OK so I am a new chicken owner and have done tons if research. But still have so many questions. I have a beautiful flock of 12 girls and live in Massachusetts. Its getting cold and there is a window in the coop. Do I close it or leave it open? When the eggs are cold at night does that mean I need to refrigerate them now? I usually get the eggs at 4 PM as most are done laying at that time. Do I go multiple times. Will the eggs be good? Do I buy a heater to keep the eggs and chickens warm? Sorry for rambling...
Looking for advice
- Thread starter Boutinc
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Do not think warm, think dry. Dry birds protected from wind are warm birds. Birds trapped in a small coop with no ventilation, in the attempt to keep them warm, instead are damp, and damp birds are cold birds. Think of being in a car, in the winter with the heater turned off. Condensation is almost immediate, and that is what you are trying to stop from happening.
You want to have space above your chickens, my vents on under the eaves of the roof, and I never close them. Measure how much space is above your chickens heads. Needs to be about 15 inches. Look at the set up of the roosts, how close are they two the walls? Especially the west and north wall, should have 15 inches cleareance too. This allows good air flow between them, and the surface, allowing moisture to naturally rise and leave the coop.
Deep dry bedding. Once a week or so, scatter scratch on top, and they will dig through it breaking up manure clumps, and turning the bedding, keeping it much drier in the coop.
Hope this helps, sending a picture of the coop, and the number of birds can help too. I do have a wind shelter out in my run. And I have bedding in my run too. If I know a storm is coming (Maybe this Thursday, yikes) I will sweep the bedding into mini haystacks, after the snow, I flip the hay on top of the snow. Encourages them to come outside.
As for the eggs, they will freeze. Sometimes cracking the shell, if it is a hairline crack, I use soon in baking, if it is a thick crack, I thaw and feed to my dog. If you can collect them earlier, you will have better luck, I work outside the home, and can't.
You want to have space above your chickens, my vents on under the eaves of the roof, and I never close them. Measure how much space is above your chickens heads. Needs to be about 15 inches. Look at the set up of the roosts, how close are they two the walls? Especially the west and north wall, should have 15 inches cleareance too. This allows good air flow between them, and the surface, allowing moisture to naturally rise and leave the coop.
Deep dry bedding. Once a week or so, scatter scratch on top, and they will dig through it breaking up manure clumps, and turning the bedding, keeping it much drier in the coop.
Hope this helps, sending a picture of the coop, and the number of birds can help too. I do have a wind shelter out in my run. And I have bedding in my run too. If I know a storm is coming (Maybe this Thursday, yikes) I will sweep the bedding into mini haystacks, after the snow, I flip the hay on top of the snow. Encourages them to come outside.
As for the eggs, they will freeze. Sometimes cracking the shell, if it is a hairline crack, I use soon in baking, if it is a thick crack, I thaw and feed to my dog. If you can collect them earlier, you will have better luck, I work outside the home, and can't.
It would be good to start a new thread here with pics of your coop and run, inside and out, and we can help you determine what to do about winterizing.
What @Mrs. K posted is spot on for the coop.
For the eggs, you either have to collect multiple times a day or you can try THIS.
I will be installing the seedling mats before the month is out so I will be ready. I do not use a thermocube. If I know that the temp will stay below freezing for the day, I just plug them in.
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Why not use a thermocube?
Got an article on that?
(hinthint)Here's one:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/heated-nesting-boxes-help-stop-frozen-eggs.67252/
That is the article I linked above.Why not use a thermocube?
Got an article on that?
Here's one:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/heated-nesting-boxes-help-stop-frozen-eggs.67252/
I won't use the thermocube because I'd rather be more "hands on". I can plug the mats in when I do morning chores then unplug it when I collect eggs when I get home from work. I have a thermocube if I someday need it, but I'd rather just make the call myself.
I will probably write a new article on how I winterize my new coop and run and link to it in my coop article. The coop article has become a monster.
I do not see your link to Rons article.
Oops! I went back and made the blue SOLID CAPS AND BOLD. Now it stands out better. Probably something I should do if I am going to link with one word...
No wonder I didn't see it!!
I always use italics and underline on links...sometimes bold too.
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