- Apr 29, 2014
- 66
- 11
- 111
Hi, all!
I have a beautiful flock consisting of 7 hens. They are all wonderful and lay like crazy. They are...
Susie - Sagitta
Tinkerbell - Golden Campine
Willa - Giant Blue Cochine
Fiona - Jersey Black Giant
Sable - Araucana
Snowflake - White Orpoington
Olivia - Silver Laced Wyandotte
They all lay an egg nearly every day. Even the fancy breeds!!! At any rate, I'm looking to keep them comfortable this winter so that they are happy and continue to lay lots of eggs. We have a pretty big coop for the girls. It's roughly 8X8X8 with a run that's approximately 6X8. There is not a lot of insulation, but the door to the run faces SW and is shielded by a large hill. The north side is somewhat shielded by a hill, as well. So, no cross breeze with the run door opened. We plan on using both pine shavings and hay for bedding. General consensus on this forum tells me that a heating unit is not necessary and to leave the run door opened. A big concern of mine is the Golden Campine. Will she be okay in the Colorado cold without heat? The larger birds, especially the feathery Cochine, tend to try and keep her warm by snuggling and covering her with their wings (so sweet!!!). The coop is vented on the roof (a steep angled roof) and higher up in the front . I just want to make sure that my sweet little Tinkerbell (she is our most social bird) does not freeze to death. The others are definitely cold hearty. Will she be okay? Also, any suggestions on keeping water from freezing without heat?
I will add photos of the coop and birds asap! I cannot locate the recent ones at the moment
I have a beautiful flock consisting of 7 hens. They are all wonderful and lay like crazy. They are...
Susie - Sagitta
Tinkerbell - Golden Campine
Willa - Giant Blue Cochine
Fiona - Jersey Black Giant
Sable - Araucana
Snowflake - White Orpoington
Olivia - Silver Laced Wyandotte
They all lay an egg nearly every day. Even the fancy breeds!!! At any rate, I'm looking to keep them comfortable this winter so that they are happy and continue to lay lots of eggs. We have a pretty big coop for the girls. It's roughly 8X8X8 with a run that's approximately 6X8. There is not a lot of insulation, but the door to the run faces SW and is shielded by a large hill. The north side is somewhat shielded by a hill, as well. So, no cross breeze with the run door opened. We plan on using both pine shavings and hay for bedding. General consensus on this forum tells me that a heating unit is not necessary and to leave the run door opened. A big concern of mine is the Golden Campine. Will she be okay in the Colorado cold without heat? The larger birds, especially the feathery Cochine, tend to try and keep her warm by snuggling and covering her with their wings (so sweet!!!). The coop is vented on the roof (a steep angled roof) and higher up in the front . I just want to make sure that my sweet little Tinkerbell (she is our most social bird) does not freeze to death. The others are definitely cold hearty. Will she be okay? Also, any suggestions on keeping water from freezing without heat?
I will add photos of the coop and birds asap! I cannot locate the recent ones at the moment
