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

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
when hubby built our coop , on the west side of the coop , 1/2 way up is all Wire mesh . ( looks like he divided the sides in 1/2 . 1/2 wire 1/2 siding ). Wood below . and East side he build a hindged door for cleaning access . I kept wondering why this was only 1/2 the side of the building , above was all wire . NOW I KNOW , this coop is very very cool inside . BUT , we were thinking of building kinda like shutters over the wire mess areas once the weather begins to cool down . Close in winter or raining times , OPEN for ventilation .

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
Very good idea . Thanks .

We do not have very cold winters here in South Louisiana , BUT it is a great idea for keeping their run dry .

I am also considering maybe a bale inside the coop for warmth .

Hubby thinks I am nuts for worrying about keeping them warm in winter , since we hardly have winters , and I ACTED like AN OLE MOTHER HEN , (

) and told him , LOOK Mother's do the worrying

about their babies , SO HUSH .

 

[ozark hen]

I use the deep litter method for inside the coop. Then come spring I have a good start on composting. It insulates the floor and keeps them warm when on the floor.

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
Please explain what ya'll are meaning by the term " litter method " .

I have put nothing but pine shavings thru out my whole coop . Nesting boxes are filled 1/2 full with savings and SO FAR no problems with clean up . NO smell or flies .

 

[Mahonri]

I think my hens are going to love winter.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Actually aquarium heaters are not all that cheap these days

But the main issue is that their thermostats are set wrong for winter-water-heater purposes. THe lowest you can generally set them is for about 60 F. Whereas what you want is to be able to set the thermostat for about 32-35 F.

If you go with the thermostat set at tropical fish temperatures, you will be wasting large amounts of electricity and also you will be humidifying your coop air an awful lot. And because the great majority of the aquarium heaters these days have integral thermostats you could not really remove it and replace with a more appropriate thermostat.

Also, an aquarium heater will be TOAST, and also possibly a fire hazard, if it runs dry even for just a few minutes. So you would have to have some way of ensuring that it remained submerged in a considerable volume of water 100% of the time.

A heated dog bowl only costs like $15

Pat

 

[lilchick]

Living in Indiana.
I have my banties in an Amish built cabin with a front porch facing south.
In the winter they stay on the porch. Thinking of that saying if ya can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch! ha ha

I do not use heated waterers since I have several to water in seperate pens...
I just bring waterers in at night and take fresh out in a.m. They do not freeze during the day....

I too use the deep litter method since the cabin sits on runners with a stone pad underneath and well the wind blows under it...

I use the oil filled radiator to heat the barn. Feel it is the safest. Just sit it on a platform to keep it off the floor. It is very capable of keeping a 12 by 24 cabin comfortable....

In the fall we have a load of stone hauled here for winter use.
I use my wheelbarrow (and strong son ) to fill in the wet places around the doors and path...

 

[Opa]

I've been reading all of the suggestions and thought I'd offer my two cents worth as well. As a retired fireman I'd be very leery of using the heat tape. It shorts easily. Chickens pecking at it could be a problem. In my coop I have a thermostat that I can adjust the on off settings. I have an exhaust fan plugged into it for summer and this winter I intend to use a ceramic heat lamp that is a black light. No visible light. They use them quite often for reptiles. That way I won't have light keeping the birds awake. As long as the temperature is set above freezing the birds will be fine. The biggest issue is drafts. Chickens is a draft free space generate a surprising amount of heat.

 

[Davaroo]

Dont know if its been mentioned, but Ive seen the coffe cup warmers sold for desk jockeys used as water warmers. You can usually ge them for a buck or two at thrift shops.

 

[joebryant]

What a great thread. I'm getting lots of good ideas for the coops I'm building. Thanks to all who have contributed!