newbie looking for winterizing advice!

bkyrdchckn

Hatching
6 Years
Sep 24, 2013
8
0
7
Hi all! This will be my first winter with my chickens and I was looking for tips on winterizing my coop! I live in Colorado so it gets pretty cold! Any advice would be great! Thanks!
 
Hi all! This will be my first winter with my chickens and I was looking for tips on winterizing my coop! I live in Colorado so it gets pretty cold! Any advice would be great! Thanks!
A draft free coop, with adequate ventilation for the bird load you have. pine shaving, or straw bedding, ice free water, facilitated by a heated water base, or a heated dog dish type.
If you have very bitter cold, an added heat source may be a good idea, but be smart about this, and follow all precautions.
Feed quality feed, and more of it.
You could add light on a timer if you want steady egg production, or leave them alone and they get a break from laying.
Cover your run from the cold prevailing winds, and keep a snow free area if you can for them to play around in during those nice winter days.
 
The coop is wooden, with one door, and another small door for the chickens to get in and out. Its rectangular, about 10' by 6'. The run is probably 60' by 6'. Skinny but long! The coop has one window, that is open all the time, just some metal bars too keep chickens in. The back end of the coop is where all the roosting is, and the adjacent wall has all the nesting boxes. Its fairly small, but big enough for someone to walk inside comfortably and is tall. Its older, it was already on the property of the house we recently bought, the former owners had not used it in probably 5-10 years. Not exactly sure of what you needed to know but thats about all!
 
In Canada I am subject to -40º cold snaps. I do NOT heat my coop. Murphy's law says my birds will find out what -40 is all about when my hydro goes out. Regardless what you decide feed extra Corn over the winter you will not be sorry.

Or something like this may help also; You could even knit a hoodie for those extra cold days..

 
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I can attest to no-heat. My area does not get to -40 but plenty below freezing and wind chill.

I would suggest that vent openings with shutters up high at all sides, so the down wind side vents can be opened and up wind side closed. Window should be able to be closed when necessary.
 

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