Properly winterizing my coop

[Jadenrosesmom]

I am looking for some tips on what the best way to keep my birds warm this winter is. My coop is a 10x10 aluminum shed conversion. The front of the shed has been removed reframed and hardware clothed. This means great summer air but lots of cold winter air! The run is right off the front and it's chain link and hardware cloth. Inside the coop I have a small prefab coop to help with a place to get away from draft and have a coop heating mat inside that. I have 4 small (6 weeks) BRs that sleep in there and 3 larger girls about 3 months that sleep in the main shed near a heat lamp but not under. Ok enough description i think lol. If I use hardware plastic to wrap the run on 3 sides and put plastic over the hardware cloth of shed since it has a vent at the peak both front and back would that be sufficient ventilation? Should that be sufficient to retain heat? I plan to keep the heat lamp on a thermo plug and move it over the roosting bars this weekend to see if that will encourage the bigger girls to start roosting. Any input greatly appreciated! I will see if I can get my phone to post a pic. Fyi I'm in eastern Washington snowy and cold.

 

[17 chickens]

Well hello eastern Washington, I am here tomorrow!
I also have one metal shed converted to a coop but I left the doors on and just put a screen door that I made on in the summer time. I put vent holes up high for circulation and a regular bulb right now is going to keep my birds laying. I will be putting a red heat light in soon for the winter though.
If you take and get heavy dark plastic to put on the front of the screens and make a draft free area as a wind breaker on one side of your run you should be good.

 

[Pork Pie]

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-chicken-keeping

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures

 

[JackE]

#1... GET RID OF THE HEATLAMP. You are just needlessly running up your electric bill, and taking a chance on having fried chicken, due to a potential coop fire. Every year, we read, on this forum, about somebody burning their coop and chickens, to the ground in some misguided attempt to "KeepThemWarm". BRs can easily handle any "Cold" weather you get there, EASILY.

The birds would probably do just fine, with the way the coop is right now. But, if you have to do something, get some heavy poly plastic, and cover the top two thirds of the front screen walls, and door. Leave the bottom third open.

Take a look at my coop (In the avatar). The whole front wall is wide open, all year. I've had winter temps down to -10F. Not including any windchill. And my birds, including some BRs, have thrived, with no problem. Chickens, unless you have some kind of exotic, thinly feathered bird, are fully equipped, to handle cold weather. Don't worry about trapping heat, in a coop. The birds themselves, trap all the heat they need. They really don't need any "Help" from us.

 

[Ridgerunner]

To keep your birds warm in winter, keep them dry. Your biggest risk in winter is frostbite. Excess moisture in the coop that comes from their breathing, wet poop, maybe a heated waterer, or maybe some other water source like a leak or condensation can lead to frostbite. Good ventilation can get rid of that excess moisture. In Eastern Washington you can get some pretty cold temperatures. If you have a moist coop they can get frostbite with the temperatures just a little below freezing. With a dry coop they will not get frostbite in very cold temperatures.

Just like the wild birds that overwinter, chickens keep themselves warm with their down coats. They trap tiny pockets of air in that down which acts as insulation. If a breeze ruffles their feathers enough that air can escape. You don’t need to give your chickens a warm place to stay any more than your wild birds need one. Wild birds hide from strong winds, you need to give your chickens a place they can get out of high winds.

Jack’s coop works because he has created a cul de sac in the back where the wind does not have a path through to blow on them yet has great ventilation. That’s what he is suggesting you do. I go about it differently, I have mine blocked from wind down low but have ventilation at the top of all walls. Breezes blow over their heads but any air movement where they are is very gentle, not enough to ruffle feathers even on the roosts.

I agree you do not need heat out there. You are paying extra money for electricity that is not needed and just increases your risk of a fire or electrical shock. I’ve had chicks less than 6 weeks old go through nights in the mid 20’s Fahrenheit.