Intro to myself

[Happy hen lover]

Welcome Lenny. Chickens are pretty hardy if out of winds and wet. Think about ways to keep drinking water from freezing in coop or yard, possibly a covered run to keep rain and snow off run material, and barrier on windward sides of run. I live in SW NE so cold here but not so much humidity as you. We backed up our coop up to privacy fence on N and W sides.
I use deep litter method ( about 8-12"of bedding material) I think it's very insulating.
My coop is pretty open in 3 seasons but able to shut it down when the winds howl.
Question what size is your coop and run?
Do you have power to it?
How many chickens do you plan to have. ?

 

[Quatie]

Welcome Lenny!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Welcome to BYC Lenny! We're glad you decided to join us!

 

[Grammy60]

Hello Lenny and welcome to BYC We are happy you have joined our community !

 

[rjohns39]

Hi Lenny and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[N F C]

Hi Lenny, if you look at the bottom portion of @Pork Pie's post, you'll see a link for the state threads...click on that link and you'll be able to find the Iowa state thread. Chatting with other members in your general area could be helpful in preparing for winter.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Hello Lenny and welcome to BYC! So happy you joined our community. The first winter with chickens can be stressful because you are learning so much. But we are all here to help you through it. Best of luck to you.

 

[cmom]

The others have given you good advice. Keep the water unfrozen. There are heaters you can buy to do that. Feathers are good insulators. Good ventilation, no draft and a dry coop is essential. A covered area for the birds is also good as long as the snow load doesn't take it down. Good luck and have fun...

 

[BlueHorse17]

Welcome! Hope you enjoy your stay !

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens, the pulse beat of the poultry community.