Vermont

[Pyxis]

Okay, I built a preliminary feeder enclosure to try to keep the pig out. It's not pretty, but if it does its job I'll modify it to look better and be easier to handle.

I haven't cut down the welded wire so the darn thing is four feet tall right now. Like I said, if it works, I'll make it better. No point in putting the effort in until I know it works!

 

[Metella]

I haven't seen the pig snout - so yeah - better to not do more until you know this will work Good job.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

umm, i think the pig will bend the wire pretty easily
or possibly just tip it over

 

[Pyxis]

umm, i think the pig will bend the wire pretty easily
or possibly just tip it over

It's staked into the ground Hopefully it's working - I should set my game cam up watching it for a day and see.

 

[Metella]

Well - any report yet ???

 

[Pyxis]

I think it's doing okay. I'm going to put the game cam on it for a couple days to check. Yeesh, I can only imagine how many pictures I'm going to have to go through.

 

[KWVT]

I have some winter questions and I hope this is an ok place to put them (as you all would share the same weather!). I'm thinking I need to get everything ready because clearly winter is coming! (I can't believe we've had the wood stove going in August).

I want to make sure I'm not over thinking things. I have a 10x11 shed partitioned out to a roughly 10'6"x6' coop and the rest is storage. The coop has a dropped ceiling to 7ish feet tall (6.5'?) and the storage area is open to the roof. I have 12 chickens. It is not insulated.

I still have my windows open, including at night. At what temp should I start to worry about closing them?

I'm going to get a heated waterer of some type because I know that will be an issue. I'm thinking about wrapping three sides of my run in plastic to reduce wind and snow drift. (Pic below, the plastic would just come up to the height of the low part of the roof and I would leave the angled part open - side facing the lilcac wouldn't get plastic).

I'm also debating a panel heater mounted on the wall behind the roost with one of those outlet controllers that comes on at 0 (?) and off at 10 (?) to take off some of the chill when it's nasty cold.

Does that sound okay? Am I overthinking things?

Front:
Back:

You can't really tell, but the run roof is clear on the side so that sun will still come in the windows. Windows face roughly south to south east. The roost is along the wall with two windows.

 

[Hensndoes]

I have some winter questions and I hope this is an ok place to put them (as you all would share the same weather!). I'm thinking I need to get everything ready because clearly winter is coming! (I can't believe we've had the wood stove going in August).

I want to make sure I'm not over thinking things. I have a 10x11 shed partitioned out to a roughly 10'6"x6' coop and the rest is storage. The coop has a dropped ceiling to 7ish feet tall (6.5'?) and the storage area is open to the roof. I have 12 chickens. It is not insulated.

I still have my windows open, including at night. At what temp should I start to worry about closing them?

I'm going to get a heated waterer of some type because I know that will be an issue. I'm thinking about wrapping three sides of my run in plastic to reduce wind and snow drift. (Pic below, the plastic would just come up to the height of the low part of the roof and I would leave the angled part open - side facing the lilcac wouldn't get plastic).

I'm also debating a panel heater mounted on the wall behind the roost with one of those outlet controllers that comes on at 0 (?) and off at 10 (?) to take off some of the chill when it's nasty cold.

Does that sound okay? Am I overthinking things?

Front:View attachment 1127700
Back: View attachment 1127701

You can't really tell, but the run roof is clear on the side so that sun will still come in the windows. Windows face roughly south to south east. The roost is along the wall with two windows.

How many chickens do you have? We built our coop to the size of flock we wanted. They keep each other warm and we don't worry about them until it dips below 0. Chickens create a lot of moisture which equates to frostbite. We read up a lot on this site before opting to not use a heat lamp. When it gets close to 0 we remove the roosts to save their toes. They don't like that at first but get over it. At 0 we put cardboard over their vent windows. We will take it down asap to keep air flowing. Last year I thinks we had it up for 3 days in a row at most but cleaned the coop and opened the door briefly to push air in. All our flock did fine. Even to giant combs made it through. Water is a pita.

 

[KWVT]

12 chickens. They are 4 months old this week.

 

[Hensndoes]

12 chickens. They are 4 months old this week.

*Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Haven't done this math since we built our coop*

Assuming you don't have bantams: 60/12=5 sq ft per bird. If I'm reading right your coop has a 6 ft ceiling? Mine is vaulted so it's different. I had read that 4 per bird was ideal so that is what I went with when building. I also bought breeds that could handle our climate. I also have a large run that affords at least 10 per bird. Read up and think about adding plastic (which is a moisture barrier).

Edit to add: this year I'm trying to take it down a bird or 2. I did get some feather picking. I'm blaming it on the boring run and attacking it at all angles.