I need advice from people of the north!

[Chickn chick 46]

Extra bedding on the floor and check for drafts in the fall, my girls handle the cold fine. It can get pretty windy here so wind chill is big factor in our temps.


I have also read somewhere that a bit of scratch feed at the end of the day will help keep them warm at night because of the carbs. Not sure if this is fact or not

 

[michiganlarry]

I will have 16 going into our first winter this year. They have a nice draft free uninsulated 6 x 12 coop. We are using the deep litter method. I am at this point not planning on doing any suplimental heating. In the years we had horses I was told my a nice old timer to not give outdoor animal ANY extra heat. His logic was that it will make their winter coverings not nearly as thick. Agian, this is our first year with chickens but our horses (no longer have0 and dogs both live in an unheated barn and they do fine. The breed we selected, Welsummers, are supposed to be very cold hardy. The corn is a good idea. I used to give our horses a scoop of shell corn on top of there oats when it got really cold to help them make body heat.

 

[MsMelvin]

Hello toffee1;

Here in PA, we ran two underground wires to the henhouse, one for floodlights above coop (bears in area) and the other for weatherproofed GFI outlet attached to coop.

Two lights hang in coop, one regular, one red heat lamp (so they can sleep). The galvanized tank hangs directly next to the heat with dispensing hole facing the lamp, keeps it from freezing so fast and provides some heat for the girls.

I mounted a large numeral thermometer to back wall I can see through their front facing window from inside my home (use binoculars if you need). Monitoring night temps, I turn on when needed and off when sun comes up, regardless of temp.

Closing all hatches and using sheet insulation over roof vents when winter arrives (some air gets in but

 

[MsMelvin]

(oops, sorry)

not wind). Coop is 3/4" plywood (not insulated), floor is two inches thick, off ground.

We use 3" pine shavings on floor that I change out as soon as I see moisture starting to accumulate (weekly minimum), and keep pooper drawer clean. Coop smells fresh, girls are dry, happy and give me eggs all winter long...oh, extra hay in boxes as well.

What ever method you choose, good luck. Thinking of your chickens getting thru the upcoming winter already can mean only one thing....YOU'RE HOOKED!

Just like the rest of us.

 

[fordmommy]

Good question, toffe1. I read all the posts and all the responces were great. I too, wanted to know this. I started my flock just this year and have eight chickens. I live in Wisconsin and it gets very cold here with windchills. I am in the Snowbelt also. Last year we got over 88 inches of snow!

(We love snow!)

I will stay tuned for more info. Thanks!

 

[ChickenToes]

Having an insulated coop helps tremendously. Last winter I didn't bother with heat lamps or anything like that, and the chickens did pretty well.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Great information!

 

[scarter]

We're in WI as well. Non insulated coop made with pallets. We did not heat but in the spring added light in early morning so we'd start getting eggs again. We did have a heated water platform for our chicken waterer and gave corn in the am and pm. Also at that very coldest part of the long negative temps we added vaseline to our girls that had large combs. They seemed happy and didn't lose anyone to cold or preditors.

 

[daryl]

I live in eastern WI It's my first year this so I do not have a lot of wisdom go on.I plan on using brooder lamps over the roosts .But I have a huge coop 14X45 with stone walls 2ft. thick It was made in the late 1900's with a new roof back in the 50's and new windows this year and I have gone to great lengths to plug holes with spray expandable foam. Drafts of the real killer in winter.good luck aks again later in the season for more up-dates

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

My coop is in the garage and we insulated the two walls; other two are open with just chicken wire. As a rule I don't add any heat lamps unless it gets down to below zero. Last winter the roo did get a little frostbite on his comb but if I had put vaseline on it, he would have been fine.