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

[sunflowerenvy]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Quote:
There is no magic temperature... if you give them access to the outdoors, you will know when it's too cold outside because they won't come out. I can tell you from my experience that I still have chickens roosting OUTSIDE at 0°F of their own free will. Fahrenheit... not Celsius. But I do not add any extra heat, and have about 40 hens to an 8x8' coop (they have plenty of roost space so they're not crowded). They did fine.

my coop size is 8x12
so yours birds got 1.6 sq ft that will mean that i have to get 50 more birds to get the same kind of heat lol

but i will need space for me to live my hubby would leave me smiles​

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
At temps above zero your birds should do ok as long as they can get inside, out of the wind and huddle together--assuming they have all their feathers. Feathers are great insulation. Most of the colder weather breeds will do just fine without heaters. Oh breeds like the leghorns might get their combs frostbit but unless you're showing them they will not be harmed too much by this. Your biggest problem will be keeping their water from freezing.

 

[grandmas Nest]

What about putting water on cinder block with a 25 to 40 watt bulb in the cinder block?

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Thank you for the post. A lot of good information from "old eggs". I appreciate the sharing that goes on in these forums.
After reading the entire 30 page post I have decided not to suppliment heat in my coop for the sake of my birds' health as it seems they are better off without added warmth.
For those who still want to suppliment heat I see there was no mention of what I was planning on doing so I wonder if it is a bad idea anyway: I bought an extra large reptile heat stone with thermostat and used it while brooding my chicks (along with a heat lamp) so the chicks could move in and out of the heat as they choose. I was going to re-purpose it for this winter inside the coop house in the same manner. No one has mentioned anything like this.
Thank you,

 

[arch_cpj]

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I think Id feel better with a base heater for poultry or making a 5 gallon nipple waterer and putting in a bucket deicer the whole set up will be less that 50 bucks and safe...

 

[LeghornLisa]

Insulate your coop, heated waterer...a flat panel heater on shopthecoop.com that kicks on at 32 degrees and shuts off at 45 degrees....this will help you sleep at night and the peeps too!

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
yes same here, I wish I knew that before my rooster lost ALL of his toes and his comb

I've always used round perches and never had this problem....could the humidity in your coop be too high? Not enough ventilation? A round perch wouldn't have anything to do with a comb freezing.

I live in the mountains and it gets pretty darn cold here...used to have a little frosting of the roos combs but not since using deep litter. My coop is uninsulated and VERY open air due to it being ancient with large cracks between the boards in the walls and floors. I also leave the pop door open at all times.

Round perches do not necessarily equal frozen toes...if that were the case, every bird in the northern hemisphere would be walking around on stumps.

 

[joebryant]

I only use TSC's red and white waterers when I have small chicks. I put the rest away.
Now, during spring, summer, and fall, I use the large metal pans that TSC sells for about $5.
I would never use metal waterers during winter because more than likely somebody would get stuck/frozen to it.
During winter I use electric plastic dog water bowls from Home Depot ($15) and a ThermoCube that turns it off when it's warm out.

 

[Boudicea Farms]

I keep a light bulb going in the hen house for so so nights and a heat lamp for the really cold one's also someone told me to make a hot mash laced with hot pepper to feed on subzero mornings haven't tried it though, I also have an a frame shaped coop with the hen house elevated so I stack straw under it in the winter and keep deep straw in the nesting boxes and floor. I usually find the hen snuggled in the boxes when it gets really cold.

 

[greenSearcher]

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I wouldn't let that stuff anywhere near my girls or my garden. Sevin is a carbamate, derived from nerve gas.

Katherine

i used it once on my garden and had 3 days of migraine. Most of my gardens and chickens are handled organically as possible. One 3-day migraine is enough