Winter Coop / heating / plastic vs wood

[itsmi11ertime]

OK, I have only had poultry in Texas before, so no winter down in the RGV. I am in a new state helping out my folks and there is actual winter (north east).

So, I am trying to find out a few things:

This time I am just buying a prefab coop from tractor supply - last time my husband and father built a beautiful one from scratch, but this time I am just getting one pre made, as my dad's health just isn't what it used to be.

So my question is this: which is better to get? Plastic or wooden? Looking to likely do a max of like 6 birds - figure the 4-6 range (we all know chicken math, but where they are chicken math can't happen like it would normally). I am not going to get a rooster, so it will be all hens. They do get snow here, so I am trying to figure out the best for this.

Talking about snow, and cold, how many heat lamps would you suggest? How do you keep water from freezing? What do I do to the runs? I am going to get laying birds, so I am not raising from chick.

Is there anything I am missing? Again, I have only had chickens in Texas and when it actually got cold, we put one heat lamp in the coop on the one side. How do birds even act in the snow?

Thank you all so much in advance

 

[Percheron chick]

Don't waste your money buying anything premade from tractor supply. Start shopping on CL, FB marketplace... and find a used bigger, well made one for less. Even hiring someone to move it if you have to is money well spent.
Please don't heat the coop with heat lamps. I'll let your neighbors chime in but here in Colorado mine do just fine in the snow. Mine have survived down to -17 with no supplemental heat and after the initial shock are out free ranging like normal in a day.

 

[WIchickMama]

Don't waste your money buying anything premade from tractor supply. Start shopping on CL, FB marketplace... and find a used bigger, well made one for less. Even hiring someone to move it if you have to is money well spent.
Please don't heat the coop with heat lamps. I'll let your neighbors chime in but here in Colorado mine do just fine in the snow. Mine have survived down to -17 with no supplemental heat and after the initial shock are out free ranging like normal in a day.

I would agree with all of this. Those pre-fab ones aren't going to be big enough for that number of hens and the runs that they sell for them are too small.

No heat lamp here either and we get down to -30F during the winter for multiple days, no heat given here. Draft free, dry and lots of ventilation will be your friend during those cold nights.

 

[WI chickens]

Same here. No additional heat, non-insulated, but well ventilated and sealed coop. A couple years ago I had two nights in a row at -40F, -20 to -30F for a couple weeks almost every year.

 

[Acre4Me]

Chickens wear down coats. They handle cold temps pretty well. They like to be DRY and Draft-Free at their roost. How cold exactly? If coldest temps are expected to be above 0F, they should be ok in dry and draft free space. If there is a sudden cold snap when they are not able to acclimate (sunny/warm period in fall followed by sudden deep cold) might warrant a heat lamp to help them in the transition.

 

[Krugerrand]

Don't waste your money buying anything premade from tractor supply. Start shopping on CL, FB marketplace... and find a used bigger, well made one for less. Even hiring someone to move it if you have to is money well spent.

Good advice!

also ...
State pages may be helpful:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/find-your-states-or-your-countrys-thread.270925/

Here's a buy/sell/trade page, too:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/everything-else.19/

 

[jreardon1918]

Hey neighbor. We are located a stone's throw from Gillette Stadium. No heat for our coop. You have gotten advice to look on sites for an existing coop or maybe small shed. In any event, if you have plenty of ventilation, you really can skip the heat. Also, consider square footage and not sales estimates of how any will fit. Here is an article we did to prep the girls for winter.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/preparing-the-girls-for-winter.76141/

Good luck

 

[aart]

Agrees with all the "don't need heat" posts.
Might want a heater for the waterer tho.

I am in a new state

Add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[saysfaa]

The easy options for water are taking water out to them a couple or a few times a day or having a water heater.

If you take water out, many people like a black rubber feed bowl because the sun will heat it somewhat (if you place it in a sunny spot) and it is easy to stomp the ice out of it when it freezes. I tried that and it is my second choice. My first choice is a vacuum-sealed stainless steel 3-quart bucket.

If you heat the water, many people like a heated dog bowl, or a immersion bucket heater (rated for plastic), or an aquarium heater, or a heated base. Any of these can work well if you can get electricity to them. I recommend against the plans that use an open flame - chickens are too dusty for that to be safe, without going pretty elaborate such as an outdoor stove. They vary in price, in the watering systems they work best with - like nipple watering system vs open bucket; size, fussiness (some can't run dry, for example). In any of these, some people use a temperature switch.

Getting more complicated can be worth doing in some situations. One option is adding insulation. Some people have an inulated reservoir (picnic cooler or five gallon bucket in an insulated box) and run a short length of pvc pipe to the chickens - usually with a nipple watering system. That sometimes needs a pump too but can work by convection from whatever heats the water. Another option is a heated, insulated box with a port for the chicken to access a bowl of water.

If you do a nipple waterer, horizontal is less likely to freeze.

I have a coop/run combination but if you go with minimal coop space, they will need a usable run. Others can be better help about that.

 

[K0k0shka]

I agree with everybody else - don't buy a prefab, they are too small and inadequate; and no heat in the winter. I'm in snow country and my chickens do just fine with no heat and no insulation, and so do chickens who live much farther north than mine, too (heat lamp in Texas - yikes!) Go by the humane husbandry space recommendations of 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, 10 in the run (as a minimum), not by what a manufacturer/seller tells you. They are trying to sell, they aren't going for what the animal needs. Don't pack them tighter than that, you'll regret it.

Get a heated dog bowl for the winter, to keep water from freezing. Use it outside in the run, not in the coop. It's the cheapest and easiest water option in winter.

If you are up for it, you can wrap some or all of the sides of the run in plastic (painter's plastic, clear shower curtains, clear polycarbonate panels etc.) to stop wind and snow from blowing in. I do this and it really makes a difference. Chickens don't mind the cold itself, but they don't like wind blowing on them. That's because the way they keep warm is by trapping air in the fluff of their feathers, and the air acts as insulation to keep their body heat next to the body, and not escaping into the environment. But for that to work, the outer feathers need to form a continuous cover over the down underneath. If the wind is strong enough to ruffle their feathers, it will break that barrier and open up the feathers, letting the warm air underneath escape, so the bird loses heat. So give them a wind break and a sheltered area in the run where they can hang out, because they will prefer to be out if possible, not cooped up inside. And don't worry too much about sealing every crack in the coop. Think of the wind example. Whatever draft comes into the coop through cracks, if it's not strong enough to ruffle their feathers and break the insulating air bubble, then it's not a problem (and cracks don't usually blow so hard that they flip their feathers up). Cracks are fine. And you need plenty of permanently open, weather-protected ventilation high up above their heads when they are roosted (this is another reason why prefabs are bad - they are too small to ventilate well, there just isn't enough height in the coop to put a vent above the chickens' heads). The ventilation recommendation is 1 square foot of open vent area per bird. I have close to 2 sq.ft., it's open all winter and protected by awnings so that snow doesn't blow in. Fresh air is more important than warmth - chickens already have their own warmth, but they need the ammonia from the poop and the moisture from their breaths vented out of there.

If you are able to, I recommend you put a solid (slanted) roof over the run. It will provide the birds shelter from rain and snow, and they'll be able to spend more time outside. Just don't seal it shut if you also wrap the walls in plastic - leave some area open so you don't end up with a steamy greenhouse. Chickens hate walking on snow, so a roof and plastic on the sides will save you a lot of shoveling work. Especially if your father isn't doing so well, he won't be able to shovel so do him a favor and put a roof over the run. Some chickens can tolerate snow, but most hate it and will refuse to set foot in it.

One great solution for winter and snow is to collect your bagged leaves in the fall and save them. Then throw some on the ground in the run in winter, so the chickens have something dry to walk on. They love scratching through the leaves, too! Leaves make great bedding. You can throw them on top of snow if you can't shovel, and it will make a huge difference for your chickens. Though shoveling first is better, as they'll scratch the leaves aside and get to the snow eventually.