Preparing Your Flock & Coop for WINTER

[RnRRidgerunner]

Hi all, I am also in Canada (southwest Quebec to be exact, not too far from Ottawa). I just got 6 hens and one rooster (Rhode Island Reds). I converted a small outbuilding for their coop. I've been told, it'll be too cold for them, I'll need to insulate it, get heat lamps, etc. On here, I've read they should be fine! I think I'll just keep a light bulb in there and a heated waterer, and lots of food. I haven't built their run yet but it will be off to the left of the coop. The coop is under tree cover and doesn't get a lot of sun, it will get more sun in winter since some of the trees will lose their leaves. As for ventilation, there are openings up in the peaks of the gables, I was going to fill them in with wood. Do you think I should just put up some hardware cloth? Please see attached pic. Thank you in advance for any advice!

Hello MinHemmingford! Welcome to BYC!

Looks like a good solid coop. I would definitely go with the hardware cloth to keep out the vermin, rat, mice, weasels snakes etc etc. You have to remember everything likes to eat chicken. If it is drafty just stable up PVC 4 mils stuff from your local hardware store. It should be dry and ventilated. Chickens body temperature I think is normally between 104 to 107 degrees F, 41 degrees C or thereabouts. With all those feathers body temp should be OK. That having been said keep them dry and out of drafts. If they get cold they will huddle and maybe a nice floor of straw. The straw bedding will collect the poop and create heat also. No worries until spring when you can clean it all out and put out for the garden. Heat lamps are a very bad idea. They collect dust and are the main cause of coop fires. If you are serious about heat, then consider a flat radiant heat panel which has no heating elements in the open.
Do not use foam insulation, they will peck it and if they ingest it they can get clogged up and die. Unless you cover it with something they can't tear into.
It is good that you have all of one breed. They discriminate by color and get down right nasty. I started with three RIR's, and three Barred Rocks from chicks they formed two flocks. All was ok with normal pecking order stuff until I lost two due to illness. I tried two Buff Orpingtons, man what a time I had keeping peace. then a raccoon got a Buff and a Barred. So the one Barred became the "bully" and tried to kill off the Buffs every chance she got. I tried the time out method, which worked for a short while. I finally had to put her in the freezer and now have peace in the coop again.
Looks like you live in the woods as do I. I don't know what predators you have there, but nothing give peace of mind like 14 gauge fencing and then smaller 1/2 inch wire mesh that paws can't get through. Check out a BYC thread on predators, good read there. I have everything but black bears (so far) out there in the woods. Feral hogs too!
Anyway have fun with your flock. They are very enjoyable.

 

[Amystef]

This thread is very helpful to get prepared for winter, thank you

I do have one basic question: I currently have a solar door on the coop which opens at dawn and closes at dusk.

During the coldest part of winter do I want to keep the girls in the coop or still let them move out of the coop into the run, etc..

And do you then put the food and water into the coop with them or again, inside the run/covered section under the coop?

 

[RnRRidgerunner]

This thread is very helpful to get prepared for winter, thank you

I do have one basic question: I currently have a solar door on the coop which opens at dawn and closes at dusk.

During the coldest part of winter do I want to keep the girls in the coop or still let them move out of the coop into the run, etc..

And do you then put the food and water into the coop with them or again, inside the run/covered section under the coop?

Hello Amystef, It might help to post a picture or two of your setup. What part of the country are you located? I envy the "solar door" ha ha. I would think that I'd let them choose if they want to go out or not. I let mine out daily here in northern Oklahoma almost Kansas. I have a gravity operated feeder that will hold three days worth of feed for 6 chickens. I use a 5 gal bucket with lid and insert a submersible heater in the winter. The bucket has horizontal chicken nipples and does not freeze up.

Here is the feeder. Sorry I thought I had a picture of the water bucket I will have to get one and post for you.
I run an extension cord out to the coop. So I would say if you set up your feeder and water inside they could stay in and be cozy or wander out get their feet cold and come back in. I did not have a problem with frost bite to their combs or wattles, when I do see signs of it I coat them with a light covering of Vaseline to prevent further damage and keep them dry and not cracking. It also helps to put down some straw outside where they might walk, keeps their feet warmer.
Good luck with your chicks.

 

[dianeb423]

Great help thanks. This will be my first winter. I use straw now skattered in their fenced in area n boxes. But I heard it attracts rats. Is this true ?

 

[RnRRidgerunner]

Mice and rats are always a concern, they are attracted to food. Chicken feed, wheat in the straw. Chickens will attack, kill and eat mice. Rats are bigger not sure how they would handle them. I have not had any issues with rats. I do have a cat who pretty much takes care of them. She has proudly displayed them before playing with them and then eating them. It is what cats do. She is outside 24/7/365 and on the job as it were. lol If you are using straw inside the coop it is important to keep it dry from the elements. Hope that helps.

 

[Mrs. K]

To discourage rodents, do not feed 24 hours a day. I feed in the morning, and I want the feed dish pretty empty in the late afternoon. If it is not, I feed less, if it is bare, I feed a little more. The amount changes through the season. Feed constantly available attracts rodents, and chickens do not eat in the dark.

Mrs K

 

[4halls]

This thread is so helpful! I am from Arkansas and we typically have mild winters. We get snow from time to time, but a really bad winter consists of ICE. So...I plan to winterize with straw and I like the idea of wrapping the coop with plastic to cut down on wind. We get lots of wind too. I don't have water or electricity ran out to the coop, so I will have to figure out how to keep the water from freezing :/

 

[Blooie]

This thread is so helpful! I am from Arkansas and we typically have mild winters. We get snow from time to time, but a really bad winter consists of ICE. So...I plan to winterize with straw and I like the idea of wrapping the coop with plastic to cut down on wind. We get lots of wind too. I don't have water or electricity ran out to the coop, so I will have to figure out how to keep the water from freezing :/

Don't wrap it so tightly that you slow down any ventilation. When we built our coop I was a little annoyed with my builders (um, that would be hubby and myself) for being so inexperienced that we made the roof way too high in the front. It ended up being a shed roof 8' high in front and 6' feet high at the back. And we also had gaps in our construction - not big ones but when we went in there and closed the door for the first time I could see little lines of light shining in here and there, and lots of light where the rafters didn't quite meet the walls. Well, that extra height with the gaps and the little tiny light emitting gaps in the walls turned out to be the start of some mighty fine ventilation. We just tacked hardware cloth in the rafter/wall openings and don't wrap the coop with anything at all. Our winters? Well, being in a Basin surrounded by mountains with winds that can exceed hurricane strength at times we can plunge to 20 below and stay that week for a week or more. Ventilation is key.

 

[MeepBeep]

 
This thread is so helpful! I am from Arkansas and we typically have mild winters. We get snow from time to time, but a really bad winter consists of ICE. So...I plan to winterize with straw and I like the idea of wrapping the coop with plastic to cut down on wind. We get lots of wind too. I don't have water or electricity ran out to the coop, so I will have to figure out how to keep the water from freezing :/

Don't wrap it so tightly that you slow down any ventilation.  When we built our coop I was a little annoyed with my builders (um, that would be hubby and myself) for being so inexperienced that we made the roof way too high in the front.  It ended up being a shed roof 8' high in front and 6' feet high at the back.  And we also had gaps in our construction - not big ones but when we went in there and closed the door for the first time I could see little lines of light shining in here and there, and lots of light where the rafters didn't quite meet the walls.  Well, that extra height with the gaps and the little tiny light emitting gaps in the walls turned out to be the start of some mighty fine ventilation.  We just tacked hardware cloth in the rafter/wall openings and don't wrap the coop with anything at all.  Our winters?  Well, being in a Basin surrounded by mountains with winds that can exceed hurricane strength at times we can plunge to 20 below and stay that week for a week or more.  Ventilation is key.

Agree, I'm guessing in Arkansas (where 4halls said they were located) you don't really need to 'wrap' anything, a tarp on just the prevailing wind side will likely be plenty to block the mild cold winds...

 

[PouleNoire]

All very informative! Thank you!