Preparing Your Flock & Coop for WINTER

[PHmaddnes]

6x6x9 greenhouse from Harbor Freight. I put their coop inside along with a banana tree and various potted flower. Planning on adding a tv and bed, wife says I may be living out there with them soon.

 

[mymilliefleur]

I think you're missing the point of using nesting box curtains...they give the hen 'privacy' and they do love them!

Love your curtain Idea. very cute. I might do some thing like this for my girls some time. I like to sew and I have lots of fabric laying around. I could use heaver material and drop the curtains at night to prevent them from sleeping in the nest boxes. Thanks for sharing!

 

[jtn42248]

I am actually having a slight problem with my rooster being out in the cold. His comb is actually turning blue at night because it is getting so cold. I have even taken the risk of putting a heat lamp in the coop, and his comb STILL turns blue. I think he even got frostbite, because one morning I took him out and the tips of his comb were slightly scabbed, and still slightly blue. My hens are even cold. They won't stay in their nesting boxes anymore and they sleep in the middle of the coop every night so they can be under the heat lamp. I have cedar shavings in the coop sometimes, but the chickens seem to dislike it and will do every thing they can to scratch it out of their coop before they will sleep. Plus it can serve as a fire hazard, seeing as there is a heat lamp in the coop. I was wondering if anyone had any advice. I live in the PNW and it usually doesn't get this cold here, so a temporary fix would be fine, as long as it lasts through this unexpectedly cold winter. Any help would be very much appreciated.

If you have been using a heat lamp all along that is probably part of the problem. They have not been in an environment that encourages their ability to self regulate their body temps. I would begin to wean them off the heat lamp over the period of a few days to a week and then only make use of it if it gets and stays below 20 degrees for a prolonged period of time. As for the frostbite on your rooster. That might actually have more to do with the humidity level inside their coop than it does the cold. Chickens are remarkably hardy creatures. Mine survive freezing and below quite nicely in a metal coop with concrete floor. However, they have adequate ventilation to disperse any humidity, they have 6-8 inches of shavings for bedding and they have roosts that are at the right level, out of any direct wind or draft and flat and large enough for them to roost and sit on their feet to keep their feet warm. Next, you should NOT be using cedar shavings as they give off fumes that can be very harmful to a chickens respiratory system. Get pine shavings, the large ones not the fine, and put them in deep (minimum of 4 inches deep). If they are scratching the shavings away they are trying to get away from the shavings or trying to scratch out a "nest" to lay in to stay warm. Nesting boxes are for laying eggs and chickens should not be allowed to stay in them for sleeping. Make sure the nesting boxes are lower than their roost and preferably with a slanting top so they can not roost on top of the nest. Make sure any drafts or direct wind is blocked and make sure any openings and/or windows are not facing the direction of your prevailing winds. If there are any keep them closed. Ventilation should occur at the top of your coop above their roost level.

Post pictures of your coop so we can perhaps make more specific suggestions and good luck.

 

[Hooperdooper]

Omg. My husband would kill me if I ever brought a chicken, rabbit or any livestock inside. They are all pets but not allowed inside ever.

They like being around the other pets too.

 

[RedRidge]

Omg. My husband would kill me if I ever brought a chicken, rabbit or any livestock inside. They are all pets but not allowed inside ever.

They like being around the other pets too.

Which is another good reason to not allow any of them inside.

 

[Donnah23]

HI, I Like that. My Husband keeps telling me they will be fine, but i guess the water is a problem, its cold here now and the water has been freezing. so maybe, 5 gallon,inside won't freeze. but ,i wondered about the eggs, if they lay in the morning, i don't get them till. the nite or next morning? won't they freeze? will they be good? because,when i went out to get the eggs my they were cold.i am a new be. but we had chickens in the day.My husband being from nebraska. says They, The girls will b fine.???

 

[Donnah23]

HI, I Like that. My Husband keeps telling me they will be fine, but i guess the water is a problem, its cold here now and the water has been freezing. so maybe, 5 gallon,inside won't freeze. but ,i wondered about the eggs, if they lay in the morning, i don't get them till. the nite or next morning? won't they freeze? will they be good? because,when i went out to get the eggs my they were cold.i am a new be. but we had chickens in the day.My husband being from nebraska. says They, The girls will b fine.???

 

[iwiw60]

HI, I Like that. My Husband keeps telling me they will be fine, but i guess the water is a problem, its cold here now and the water has been freezing. so maybe, 5 gallon,inside won't freeze. but ,i wondered about the eggs, if they lay in the morning, i don't get them till. the nite or next morning? won't they freeze? will they be good? because,when i went out to get the eggs my they were cold.i am a new be. but we had chickens in the day.My husband being from nebraska. says They, The girls will b fine.???

Well, it really depends on just what part of the country you live in. How cold does it normally get during winter there? If it gets brutal like it does here where I live (Central Oregon), you will have to put in some kind of heater system to keep your water from freezing.

As for the eggs? If you don't collect them before you get home at night, and your temps are, say, down around 15-20 degrees, yes they'll freeze up on you. I gather eggs frequently each day to help prevent this from happening. When you said "...my husband keeps telling me they will be fine..." do you mean regarding the cold temps and your girls while in the coop? Chickens don't need heat...they need good ventilation and fresh air. If you 'button up' your girls in a coop that has no fresh air that's when you're likely to bring on their demise. Damp/moist/humid conditions in a coop spells disaster.

 

[auntphibian]

I love it! I had 4 mallards and a muskovy duck that were pets. I left the door open and they would come in. I had my feet up on the couch, reading one day and I felt something on the end of the couch. One of the ducks had jumped up and snuggled next to my feet! I think they'll be alright, just be careful of quick temp changes. If you had a way to gradually change the temp in the basement before going outside, that would work.

 

[Sabz]

For those using sand in the coop...

Where and how do you carry enough sand to cover the coop floor? I've seen post where you say 4 inches of sand? That's like a truck load! I can't imagine buying 40 bags of sand, that must weight a ton!