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

[Bauk-bauk]

I'm new to BYC and am just planning my coop to be built. I live in Ontario Canada and it get pretty cold here mid winter. Does anyone know what the temp inside the coop should be kept at during winter?

 

[vsavor]

Quote:
I'm also new to BYC but have raised chickens for 5 years in the Dawson Creek area of British Columbia. Fall comes in September (early frosts in August!) and Spring doesn't arrive until mid-May. We frequently have weeks of weather during December--March in the -10 to -25 C range.

We built an insulated house for our chickens that is heated by 1 to 3 heat lamps. The first couple of years I had a small electric heater in use when the weather dropped below -20C but I've found that the chickens provide enough heat with only the heat lamps to keep the house warm in the coldest temperatures (especially with an insulated building).

The first thing I realised with my birds is that cold doesn't bother them, snow does. They will go outside and scratch, down to -10C for periods of time unless there is more than an inch of snow on the ground. For three years I would shovel the snow away from their door to give them space to get outside (this area of BC doesn't get much for snow, we are part of the prairies here). Last winter we added a sun room for them and this has been the winter solution for them. It is unheated, but with the deep litter they won't freeze their feet and when the sun comes out they are right out there scratching to there hearts content. The extra room is much healthier for them. When the sun is out and it is -20C outside, the sun room will be warm enough for them to be out of the house.

I would guess the average cold temperature in the house during the coldest periods is around +6 C. at roost level. The floor will be a few degrees cooler. The birds seem well adapted to that temperature. I believe the chickens would be fine at colder temperatures overnight, but the water will start to freeze if it gets much colder! I also have a programmed light (around 16 hours of light a day) to keep them laying.

The other thing I've found is that Leghorns are much less adaptive to cold weather than brown layers and more likely to get frostbite on combs and toes.

Hope this helps!
Verna

 

[chixrus]

i wish i had known that if you put vasoline on their combs and wattles they won't get frostbite

 

[YeOleBroodie]

Quote:
I haven't read all pages so forgive me if this has ready been said..

You would be better off getting a lamp kit, cookie tin (they come in all sizes) and a light bulb to make a heater.

Drill a hole in the side of the cookie tin, insert wire attach socket, Cap (forget the name of these) and tape ends with electrical tape, screw in a 40 w light bulb ( for cold areas) put lid back on tin and you are set for keeping water thawed. Seal hole in tin so no water manages to get in there. Set waterer, plastic or metal on top of cookie tin.
I use both plastic and metal waterers on these and it works great for both.
I use the ceramic lamp sockets and mostly 20W for the little ones to 40W for the bigger ones.

I made 8 of them last year for well under under $40.
Good to have spares.

Also make great gifts for someone that has chickens.
You can find these tins at many used shops.
I make them in all sizes, for all sized waterers.
Need less heat? change bulb out to a 20W.

 

[Bauk-bauk]

Thanks very much for the info - that makes it a lot easier for me to finish my plans!

I am very anxious to get this house built and get some little gals in it.

 

[LynneP]

We went through our first winter with chickens in 2008-2009, and it was a doozie- high winds, heavy snow, prolonged periods of -40C temps

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-seasonal-concerns

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
Great idea! I live in Wisconsin, and need the same advice. I'm already worrying about them! And my relatives from warmer climes are horrified that I'd even think of keeping chickens in an outside coop in winter!

Katherine

Edited to add: For what it's worth, here's what our poultry extension guy had to say about insulation and ventilation:

It sounds like you're doing a good job planning for them. A small coop will be easier to keep warm. I generally suggest insulation, and if possible, both for the ceiling and walls. You must allow for some ventilation, however. Chickens give off a lot of moisture, so they must have ventilation or you will have a real problem. A window left open will often work (screened to keep wild birds out is best). In general, excessive moisture is probably more of a problem for frostbite than is cold, dry air. You're right that you'll need to cover the insulation -- chickens seem to love to eat it.​

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
I've thought about this, too - "what did they do 100-150 years ago"? I have BRs and RIRs. These breeds were developed in New England in the mid to late 19th century. Nobody at that time had electricity, insulation, etc.

My dad's partner claims chickens then were okay b/c they were kept in a barn w/ other, larger animals that generated heat. Is that true? Didn't the chickens usually have their own houses? I don't know. But she is from rural AK - the cold of WI worries her, and she thinks our set-up won't work.

I, too, am thinking of just carrying water. I'll need to check on them a couple of times a day anyway, and I only have four, so I don't need to haul much.

Katherine

 

[shelleyd2008]

I kept an empty bucket on the porch last winter, and would bring it in and fill it with warm water before I went out to feed. The biggest problems were the quails' pop bottles, but I'd just drop them into the bucket and they would thaw. It didn't get cold enough to totally freeze things too much, but there was usually a good layer of ice on the waters.

 

[ozark hen]

Ok, now I am old but not 100 nor 150 LOL but....our forefathers usually ate the chickens during winter and bought new in the spring. Now that is what I have read

We have an old house on the property that has an upstairs and three rooms downstairs. Two downstairs rooms are being used for the main coop and a brooder room and have been insulated on the north side and all the outside walls. The windows wired over on the inside and the outside (no glass in them). We cover the windows with plastic during the winter months. We have some ventilation, the stairs are blocked off and about 6-8 inches of bedding on the floor. Chickens put out a lot of heat on their own. Do some research here on BYC and you will be more comforatable about whether you need or don't need to add heat. We do keep a 60 wt. bulb hanging over the waterer when it gets below freezing but that is all. We live in southwest Missouri, not much snow but lots of ice storms. It depends on where you live and please listen to the old timers as they really do have experience.