Preparing Your Flock & Coop for WINTER

[1tatonkajim]

I just converted to the water nipples at the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket. Took all other water away and within 1 day they figured it out and use the nipples. I fill the bucket with a hose in the top and put spout lid back on. I use a bucket with the screw off spout so I don't have to take lid off. I plan on putting a heater in it and will run the electric wire through the spout. I hang it about 18 inches above the floor.

Works great...

 

[JackE]

Summer, (warm weather) mode. All windows, plus door, open, for max fresh air/ventilation.

Winter mode. Windows, door shut. Front of coop is open year round, covered only with hardware cloth. No insulation, No added heat, With the exception of the cookie tin water fount warmer. I get temps down into the low single digits, and my chickens have no problems at all. Proven 100yr old Wood's coop design. Back in the day, they had coops like this up into Canada.

 

[lovechickens101]

In Spokane, Washington our winters are sometimes just rain and others are dramatic snow/ice storms. I love the idea of an apron for the stripped hen. Good luck with that item. Please let us know how it goes. I learned to tease the girls with toys. All of which I have read about on BYC. They love apples and other goodies like cabbage hung on a cord. They peck at it as it rocks around. and it keeps them busy and interested. Also a drink bottle with holes drilled through it for the raw sunflower seeds. They scratch at it and it goes everywhere while dropping a few sunflower seeds. I enjoy watching the other hens picking up the seeds while one is rolling the bottle.

 

[iwiw60]

This is great information! I love the sloped roof for the run. Do they need the lamp inside during the really cold months?

Chickens do not require heat in the coop contrary to what you may have read. My girls will do just fine down to around -20 temp. See, it isn't heat they need...what they need is dry and no humidity. Moisture is the biggest downfall in coops....chickens produce lots of heat on their own just from their body heat and breathing...so much so that you need to watch out for humidity...if you see moisture on say your windows?? It's too damp in there. They need ventilation, but NO drafts directly on them, thus the reason for placing your windows in the right spots.

I plan on putting down fresh pine wood shavings in the coop almost 6" deep to help with dryness. I also use Sweet PDZ granular in their poop tray which 'wicks' away moisture and ammonia from night droppings...





Fire is a huge problem with the use of heat lamps or even just lightbulbs in general...way too much danger in my book and not worth the losses....


18 chicks and 8 hens were lost in this fire...

I wish you all the very best!!

 

[NTBugtraq]

Both Auber Instruments and Omega have solutions for the concerns of using heating solutions. They work by providing a temperature probe for your water. This controls a relay which provides power to, for example, an extension cord your infra red lights plug into. When the water temp is too low, power comes on, and then turns off again when the water temp gets high enough. By keeping the high water temp low enough, you limit the amount of time the lights are on. The other nice thing about a solution such as this is that you don't have to be aware of when the temperature is changing. A little trial and error on a cold day and you can adjust the height of the lights; what the low temp should be (to trigger the lights to warm up the water faster than it can freeze), and the high water temp.

 

[hillcrest10Hens]

In Spokane, Washington our winters are sometimes just rain and others are dramatic snow/ice storms. I love the idea of an apron for the stripped hen. Good luck with that item. Please let us know how it goes. I learned to tease the girls with toys. All of which I have read about on BYC. They love apples and other goodies like cabbage hung on a cord. They peck at it as it rocks around. and it keeps them busy and interested. Also a drink bottle with holes drilled through it for the raw sunflower seeds. They scratch at it and it goes everywhere while dropping a few sunflower seeds. I enjoy watching the other hens picking up the seeds while one is rolling the bottle.

First I have to get the apron on her! I like the sunflower seed bottle. I grew sunflowers around the chicken yard this summer. Can they eat sunflower seeds w/the hulls on?

 

[iwiw60]

HOUSING MATTERS
Bedding and litter should be of an adequate depth to provide a level of insulation but don't be tempted to stuff the house full of straw thinking it will create a cosy house. Straw can look clean and dry, but it is not particularly absorbent and has a habit of "sweating" when soiled with droppings or muddy feet. This can quickly give rise to fungal growth and the resulting spores can lead to respiratory illnesses in the chickens. If possible it's far better to use shavings or some of the other biodegradable litter products on the market. Be aware that the use of straw can increase chances of mites as mites use the 'tubes' of the straw to crawl into.

FREEZING WEATHER & CHICKENS
Winter can present its challenges for any animal, and it's no different for chickens.
No matter what season it is, providing the optimum conditions for your flock is essential. They may not be producing eggs right now, but invest effort in their upkeep and they will start the new laying period in prime condition.
Despite the chicken's origin as a jungle bird, its evolution and domestication over the centuries has created a hardy creature that can survive freezing winters. Granted, on some days they will elect to spend the majority of the day inside the coop, but I put that down to them having a few more brain cells than we think they have, and actually seem to relish the winter weather.

 

[catschwegel]

hi everyone, I live in northeast Georgia, it gets pretty darn cold here . I really like the idea of the dog bowl warmers, will get some for my kids(my birds) I have some very sweet naked necks and some beautiful frizzles and some other bantys...minis and biggys..I will be wraping the coop in plastic as well..am already wishing or spring!!

 

[Ankhdad]

I'm one of those crazy Canucks from 'way up north', NW Ontario. We have it cold here! Minus 30/35 Celsius, about the same in Fahrenheit it's that cold. And that's not including the wind chill!
This will be our first winter with the 'kids' and I've just finished my coop (pics to follow soon), and I went insulted style. I will not be using a heat light, and I currently have the regular light on a timer to come on at 4 am and off at 8 am. Good venting is in place, 5-6 inches of shavings and some Stall Dry on the floor. Chicken nipples are being feed by a 5 gallon bucket.
I don't think the water will freeze, but I think it's going to get really cold. I like the idea of using a water heater, is there something in particular that I should be looking for when shopping for one?

PS...Love the idea of using straw for the kids to walk on the snow!

Keith

 

[lovechickens101]

Free range chickens eat many things more than what we think. I work on the natural side of things as is so with sunflowers seeds hulls or no hulls. I happen to enjoy the raw sunflower seeds for a snack so the hens get them also. Their favorites are meal worms, the dead beetles and any kind of corn (sparingly).