I have my first eggs!

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Vakota

Vakota

Hatching
5 Years
May 4, 2014
7
0
9
Hello from ND. I'm so excited! I have my first backyard home grown eggs. Yay for the City girl who's gone Country!
Now on to the next stage; How to keep them warm in the winter. Any ideas are appreciated-Thanks
 
Vakota said:
Hello from ND. I'm so excited! I have my first backyard home grown eggs. Yay for the City girl who's gone Country!
Now on to the next stage; How to keep them warm in the winter. Any ideas are appreciated-Thanks
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Congratulations on your first egg(s)!!
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I see you live in North Dakota? You'll have brutal winters like we do here in the Oregon Cascades. Can you please post a pic or two of your setup as it is now? That way we can better give you tips, etc., on how to beef it up....
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Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Congrats on the first eggs!! How EGG-citing! I never tire of finding those eggs even years later. Like little presents left for me in the nest boxes. :)

You will want to stop by this thread on winterizing tips for some ideas....https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/822765/winter-is-coming-checklists-tips-advice-for-a-newbie

Just make sure you have adequate ventilation in your eaves of the coop. Chickens can survive brutally cold temps as long as they are dry and out of all drafts. So seal up all cracks around the roost bar, have them roost low to the floor and put in about 1 square foot of vent space in the eaves per bird, vents opposing each other. When the chickens are sleeping, the are pooping and breathing. All this activity lets out incredible amounts of moisture. This warm moist air has to go somewhere. It will want to rise. And if there is not enough venting in your eaves, this wet air is going to cool and either fall back down as water or frost, chilling the birds and making them wet. So ventilation is important. Keep the bedding clean in the coop as well so you are not adding to the moisture. And no matter how cold it gets, never close all these vents! You are not trying to heat the coop, only trying to slow the air down on a windy night. The coop should never be warmer than the outside air as the birds should be able to go outside even on the coldest of days. And good air in the coop is very important to respiratory health.

I like to tack an old towel to the roost bar in early winter to keep the feet warm. Warm feet mean warmer birds.

Good luck on this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!
 
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Welcome to BYC and congratulations on your first eggs. It's really a special feeling.

Regarding heating the coop, here in Texas I have almost the opposite problem with my hen house. So, sorry I cannot be of more help in that regard.

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TwoCrows said:
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
frow.gif


Congrats on the first eggs!! How EGG-citing! I never tire of finding those eggs even years later. Like little presents left for me in the nest boxes. :)

You will want to stop by this thread on winterizing tips for some ideas....https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/822765/winter-is-coming-checklists-tips-advice-for-a-newbie

Just make sure you have adequate ventilation in your eaves of the coop. Chickens can survive brutally cold temps as long as they are dry and out of all drafts. So seal up all cracks around the roost bar, have them roost low to the floor and put in about 1 square foot of vent space in the eaves, vents opposing each other. When the chickens are sleeping, the are pooping and breathing. All this activity lets out incredible amounts of moisture. This warm moist air has to go somewhere. It will want to rise. And if there is not enough venting in your eaves, this wet air is going to cool and either fall back down as water or frost, chilling the birds and making them wet. So ventilation is important. Keep the bedding clean in the coop as well so you are not adding to the moisture. And no matter how cold it gets, never close all these vents! You are not trying to heat the coop, only trying to slow the air down on a windy night. The coop should never be warmer than the outside air as the birds should be able to go outside even on the coldest of days. And good air in the coop is very important to respiratory health.

I like to tack an old towel to the roost bar in early winter to keep the feet warm. Warm feet mean warmer birds.

Good luck on this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!
Click to expand...

X 2 -- more important than keeping them "warm" is keeping them dry and draft free but well ventilated. If you do your part, they will keep themselves warm.
 
iwiw60 said:
Quote:
I like to tack an old towel to the roost bar in early winter to keep the feet warm. Warm feet mean warmer birds.
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Now THAT I hadn't thought of...excellent!!!
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Back at you!
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Yes, the towel method really keeps them warm. Chickens lose heat through the feet. So if you can keep the heat in the feet, the heat stays in the bird! :)

And as the winter progresses, the towel can get a bit soiled. So I just keep tacking on another one over that one. And this way it also adds more layers for more heat saving too. I sweep off the towel daily too to keep the crud off of it as well. :)
 
TwoCrows said:
Back at you!
frow.gif
wink.png


Yes, the towel method really keeps them warm. Chickens lose heat through the feet. So if you can keep the heat in the feet, the heat stays in the bird! :)

And as the winter progresses, the towel can get a bit soiled. So I just keep tacking on another one over that one. And this way it also adds more layers for more heat saving too. I sweep off the towel daily too to keep the crud off of it as well. :)
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Awww...you're such a good chicken mama!!
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Thanks so much! Very Helpful TwoCrows. The towel on the roost is a cool (or rather warm) tip! I'll add the vents this weekend.
 
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