Preparing Your Flock & Coop for WINTER

[RedRidge]

The coop doors get closed at night if it's going to get below 20 here, but the non breeders ate usually out all day even if the weather is bad - they just don't care.
The only other thing we really do differently is pull the vinyl pieces out of storage that go on the breeding pens. The vinyl attaches with Velcro on the back and sides and gets rolled up all day and stays up except for below 20 nighttime lows. The key is blocking the wind while still providing plenty of circulation.
For water we drop bird bath deicers into our buckets that have nipples on them.

 

[tntchix]

@RedRidge the wind doesn't blow the vinyl off the velcro?

 

[RedRidge]

@RedRidge
 the wind doesn't blow the vinyl off the velcro? 

Nope. The Velcro is pretty heavy duty. .. And so is the vinyl

 

[tntchix]

Adding that to my book of changes. I 'm already not liking these tarps. Not enough light. My coop is facing the wrong way. That will change when we move it to the other side of the yard.

 

[coop410silkies]

That is so good for me to hear! I am in missouri too! I only have one chicken, but she has decided to not use the coop or nesting box I have for her. She prefers now to wonder during the day and sleep in a tree at night. I'm nervous for our Missouri winter. I don't want to lose her. But she doesn't like her coop. I don't know what to do to keep her warm and safe through the winter!!!!

good news to me, too. Thanks for posting this. Laurie in Berthoud

 

[minnehaha]

Anybody else's chickens *seemingly* not eating much?

Had a REAL cold snap for the past 5 days or so here in W. WA and also they're molting and look PA-thetic! They kind of act that way, too, LOL..well one of them kind of does but it doesn't seem like they're interested in eating a lot.

I give them FF and pellets and they free range all day and have been, just seems like w/this latest cold snap, especially that they're not going through the food, you think it would be the opposite.

I'm also in Washington!

My chickens were eating like pigs right up until the cold snap hit, then they slowed down. It's finally getting slightly warmer, let's see if they start pigging out again. It has been weird how they slowed way way way down as soon as it got bitter cold out.

 

[coop410silkies]

The two runs next to one another contain a Cochin mom and 4 10 weekers and the right one has a dark brahma mom and 3 8 weekers, btw.

Astrologica, do these runs have any kind of shelters for your birds? Or do they go into the coop at night? Your coop and runs, btw, look VERY nice. I have a few breeding pens, each with a small shelter for sleeping and predator protection. I like the bucket de icers, but like you, find the cost of a number of them a strain on the budget. The light bulb in a foil covered cinder block works OK for me, as long as the waterers are in a somewhat protected location. When it gets too cold, though, the little horizontal nipples in the more exposed locations freeze shut. My birds head right for the snow, however, and ignore the waterers altogether, so I'm not very worried at this point. It took me a while to figure out how to hook up multiple waterers without using a bazillion extension cords, but when finally designed, it was pretty simple and easy to do. My big issue with covered runs is that they often are not high enough to stand up in, and lifting and carrying around 5 gal. buckets full of water while half stooped over is not on my list of things to do. So my plan was to drill a hole just big enough for a hose end to fit through (about 1 1/8 ") each waterer lid and fill with a hose. And in practice this system has worked as expected and life is SO much easier. Good luck with all your pre- and re- parations. Your chickies sound divine enough to warrant a pic or two. Laurie in Berthoud

 

[coop410silkies]

Anybody else's chickens *seemingly* not eating much?

Had a REAL cold snap for the past 5 days or so here in W. WA and also they're molting and look PA-thetic! They kind of act that way, too, LOL..well one of them kind of does but it doesn't seem like they're interested in eating a lot. 

I give them FF and pellets and they free range all day and have been, just seems like w/this latest cold snap, especially that they're not going through the food, you think it would be the opposite.

Yeah, Reilly, I switched my birds over to "no waste" bucket feeders, and I've been checking to see if they're getting enough to eat. They didn't make their feed disappear so fast this last week, and I supplemented with some high nutrition snacks everyday. I thought it was the feeders, but the birds in my warmest coop seem to be eating a lot, perhaps even pigging out (they are the Roosters). Maybe the cold birds are diverting their energy resources to keeping warm and not using them for eating and digesting. There IS a net gain in energy from eating, but first, of course, you have to expend some. Especially delicious nutritious snacks might be a good thing to invent in preparing for winter, you know? Laurie in cold cold Berthoud

 

[jtn42248]

Well it finally really snowed here last night. No where near what some of you are getting but for us here in West Texas it is really something. I checked the weather service and it has never snowed on Nov. 16 in recorded weather records for this area. It is currently 20 degrees with a chill factor of 9. I let my geese out, they have a draw bridge door, they came out on the door, looked around, then flew across their pen to the one area that had no snow. The ducks took everything in stride but duck foot prints in snow are funny looking. My chickens came running to their door, stopped, looked around then turned around and went back inside. They are out now because I put their food outside.

 

[minnehaha]

Well it finally really snowed here last night. No where near what some of you are getting but for us here in West Texas it is really something. I checked the weather service and it has never snowed on Nov. 16 in recorded weather records for this area. It is currently 20 degrees with a chill factor of 9. I let my geese out, they have a draw bridge door, they came out on the door, looked around, then flew across their pen to the one area that had no snow. The ducks took everything in stride but duck foot prints in snow are funny looking. My chickens came running to their door, stopped, looked around then turned around and went back inside. They are out now because I put their food outside.

Boy that is a sight to see! I'll bet the businesses are closed, and those who are on the roads are crashing and sliding off the roads. Folks down south usual don't have the tires meant for that type of weather because it is very rarely needed, nor the skills to drive in it. And the homes and businesses are not usually insulated or built to handle the cold hence the many broken burst water pipes. I hope everyone your way gets through this with very few problems and everyone stays warm and safe! Prayers for Yall.

Your chickens and ducks......haha....funny! I can picture the chickens putting the brakes on when they saw the white stuff.....LOL