Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[justtricia]

hi and welcome to the Mi. site

if you can put it under shelter that would be great, plastic on the run or on the windy side of the run is also very good, depending on the breed most chickens do not need extra heat just plenty of ventilation, fresh water and food, your coop should be fie shelter. They will go outside more often if the run is free of snow, some like it some do not

there are lots of ways to keep the water from freezing, some use a cookie tin heater there is a thread that will show you how to make one, . bird bath heater in water or buy a heated waterer. deep litter is good I think it needs to be about 12" ? I water and feed outside only as it keeps mice and mess outside, others prefer to have it inside
like your coop and run, make sure you screep out 12 in around the bottom and cover with stones or dirt and/or add and electric wire about 12" up to keep them save from preditors

less wind is always good, have fun

Thanks for your reply. I got the chickens as babies in March and have raised them since then - in this coop. The mesh wire runs about a foot longer than the bottom of the coop and lays on the ground so that predators cannot dig in - so far, so good. We move it weekly, so putting rocks etc. is not doable, although I imagine we will not move it all winter, if we put it in a leanto or behind a wind block.

I have 4 Isa Browns, 2 Leghorns, a frizzle and a frizzle serama mix-roo. Not sure about how hardy any of these are with winter.

I currently water and feed outside with hanging containers - can you heat these? They free range the latter part of the day and still have access to the inside of the coop - will they free range in the winter? They return at dusk and bed down with closed run for the night!

My house, on the coop, has no windows or vents, only the small door at the ramp and the large man door. Is that enough ventilation?

Thanks again...I do worry about them

 

[1muttsfan]

A well-ventilated, draft-free coop should be enough to keep your birds healthy. You will need additional ventilation, ideally high on the side away from the roosts, to prevent moisture buildup. Turn your bedding weekly and add more if it seems too wet. If you see moisture condensing on the inside of the coop, you need more ventilation.

Having the water inside will make it easier to keep thawed, but also increases the moisture inside the coop. You can get a plastic heated waterer, not sure if you can hang it up, but I have seen them at TSC. I use galvanized metal waterers on a heated base that is made for heating water and really like it. My feeder hangs inside all year round.

Chickens do not like snow much, and will not range well when there is snow on the ground, so will likely spend a lot of time in a coop and run. A wind barrier is nice if your coop is out in the open.

Hi Bobbry

 

[uchytil]

Well, I did pick up a heated hose today. Hopefully it will cut down on a bit of my back pain this winter. The 20' hoses are $50.00 and the 40' is $89.00. FF&H had a $10.00 off coupon so I used that.

John - I have no idea what the cost would be to run a water line out to the trough. Everyone I've asked simply answered 'expensive' . . .

Depends on how you do it. I'm trenching down below the frost line and running inexpensive black poly out to an inexpensive hydrant. I'll tie the water line in to my house well. The hydrant drains underground so it does not freeze. At the same time I'll lay in #8 wire for power. The electric wire is expensive. Water line not so much. Renting a trencher could be $. If you ask someone for an estimate make sure they do free quotes. No harm in getting a ballpark.

 

[RaZ]

Hi! I am sorry if this topic has been previously discussed, but I do not have time to dig through the number of posts to see an answer. This is my first winter with my chickens and I want to be prepared.

I have a decent coop; however, it is not insulated. I am considering moving it next to one of my out buildings to block wind, or in putting plastic around the run part - maybe even putting it inside one of my leantos so it has blockage on three sides. I do not know if with grown chickens I need to use the light to keep them warm, or if they will be ok? I am using the deep litter method and I read that the composting process also helps to warm the coop.


Any advice from my fellow MI people would be great. My girls (and one Roo) have been amazing and I am afraid of losing them if not prepared.

Please do not hesitate to touch on all important winter things (i.e., water, food, outside time, light, warmth etc.) that would be relevant to taking good care of them and keeping them safe.

Thanks in advance

Deep litter does not equal composting. You will not get any heat from deep litter inside a dry coop. If the deep litter is actively decomposing then you have a serious problem with moisture inside the coop.

You need a lot more ventilation based on what I can see in the photo. I would add roof vents and a couple of inlet vents in the lower wall. The air circulation will be helpful in avoid an ammonia build up inside the coop.

If you have straw bales, you can stack them around the outer walls to reduce wind.

I did not use heated waterers. I just rotated fresh ones from the house each day or more often if it was really cold. You check the birds and gather eggs each day so it is not too difficult to tote out a fresh one. By rotating them, you can keep them clean.

Hope this helps. Good luck

 

[Stacykins]

Deep litter does not equal composting. You will not get any heat from deep litter inside a dry coop. If the deep litter is actively decomposing then you have a serious problem with moisture inside the coop.

You need a lot more ventilation based on what I can see in the photo. I would add roof vents and a couple of inlet vents in the lower wall. The air circulation will be helpful in avoid an ammonia build up inside the coop.

If you have straw bales, you can stack them around the outer walls to reduce wind.

I did not use heated waterers. I just rotated fresh ones from the house each day or more often if it was really cold. You check the birds and gather eggs each day so it is not too difficult to tote out a fresh one. By rotating them, you can keep them clean.

Hope this helps. Good luck

Aye, I did something similar with the rotating waterers. I switch to rubber pans in freezing weather, and a quick kick to the side of the pan dislodges the ice block (or breaks the crust if the ice is thin). Then I dump out old water and pour in fresh.

 

[snowflake]

like Raz said you will need more ventilation, shop around if you get a heated water-er as the price can very, they do hang or you could do as some suggested and just trade them out, bring in at night and it should thaw by morning


had an absolutely beautiful cooper 's hawk in my run this eve, he was young and so scared he forgot what he was there for.
my run is covered so he had to come in the door then found he was trapped

 

[preciouskitty]

like Raz said you will need more ventilation, shop around if you get a heated water-er as the price can very, they do hang or you could do as some suggested and just trade them out, bring in at night and it should thaw by morning


had an absolutely beautiful cooper 's hawk in my run this eve, he was young and so scared he forgot what he was there for.
 my run is covered so he had to come in the door then found he was trapped

Wow! How cool! Not often we have "happy hawk" stories when associated with "in the chicken run"!!!!

 

[Peep-Chicken]

We where visiting our friends today and were counting the chickens we raised for them. We couldn't find Biscuit. Our friend reported that 2 days ago, her two largest turkeys jumped out of her pen, and into the garden and where really scared. Theory 1: Biscuit got scared and is in hiding Theory 2: she went broody Theory 3: Biscuit was killed. Then yesterday she found one of her larger turkeys stripped clean to the bone, said it didn't seem fresh. Biscuit is a Americana chicken. Have any ideas on what happened?

 

[NovaAman]

If she's not back, I'd say a predator, but I'd also start checking anywhere that she could be hiding for a nest.

Tricia... With the coop, If you have a lean too, I'd move it, or move it against a building that blocks the wind, then a clear/white 10mil plastic wrap. Be sure to get some furring strips to go over the plastic where you staple it, kinda like a frame. This will keep the plastic from being easily torn away in the wind.

Where you have the opening on the run of the roof, I'd put a clear or white tuftex roof panel. Add ventilation as suggested, I'd put it right up under the roof under hang there myself. My birds will on occassion go out in the snow if I have a large area cleared, or path ways to the garage. But mostly now with their run they just hang out in there, even though I open the door ALL DAY to give them that option.

I have a frizzle serema roo. He did just fine in the coop with the other birds. If you are worried on frost bite, vaseline his comb.

 

[RaZ]

Yikes!
http://guardianlv.com/2013/10/chicken-meat-sold-in-usa-contains-arsenic/