Virginia

[finnfur]

Is anyone making any special provisions for tonight's cold snap? I cleaned out the coop and added and extra deep layer of fresh pine shavings. I also added weather stripping around the main doors. Still worried about my girls, but trying to avoid firing up the heat lamps.

Put plastic on all open parts of the Roosters coop - it has a brooder lamp also that comes on at 35 degrees - thats for my convenience LOL
The Hens coop in my avatar is insulated and all I did was put extra shavings and close the three windows - It also has a brooder lamp for my convenience .
I did shut there coop door tonight as the 30 mph wind was blowing straight in the door .
Thats it the rest is up to them = snuggle tight but the poor guys are at disadvantage since only two in that big coop LOL

 

[Tiller]

Thankfully my coop is protected by one of my major sheds. I tried to seal up some of the cracks where wind could sneak through and put down quite a bit more straw in case they get too cold on the roosts and have to huddle low. I'm a little worried about them, but they're pretty hardy and should be able to handle it alright.

 

[ki4got]

here's a good article about keeping chickens warm in the winter...
http://www.grit.com/animals/poultry/chickens/keeping-chickens-healthy-in-the-cold-weather.aspx

 

[pysankigirl]

We gave the bantams extra hay to nest in and sealed things up a little better...closed up the windward side of things but there is still plenty of ventilation. just not directly on them. I am worried, though.

I think I might leave the lights on all night...not heat lamps, just regular light bulb. just to take a bit of the edge off.

 

[SoManyHats]

I leaned a board against the wall to create a little tunnel they can snuggle in if they choose. We do deep litter so I turned it over really well and added 1/2 inch on top. As you can see, my coop is *really* open. But - and this makes a huge difference - the coop is in a 3-sided structure, and the north and west walls are solid plywood.

They've done really well so far this winter. We'll see how the next 24 hours go. I won't coddle them - momma don't raise no sissies.

 

[pysankigirl]

OMG our new coop is coop picture of the week!!!!! so cool!

wish it hadn't been so blurry. if i'd known they wanted to use it I'd have given them a better picture...


oops...just when I noticed it, they changed it. but still happy

 

[leighton]

OMG our new coop is coop picture of the week!!!!!  so cool!

wish it hadn't been so blurry.  if i'd known they wanted to use it I'd have given them a better picture...

Congrats

 

[Cknldy]

man, I LOVE building coops.  love designing them, building them...but not paying for the materials.  I want a pallet buster

me too! I've used dh's new power tool set more than he has and recently thanked him for NOT building for me. It made me mad but inadvertently taught me to use power tools and I can build whatever however I want with no arguing

 

[Cknldy]

I've got 4 outdoor coops and one 6'x4' cage/coop I just finished building in the feed shed with a menagerie of breeds, 45 chickens total. I have just been putting lots of extra hay and piling some up in the runs, extra pine shavings in the bantam coop and making last minute wind blocks from feed sacks if I feel it's too windy anywhere. An extra trip with water this evening and scratch for everyone before roosting. Remember that if your chickens are in a house/ major wind blocked structure that they aren't in the windchill temps. Don't completely seal them up because as mentioned earlier-ventilation- to prevent frostbite. I too have used petroleum jelly on large combs, wattles and sometimes legs.

HOT WATER FREEZES FASTER THAN COLD WATER! (Try it out in your ice cube trays) Good luck everyone and I hope there are no casualties reported in the a.m.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

I leaned a board against the wall to create a little tunnel they can snuggle in if they choose. We do deep litter so I turned it over really well and added 1/2 inch on top. As you can see, my coop is *really* open. But - and this makes a huge difference - the coop is in a 3-sided structure, and the north and west walls are solid plywood.

They've done really well so far this winter. We'll see how the next 24 hours go. I won't coddle them - momma don't raise no sissies.

Love it!!