Just insulating the nesting box area?

[danasuevk]

Hi ya! We live in MI too and have never had a problem with eggs freezing in our non-insulated coop, except one lone egg in three years, and I think someone just neglected to bring it in. That said, we do have a 100 watt light on them, and that produces a little heat. They should be fine if the inside of the coop is protected from drafts, and that darn chilly west wind.

 

[chicknnugget]

Gee. I wish I had to worry about eggs freezing this winter. My 4 girls are done till spring. I NEVER get ANY eggs in the winter! What lazy girls I have in my backyard. LOL

 

[8machines]

This was a wonderful and informative read. Thank you. I am glad we are moving to a lower elevation so I don't have to deal with any of this and if the girls don't want to lay then thats great.

 

[Ladyorchid]

This last winter was my first winter with chickens. I had 7 birds roosting in a 3x3x3.5 simple wooden structure and free ranging during the day. I only had 3 girls when I built it, the other 4 came just as winter hit. I'm no carpenter either- It was super drafty, a little lopsided, and was just made of basic 4x8 pieces of particle board, shingled roof, and 3" rounded posts for roosting bars. I used pine bedding inside. That winter was -20 or so at night and 10 during the day, which is much harsher than usual here. We had a foot of snow frozen solid on the ground. Not much compared to many states, but in the desert of SW Idaho that's pretty bad. In the mornings when I would go to check on the girls, their coop would be warmer than my house! 7 little bodies steaming up that little box! Honestly, they're wearing their own little insulated jackets. Birds in the wild, like pheasants, sleep right out in the elements with very little shelter. The chickens can handle a little cold. And I only had freezing problems when I left eggs over night. I just made sure to check for them periodically throughout the day.

Perhaps if egg freezing is a very bothersome problem, don't encourage them to lay in the winter. Let them rest and continue again in spring.

Hiya Jrose I also am in Idaho and this is my first year with chickens and my hen house is as well small not sure of the exact dimensions but I am hoping that they will do well I have 7 hens and know that I am suppose to only have 6 but it just happened to turn out that way. I have a metal roof on the hen house and I put the spray insulation under it. Do you lock your hens in during the winter or do you still let them free-range?

 

[Alaskan]

I keep the pop door open to their large run, but it gets harder and harder to tempt them outside.

 

[Candi1777]

I live in Sterling and this is my first year with chickens. I have Black Austrolorp's, I wanted a good layer that was cold weather hardy. They started laying about 2 1/2 months ago and are doing great. We considered insulating the coop but thought that the needed ventilation would just eliminate the effort to keep warm (out with the warm, in with the cold). We have been using a 250 watt heat lamp and laying is still increasing. Of course the weather has been abnormally warmer than usual. I have high hopes for happy hens this winter!

 

[Reurra]

My coop isnt insulated and it gets down to -20 C (-4F) at times. At this point Im more worried about the birds than the eggs. I have had a few eggs freeze and crack open, but put into the fridge, they thaw out and the cracks close back up. the insides swell when frozen causing the cracking, once they come up to fridge temp, the swelling goes away and the shell fits perfectly back together, creating a seal. They are still eatable and I put them at the front of the rotation in the fridge.

 

[Too Fast]

Just read thru all this. Good ideas, and I was going to ask how to tell if an egg had frozen, but Reurra came to the rescue! We only have 7 girls and we are first time chickeners,




but are getting about 35 eggs a week since mid-July. Very happy with the production, but we are not going to insulate the coop or the nest boxes. I do like the idea of a 60 watt bulb on a timer or thermo-timer device best, built under the laying boxes. That'd work for us, since we have our nest boxes built on to the outside for easy access.

Our girls are not going to get artificial light, so they will slow down soon I suspect.

 

[Budderball]

I've had my chooks for 2-3 years in Australia, and they've managed every winter. Our winters get very cold, but no snow, so I'm not sure if this helps. Their feathers act as their own insulation. If you poke your finger under a chook's feathers, they actually feel quite hot (but not too hot, just very very warm for a tiny body). I have no insulation or heating whatsoever, and have two large holes and two loose-fitting doors for ventilation. The only time I've ever run into trouble was when they decided it would be fun to sleep outside, in the rain, in the middle of winter. We dried them if with towels, and draped face washers over them, as it simply helps a bit with warmth. They stop laying in the winter, usually. Hope this helps!

 

[vgent]

It's already snowing here in Ohio. I have 4 hens I did choose breeds that have tolerance to cold like Orpington. I have buttoned up the hen house to reduce drafts, I purchased a heavy vinyl pet house door cover like you see on a commercial cooler to keep the drafts out, I changed out their perches from 3/4" to 2"x 2" to allow them to cover their feet at night. I do plan on using plastic sheeting over their run to keep the snow out of there in the next few weeks. Chickens have survived here for over 500 years.