?

that coop is small just enough room for the chicken only not for nest boxes and water and food. remember they might have to live inside for a week if they don't like the snow or the rain.

how old are your adults?
the rules in 30 days for quarantine for birds your 60 days i would think they would need heat source to keep warm in december n janaury
you will have a fence between the adults n babies for at least a 2 week so they can see each other during the day hours
i don't remender the thread for the homemade nipple water feeder but how will you keep it from freezing beside putting a heater in it
good luck laura
this is my first winter with my chickens in cold /snow weather

 

[medan]

all i did for winter last year was provided more straw seems my chickens know what to do ( take into account that i live in north georgia and the temp only gets below freezing about 20 days a year never seen it below 20 f here any way my chickens dont seem to mind at all barred rock buffs americana and rir

 

[medan]

are you in oakland california ? and if you are why would you need heat in winter everything I ever heard about raising chickens says if you heat a coop you will kill your chickens I just wonder when did that change ? ( I never provide heat in winter never have many years with chickens never had one die of frost bite yet)


((The one thing you need to do is make sure they have a place to roost off the ground so their feet dont freeze ))

and if you are kind like me you will provide extra straw they know what to do with it just open a bale in the coop and let them have at it


I live at latitude 34.95

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
I wouldn't bother with a heat lamp where you are with your climate. Unless you have chickens that are totally unsuited for cold temperatures, e.g. Jungle fowl maybe, I would say that most if not all breeds will be fine at temperatures as low as 30 or even lower. If it goes below that then you will need to consider how many chickens that you have, and whether or not you feel comfortable with them being exposed to colder temperatures. I use sand in my run for the mud, and we are planning dig the run out and use the old sand in the gardens. I have been very happy with sand and it is easy to add another bag or two when I find the run getting nasty, stinky and or to wet. I have soil that tends towards clay so it will be a great addition to the gardens.

I agree with Medan on the straw. I had posted earlier, and I know that I had forgotten that I had added a lot more straw into the coop when temps where very low here last year. I always add DE to the straw, and it keeps it good and dry. I have also been using Stall Dry in the straw. If things stay relatively clean and dry I know that the girls are good and that I don't have too many for the space. Just the past couple of weeks I have found myself cleaning the coop more often. So I know that some of the girls are going to have to re-homed. I hate having to do that, but I have to keep things to where I can cope with things by myself.

 

[chickbliss7]

I keep an oil-filled radiator heater in the coop. It has no fan, nor sparks nor flames to cause a fire and are very safe. They don't emit a lot of heat, but it does warm up their coop several degrees. In addition, I use a heat bulb about 4 feet over their roost and I have sewn curtains for their windows. I keep a thermometer inside so I can see how warm/cold it is. I put extra wood shavings on the floor in the winter.

We don't see very low temperatures (in the hills of northern California), but have occasional sleet and below freezing temperatures. My problem is outside in the runs. We live on a hill which has gusty winds, so rain comes in the sides. I'm not quite sure how to keep it dry, without boarding up the sides, thus making it dark (not to mention, unattractive). What would make a good windbreak, without having to wait 4 or 5 years for shrubs to grow? I've tried to use clear sheeting, but i gets ripped to shreds in no time.

 

[tactaw357]

We bought one of those electric water buckets at TSC store. its blue and keeps the water from freezing
works well for our four geese. (Coastal Maine)

 

[Redfarrah]

Last year I kept my 6 young chickens in the basement, But then again the winter was extra long and twice as harsh as a normal winter.
That will NOT be happening again this year, seeing as those 6 chickens have turned into 28 !

including 2 new hatches, and several new layers.

I plan on shutting the extra large window at night, and as long as it's above freezing during the day, I'll open it so they'll get some fresh air.
will add extra bedding, no heat light or lamp, they're just going to have to huddle together to keep their fuzzy butts warm.

My biggest challenge is feeding and watering, during the summer they ran free 15-16 hours a day, that's going to get cut waaay down during the winter months.
Last year during the winter, the feed and water made a mess out of the bedding in the basement coop, not to mention the constant cleaning of the dispensers.

I'll have to put the feeder and waterer in the coop at least at nights, just so they won't have to go so long without food and water.

who has the best suggestions on how to keep the feeder and waterer clean for more than a day??

and how late is too late to hatch out new chicks if you don't want to keep them in the house?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Rocky Mount, NC? I raised some chicks in Sharpsburg through a winter. Didn't do anything special for them.
Elevating food and water helps keep it as clean as possible. You're not going to keep it spotless with chickens. Considering your winters, I woudn't even prevent them from free ranging through the winter. Our winters are worse here and my chickens are out in it every day. Just sayin....

 

[La Banan]

I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. Now some of the bluenosers as we're called live in the valley where it is a bit colder than those of us by the sea but generally we have a pretty moderate winter compared to ...say Manitoba! Or Ontario! Or for you Yanks - Minnesota. However it is considerably colder than California. This will be my third winter with this flock. How do I get ready for winter? I put more litter in the coop. Period. I use a deep litter method which means that as it cooks down it heats up the space a bit. The board under their tootsies is wider so they can fluff their feathers over them. I personally feel it is a mistake to use heating systems for anything other than the really cold spots. The reason? The chickens get aclimatized to heat as we do and when there is a heating outage which there will be if you live in a windy cold place - the birds can't handle the plummet in heat. Here is one thing I do on really chilly mornings - I make my birds oatmeal with lots of nice greasy stuff in it. (check out the BYC cookbook for my recipe) My birds like the snow, they even like the rain. They hate being cooped up so we don't try and keep them indoors unless it is their choice. My coop is not insulated. It is tight but has lots of ventilation. Everyone seems good with this. You may like to heat the water because it is a pain to change it when it freezes up but I say it is a good chance to check up on the gang and make sure everyone is good. If you have too many automatic systems in place you won't be watching out for those other things...