Over ez coop in winter

We're about to put the shower curtain on again for the year (a little late! I woke up to 3" of snow!) so I'll try to grab better photos. It's on the outside and attached at the base of the roof overhang and just above the nesting boxes. It basically blocks a direct wind from blowing in but does not cover the vents in any way otherwise. It's what looks like plastic over the windows, on the coop. The other three sides have no plastic on them.

the hoop run - it looks like it's fully wrapped, but there were many spaces on the ends where air (and snow!) could flow through. I never had any issues with moisture or frostbite with the exception of the very edges of rooster wattles, from them dipping them while drinking. The trick with wrapping your run, or anything really, is to leave the airflow up high so that the breezes never ruffle your birds' feathers.
Ok, that plastic shower curtain makes sense now! Good idea on that! I wonder if I could trim it to go just pass the windows so my dog doesn't grab a hold of it.
Thank you. I see my girls getting so cold in their run. So trying to figure out how to block some cold air while still letting them look out...which is their fav thing!
 
It's very helpful, thank you. Did you cut anything on the back?
You're welcome :)! I didn't cut anything on the back out.....yet. Because I'm not seeing any issues with moisture (no condensation on windows or ammonia smell in coop). Having a poop board that I clean off each morning helps with that. If I start to notice ammonia or moisture, I will definitely be cutting out a strip under the roof line on the back.
 
Hello!!!

I have done a ton of research about winterizing chicken coops but I would like to ask specific questions about my coop that I havent been able to find. We live in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan in the snow belt where we get TONS of snow and the temps can stay at 0 or below for weeks at a time. We only have 6 chickens in this prefab coop that advertises room for 10-15 chickens. I know usually they are only equipped for the low side of that but it concerns me because of the size and our chickens ability to keep warm. We bought the feeder and waterer shown so when we need to keep them inside, it'll be less water spill and mess. I'm planning on putting a thermometer and hygrometer in the coop to monitor the humidity and temp. At the insistent request of my mother-in-law we are adding foam board with flex ply over top to the walls.

My question is if there is anything else I should be doing to insulate? Should we insulate the ceiling as well?

I've put pictures of a couple issues with build of the coop. The one crack is where the ceiling panels connect and I am going to add another piece of metal sheeting to the roof ensure no moisture gets in. Should I do anything else with that?

The other picture is a crack under where the wall and roof attach. Because it's on the sloped side I don't think there will be an issue with moisture or draft but do I need to seal that? And with what?

I'm not planning to add any heat to the coop except the deicer to the water tank and hopefully we will be able to keep that outside mostly. But is there any emergency things I can use if I notice the Temps getting too low and the chickens getting too cold?

I'm also worried about not having a run this winter. I'm planning to let them free range most of the time but did want a run to protect them from drifts and wind and I have run out of time to really build anything. We are moving to a new house in November and this is my first year with chickens. Are there any temporary quick fixes that anyone can recommend for this winter?

Thanks so much!!!!



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I see you have the over ez waterer. I’ve been looking at them but am wondering about winter and freezing.

I know there’s a spot to run a deicer into the tank but I was curious if that keeps the nipples from freezing or not? Have you been using it in winter with a deicer or anything?
 
I see you have the over ez waterer. I’ve been looking at them but am wondering about winter and freezing.

I know there’s a spot to run a deicer into the tank but I was curious if that keeps the nipples from freezing or not? Have you been using it in winter with a deicer or anything?
Ugh I really like it because it stays clean! But I added the little cups because I was worried about the chickens getting enough water and those do freeze. I have a deicer in the waterer and it has been fine but I've resorted to dumping it into another heated bowl most of the time anyways. Love it for the summer but maybe I should have been more patient to see if they got enough water through the nipples provided
 
Ugh I really like it because it stays clean! But I added the little cups because I was worried about the chickens getting enough water and those do freeze. I have a deicer in the waterer and it has been fine but I've resorted to dumping it into another heated bowl most of the time anyways. Love it for the summer but maybe I should have been more patient to see if they got enough water through the nipples provided
Thanks for the info! I also use cups instead of nipples and that’s what I was afraid of was them freezing.
 
This is our first winter, so I'm not certain what'll happen, but we're definitely going to have to manage the snow load by clearing it off anytime there's a big storm (that's why we'll be adding a proper roof next year)! Building your own is ideal, especially if you have the skills (or have help from someone who does). My husband is handy, but he's no carpenter, lol, amd the cost of lumber... woof! So we chose the pre-built route. If we ever expand (😵‍💫 chicken math 😵‍💫), we'll do things differently, for sure. It gets real expensive real quick!
We did the same for the first year. I now have a 10x10 coop that is walk in and a run that is covered with a metal roof. So much easier to maintain and a dry area for the girls to roam.
 
This is our first winter, so I'm not certain what'll happen, but we're definitely going to have to manage the snow load by clearing it off anytime there's a big storm (that's why we'll be adding a proper roof next year)! Building your own is ideal, especially if you have the skills (or have help from someone who does). My husband is handy, but he's no carpenter, lol, amd the cost of lumber... woof! So we chose the pre-built route. If we ever expand (😵‍💫 chicken math 😵‍💫), we'll do things differently, for sure. It gets real expensive real quick!
We did the same for the first year. I now have a 10x10 coop that is walk in and a run that is covered with a metal roof. So much easier to maintain and a dry area for the girls to roam.
 

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