I love my chickens but not sure I did the right thing by getting them

[Player Hater]

that's good

is your ventilation up above their perch, or below it, or the same height?

 

[blueberrychickens]

Hello Kimbymarie, central MA huh? We're neighbors! I had my girls for their first winter last yr. & I too wondered how they would do. They did better than I did!! Even w/ all that snow we had! I too have some buff orps in my flock of 8, love them all to death! Even on the coldest day last winter, it was about -10, the girls were all waiting for me to open the pop door to let them out. They would much rather be out & scratching in the run, than cooped up all day, trust me!! Your girls will be just fine & if you really want to re-home them, I'd take them in a heart beat, they look gorgeous! Just keep the drafts off of them & keep their water from freezing & they will be just fine! We tried to cover our run but we were afraid that the roof would collapse under the weight of the snow. So we left it un-covered & just snow blowed the snow out of the run, then we'd put down bags of leaves in the run so they were up off the snow. (save bagged leaves this fall!) The girls just loved to dig thru the leaves looking for tidbits to snack on, even if they were frozen tidbits!
Here's the coop & run w/ chickens in the snow!

 

[Judy]

Quote:
I wouldn't insulate that coop, not in MA, and probably not in Canada. They will be fine. And you are doing fine.

 

[kimbymarie]

Hello Blueberry chickens, how nice to meet a neighbor on BYC. I love your coop. I looked at your BYC page and your coop progress. It is so nice. You asked where my vents are. Along both sides of the coop at the top of the walls is a 3" wide opening that has hardwire cloth protecting the opening that runs the length of the side walls. The roost they use to sleep is about 2' below the vent and about 11/2-2 ft. away from wall. What I did was close off the vent that is on the side where they roost and left other side open. I felt that by closing of roosting side vent it would prevent draft from landing on them. Seeing there are different areas up along peak of roof that have small openings but protected from drafts that I should have enough ventalation with the one side ridge vent open. Do you think that is enough. I'd love to keep in touch through the winter. Nice to have someone in MA to talk to about chickens.

 

[turtlebird]

YOur ladies are beautiful! I think they will be fine, un-insulated coop. I wrapped my run (covered lean-to) with double plastic. Left some ventilation at the top and laid some straw on the ground to lift them off the frozen MN tundra a bit. My ladies were rather comfy, as someone chose to lay their egg in the run !

Provide draft-free ventilation in the coop and they will be fine! Some people like to give their ladies warm oatmeal breakfast on the coldest days....you will see posts start to pop up on this as the weather cools.

 

[Player Hater]

from your picture and your description it seems like they will be fine

i almost suggested adding an awning above the three large windows, but it looks like they are glass or plastic, not hardware cloth, so snow couldn't blow in anyway

 

[citychickx6]

I am worrying about the winter as well. What I need to keep telling myself is that the chickens I had out in the country did just fine in the winter. Converted horse stall in a metal barn, no roof on the stall. The winters were freezing for me but they were fine. Not even a drop in egg production. They had no heat, no extra light, no windows, no extra bale of straw either. The only thing they did have was an electrical cord run from the house for a heated dog waterer.

I just had power run to my coops this weekend. I keep telling myself that all will be well.
I have cold hardy breeds and have decided after reading and reading that I will do heated water but I will not do extra heat. I do not want to weaken them for when they are suddenly hit with 0 degree temps after being in 30+ degrees.

I would not worry so much. Your coop looks good and they look fantastic. So far so good.

 

[themenagerie]

Don't feel bad Kimbymarie.. I'm in Mass too, new to chickens this year too, and worried about how they'll do over the winter. I think that's just what good mom's do. We worry a bit, but we also plan & organize and make things happen so everything works out well. They will be fine, and you will be fine, but I can't say you won't stress a little...because, well...that's what we do.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I agree with some of the other posters who say you really don't need extra insulation.

 

[MamiPollo]

Your hens are just gorgeous! They are very, very fortunate to have ended up at your place, with a mother who loves them like you do. You have provided a beautiful coop for them and it is obvious you take very good care of them. I have no doubt in my mind that you will continue to meet their needs and they are going to do just fine over the winter.

In 2000 I was in Ayacucho, Peru, way up in the Andes Mountains. To go to the airport, we hired a taxi (aka, someone with a car who gives rides to tourists) for a few dollars. He transported us out of town and helped us unload our luggage from the trunk of his car.

Then he said to me, "Senora! Por favor! Mira!" He pulled back the lining of his trunk, and there between the lining and the metal body of the car were 5 or 6 baby chickens about 2 or 3 weeks old. Someone had given them to him in exchange for a ride, and they were just hanging out back there. When he stopped, he would offer them some water from a cup. Whatever they did not sip during a stop, he threw out.

Chickens are a lot more hardy than we give them credit for. Around the world they live in conditions we cannot even imagine. They are tough. Very tough!

Your birds are going to have a great winter!