Looking for Winter Advice- What do you wish you had known

[ruth]

Well my chickens did just fine last winter which was our first in this old farmhouse we bought. They were running around in 20 degree weather like it was nothing. It was me that was freezing and couldn't get warm in this old house. We were using all three heat units, one burning propane at $350 a week and the other two on electric for a total of $2,000 a month in heating and I was still freezing. So this winter I bought a new pellet stove fireplace insert. I can hardly wait to use it. Just got it installed this week and I fire it up just to watch the flames and feel the heat and blowers and use the remote control and know that I will be warm this winter.

It's all about me, me, me - oh, was I supposed to be talking about how I was going to keep my chickens warm?

 

[Reinbeau]

I always think of the wild birds in the winter. Think about it. What is the thermal mass of a chickadee? Miniscule compared to a full grown heavy breed chicken. They live through our New England winters no problem, provided they've got food to burn for energy. Given the protection we're all giving our chooks right now I don't think cold is an issue. Moisture and drafts would be the thing to focus on.

Our coop is insulated (hubby went over the top out there, low E glass, 30 year architectural shingles, among other things!) so I'm going to be carefully watching the ventilation situation. Other than that I know our chickens will weather any storm nice, warm and comfy!

 

[ChickaD]

Ruth, I bet you'll love that pellet stove fireplace insert! (since we humans aren't too talented at growing downy feathers!) We sure love our wood stove, which heats this whole place...oops, I guess I should at least add a chicken smiley to keep partially on track here...

 

[ozark hen]

Quote:

 

[jbowyer01]

Okay I'll ask my question please dont laugh to hard as you can tell I am new at this. I live in southwest Georgia and I know we have very mild winters compared to most of you (You can keep all that snow and ice I lived in Philly for a while and shoveling sucks

) Is there anything special I should do for winterizing. We do get the occasional ice storm here, But any suggestions for the southerns and their chickens?

 

[ChickaD]

One thought is making sure your chickens will have adequate ventilation. BYC'er patandchickens has a thorough Ventilation Page you can read. (no, it's not a place to rant about snow and sleet, like I first thought

)

 

[BFeathered]

Eek! I lived in NJ for my formative years, so I remember all the beautiful white stuff.... (wistful sigh). But... been here in TX for TDL (too durn long) and I'm just trying to keep my fuzzy butts from frying! Seems to me my grandparents just kept their critters dry and draft-free, and they all survived quite happily (PA mountains, appalachian conditions). Heavy breeds didn't mind the snow a bit, and grandma's banty roo was a real pistol in cold weather. Good luck to all.

 

[gwynhwyfar]

I'm starting to get stressed about winter and the girls.

The have a 6x6X6 coop, with five nesting boxes and two perches -- 2X4s. No insulation. There's ventilation in the roof and there's spaces where ceiling and walls meet. The roof comes down lower than those spaces, so I'm hoping that'll protect against drafts.

I'm moving the coop up to the house so that it's partially sheltered by the house (as well as closer for ease of tending). The roof on that side of the house extends straight out, so there's an area under there that doesn't get much in the way of snow except for the blown stuff. The coop won't be quite in that space, but it will be right adjacent to it.

My plan it this:
Give them a heated waterer.
Check the outside caulking on all the wood seams.
Give them a nice pile of fresh hay in the boxes and on the floor
Put plastic-covered-cardboard on the inside of the roof, attached to the roof studs. Just cardboard on the studs for the wall, because I don't want them shredded and eating plastic.

I don't want to have a light in there for heat -- I have a paranoia about fire.

Are they going to be okay in a Pennsylvania winter or am I going to freeze them? There are, BTW, 7 of them.


Also, on a related note ... Do I still open the coop and let them out when it's winter? Are they going to want to come out? I have no clue what I'm doing -- can you tell? I'm amazed that I didn't manage to kill them or something and all 7 of my chicks made it to 'I'm getting eggs daily' age.

 

[Mrs MIA]

My girls play in the snow at -30F. They're getting enough heat in the coop to keep the water from freezing, and that's it. They have flat 2x4s to roost on, and lots of body heat. My first winter I tried to keep them at 55°F... bad idea. Not only did they build up a lot of moisture/ammonia very quickly, but I 'bout fainted when the electric bill was over $400. They need ventilation (vents up high to circulate the air) but when it's really nasty, they need to be able to get out of the elements and be relatively draft free. Don't stress it too much... they really CAN handle the cold. Just watch the single combed birds - they can get frostbite easily on their combs.

 

[ozark hen]

gwyn, I keep a deep layer of pine shavings on the floor, about 5- 6 inches of the stuff. Only if the temp drops way below freezing will I put a 60 wt. light bulb over their waterer to keep it from freezing. They will be fine! We live in Missouri, and there are many here who live where it is much, much colder and do the same, no heat. Listen to mrs. a-k. Your birds will be much healthier without added heat. They have natural "down" to keep them warm.