Over ez coop in winter

[Ccort]

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!

 

[ChickyCh00k]

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.

 

[Kristylo14]

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

 

[Kristylo14]

I have the same coop. With the recommendations that you will see most often, you need 4 sq ft per bird in the coop, especially if they're going to be confined for long periods (other than sleeping). That coop is 24 sq.ft not counting the nest boxes, which means 6 birds is your max. The other thing you will find most often is people advising AGAINST insulation, for a whole host of reasons - pests, moisture build-up, etc.

Speaking of moisture build-up, the best thing you can do to keep your birds safe in the winter is add 24/7 open ventilation to that coop (as high up as possible). As long as the birds are dry (and there aren't drafts) they can tolerate pretty cold temps. The recommendation is 1 sq ft of ventilation per bird (so 6 sq ft in your case - I have no idea how to do this calculation, but I just tried to put as much as I could with the space availableon the coop). With the windows closed, that coop has only a few inches of ventilation. Ventilation up high allows the moisture/ammonia from droppings and from the birds' breathing to escape.

I cut ventilation above both windows and on both sides (as high above the roots as possible). I will likely be adding it along the back of the coop as well, depending on if I see condensation on windows this winter (a good indicator that more ventilation is needed). I'm also in Michigan (lower), so we get some pretty bad/cold weather in the winter, though not nearly as bad as what you get, I'm sure!

For the run, I put my OverEZ coop inside a 10x26 run. We'll be putting a roof on it in the spring, but this winter we're going to cover the whole top with tarps, and cover the sides in 6mil plastic sheeting (leaving about 18" open where the roof meets the sides for ventilation. You can find this type of run on Amazon https://a.co/d/bpI60QU. Here's a pic of our setup (minus the winterizing and we'll be adding hardware cloth to the bottom 4 ft of the fencing as well):

View attachment 3267678

If I had it to do over, I would've just converted a brand new (larger) shed into a coop and modified it, but this is what we have, so we have to make it work. Anyway, I hope at least some of this is helpful! Best of luck!!

Thank you! So you don't insulate the coop at all? I've also seen that but am frustrated because of the people around me who insist that it's necessary. :/

 

[Kristylo14]

I have the same coop. With the recommendations that you will see most often, you need 4 sq ft per bird in the coop, especially if they're going to be confined for long periods (other than sleeping). That coop is 24 sq.ft not counting the nest boxes, which means 6 birds is your max. The other thing you will find most often is people advising AGAINST insulation, for a whole host of reasons - pests, moisture build-up, etc.

Speaking of moisture build-up, the best thing you can do to keep your birds safe in the winter is add 24/7 open ventilation to that coop (as high up as possible). As long as the birds are dry (and there aren't drafts) they can tolerate pretty cold temps. The recommendation is 1 sq ft of ventilation per bird (so 6 sq ft in your case - I have no idea how to do this calculation, but I just tried to put as much as I could with the space availableon the coop). With the windows closed, that coop has only a few inches of ventilation. Ventilation up high allows the moisture/ammonia from droppings and from the birds' breathing to escape.

I cut ventilation above both windows and on both sides (as high above the roots as possible). I will likely be adding it along the back of the coop as well, depending on if I see condensation on windows this winter (a good indicator that more ventilation is needed). I'm also in Michigan (lower), so we get some pretty bad/cold weather in the winter, though not nearly as bad as what you get, I'm sure!

For the run, I put my OverEZ coop inside a 10x26 run. We'll be putting a roof on it in the spring, but this winter we're going to cover the whole top with tarps, and cover the sides in 6mil plastic sheeting (leaving about 18" open where the roof meets the sides for ventilation. You can find this type of run on Amazon https://a.co/d/bpI60QU. Here's a pic of our setup (minus the winterizing and we'll be adding hardware cloth to the bottom 4 ft of the fencing as well):

View attachment 3267678

If I had it to do over, I would've just converted a brand new (larger) shed into a coop and modified it, but this is what we have, so we have to make it work. Anyway, I hope at least some of this is helpful! Best of luck!!

You have an awesome set up! I read that a lot of these runs will cave in the winter from snow. Have you had it through winter yet? We probably have a lot more snow here but I thought if I clear it after each snowfall I could make it work but am considering just building my own

 

[ChickyCh00k]

BTW That is an amazing run. Is it covered in 1/2 hardware wire?

Thanks! We put a lot of work into it, and it's not done. It comes with chicken wire to cover the entirety of it, but we'll be adding 1/2" hardware cloth around the bottom 4 feet of the entire thing.

 

[Kristylo14]

Another OverEZ owner chiming in, this time from Eastern Maine (45th parallel/Canada border/coast area).
I had double that many birds in my coop last winter, including 3 ducks. Yes, totally overcrowded, but we did what had to be done for the time being. For ventilation, we cut out large holes on each side above the door and opposite that on the non door side. We cut out ventilation holes above the windows, and drilled small holes on the backside (well above the roost) for additional airflow. We also put a shower curtain that hangs about 1' from the windows/ventilation holes on the front, which allowed us to keep the windows open on warmer days and prevented direct breeze on the birds as they roosted. We had no insulation and no supplemental heat. We kept the food and water out in the run (heated waterer).

To this, we attached a hoop run covered in hardware cloth and tarps, with space left for ventilation as well. In the coop, I did deep bedding, picking out the dirtiest spots with a pitchfork every so often and adding half a bag of pine shavings every few weeks. In the run, we did more of a deep litter, starting with straw in autumn, adding leaf litter and other yard trimmings. I added straw about once a week, just a flake or two for them to pick through and play in. When we cleared it out in April it was about 18" deep!

In the depths of winter we had quite a few days with the high below 0 and the windchill well into the negatives (to say nothing of the nighttime temps!). We had one rooster who got the tiniest touch of frostbite, not enough to lose any tissue. The humidity stayed low and the temp, though cold, was fine for them. Inside the covered run, even on bitterly cold windy days, it was warm enough to sit without gloves or hat.

If you're looking for a quick run solution before winter, the hoop run is a good choice. Be sure to build it so the hoops are *inside* the sturdy wooden frame; and push the snow off the top if it gets more than a foot high up there. We did have a brace that ran down the center line inside the hoop coop which helped with wind and snow load.

Here are some photos - sorry no close ups of the OverEZ ventilation. You can see we had some snow come into the run during our worst Nor'Easter - impossible to avoid if there are spaces left for airflow - but the birds all think snow is a special treat, so it was fine.

View attachment 3271256
View attachment 3271258
View attachment 3271259
View attachment 3271261

You might guess from my username that I'm starting to get excited for more snow!

Thank you so much! That's super helpful! I'll have to look into how to make that run. I found a post about a run like that but no instructions. I'm not too handy but hope I can figure it out

 

[Ccort]

I have the same coop. With the recommendations that you will see most often, you need 4 sq ft per bird in the coop, especially if they're going to be confined for long periods (other than sleeping). That coop is 24 sq.ft not counting the nest boxes, which means 6 birds is your max. The other thing you will find most often is people advising AGAINST insulation, for a whole host of reasons - pests, moisture build-up, etc.

Speaking of moisture build-up, the best thing you can do to keep your birds safe in the winter is add 24/7 open ventilation to that coop (as high up as possible). As long as the birds are dry (and there aren't drafts) they can tolerate pretty cold temps. The recommendation is 1 sq ft of ventilation per bird (so 6 sq ft in your case - I have no idea how to do this calculation, but I just tried to put as much as I could with the space availableon the coop). With the windows closed, that coop has only a few inches of ventilation. Ventilation up high allows the moisture/ammonia from droppings and from the birds' breathing to escape.

I cut ventilation above both windows and on both sides (as high above the roots as possible). I will likely be adding it along the back of the coop as well, depending on if I see condensation on windows this winter (a good indicator that more ventilation is needed). I'm also in Michigan (lower), so we get some pretty bad/cold weather in the winter, though not nearly as bad as what you get, I'm sure!

For the run, I put my OverEZ coop inside a 10x26 run. We'll be putting a roof on it in the spring, but this winter we're going to cover the whole top with tarps, and cover the sides in 6mil plastic sheeting (leaving about 18" open where the roof meets the sides for ventilation. You can find this type of run on Amazon https://a.co/d/bpI60QU. Here's a pic of our setup (minus the winterizing and we'll be adding hardware cloth to the bottom 4 ft of the fencing as well):

View attachment 3267678

If I had it to do over, I would've just converted a brand new (larger) shed into a coop and modified it, but this is what we have, so we have to make it work. Anyway, I hope at least some of this is helpful! Best of luck!!

Mind sharing pics of the coop with ventilation added?

 

[Ccort]

Another OverEZ owner chiming in, this time from Eastern Maine (45th parallel/Canada border/coast area).
I had double that many birds in my coop last winter, including 3 ducks. Yes, totally overcrowded, but we did what had to be done for the time being. For ventilation, we cut out large holes on each side above the door and opposite that on the non door side. We cut out ventilation holes above the windows, and drilled small holes on the backside (well above the roost) for additional airflow. We also put a shower curtain that hangs about 1' from the windows/ventilation holes on the front, which allowed us to keep the windows open on warmer days and prevented direct breeze on the birds as they roosted. We had no insulation and no supplemental heat. We kept the food and water out in the run (heated waterer).

To this, we attached a hoop run covered in hardware cloth and tarps, with space left for ventilation as well. In the coop, I did deep bedding, picking out the dirtiest spots with a pitchfork every so often and adding half a bag of pine shavings every few weeks. In the run, we did more of a deep litter, starting with straw in autumn, adding leaf litter and other yard trimmings. I added straw about once a week, just a flake or two for them to pick through and play in. When we cleared it out in April it was about 18" deep!

In the depths of winter we had quite a few days with the high below 0 and the windchill well into the negatives (to say nothing of the nighttime temps!). We had one rooster who got the tiniest touch of frostbite, not enough to lose any tissue. The humidity stayed low and the temp, though cold, was fine for them. Inside the covered run, even on bitterly cold windy days, it was warm enough to sit without gloves or hat.

If you're looking for a quick run solution before winter, the hoop run is a good choice. Be sure to build it so the hoops are *inside* the sturdy wooden frame; and push the snow off the top if it gets more than a foot high up there. We did have a brace that ran down the center line inside the hoop coop which helped with wind and snow load.

Here are some photos - sorry no close ups of the OverEZ ventilation. You can see we had some snow come into the run during our worst Nor'Easter - impossible to avoid if there are spaces left for airflow - but the birds all think snow is a special treat, so it was fine.

View attachment 3271256
View attachment 3271258
View attachment 3271259
View attachment 3271261

You might guess from my username that I'm starting to get excited for more snow!

The idea with the curtain rod...that was inside the coop?

Also, I see you have plastic over the windows. Is the plastic all the way around?

Lastly, if you don't mind , your run...I see people with runs that are seemingly totally or almost totally covered in tarps or plastic. Don't they need airflow in their run though too?

 

[dreamofwinter]

The idea with the curtain rod...that was inside the coop?

Also, I see you have plastic over the windows. Is the plastic all the way around?

Lastly, if you don't mind , your run...I see people with runs that are seemingly totally or almost totally covered in tarps or plastic. Don't they need airflow in their run though too?

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.