WINTER COOP Minnesota

[Minniechickmama]

Johny,
I live down by Rochester, and this year I built a new breeder house that looks like this:

the four large windows you see are open, only covered with hardware cloth. They face south. Since the windows are the only openings in the building that are open and all on one side, there is no wind blowing into the building except when a door is open. I have just started putting my birds in this building as I am still working on the final touches. They will also have small doors to go out into the outdoor runs that I am working on completing.
I found this idea from another poster on here, it came from Wood's Open Air Chicken Houses. The biggest factor is keeping your birds healthy is keeping them ventilated, and the second, keeping it dry.

From the sounds of things, you have your coop a little too buttoned up. I think you should open that slider at least a little to keep fresh air coming in through the winter and it will also aid in keeping it dry. If you don't have any other openings in the building, you should not get drafts coming in on the birds.
As humans, we tend to put what is comfortable to us onto our animals. Chickens are pretty hardy and actually do better in the cold than the heat we get rolling through here in July. Since you window faces south, less of the wind will be hitting the side with the window, and you will get some sun coming into that side as well.

If you have large combed breeds, then you can get some bag balm or some Vaseline and rub it into their combs to help keep frostbite at bay. Once again though, dry is the key. If you keep your coop dry, you should not see a lot of frostbite, for it strikes where moisture collects.

I hope you find some of this helpful.
Good luck.

 

[Mahtowagal]

I live in Mahtowa, MN and this will be our first winter with a dozen Cochins. After all the reading I've done, we plan to keep our 8 X 12 coop open all day, every day, regardless of temps...and closed at night only because of predators. We have an enclosed area with chicken wire on the top but even racoons would get to them at night if they werent closed up. Otherwise I'd leave the coop open all the time. Only way for them to become cold hardy well acclimated birds! I have horses also..and they absolutely do wonderfully being out in 50 below temps as long as they have hay and warm water. I hate to see people blanketing them and messing up what mother nature gave them.....which is a brilliant natural system to stay warm in the coldest bitter temps. Here is a good article on cold care... blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/11/16/cold-weather-chickens-8-things-not-to-do/ We MAY end up using a 250 watt red bulb at night..... will have to just see how it goes. As of now, no intention of heating it.

 

[Mahtowagal]

Thank you for posting about the flat panel heater...those of you who mentioned it. Looking forward to picking one up. I hope not to heat at all. We have an 8 X 12 with a huge amount of ventilation..... and really want to allow our Cochins to just acclimate and adjust. House will be open from about 10:00- 4:00 to avoid predators in the dark. I wish I could keep them out more..but these hours will be the nicest temps for them. I plan on using hay for bedding. They are in my horse trailer right now and absolutely LOVE the hay. It's a soft green Orchard grass hay and they love hunting and pecking thru it as well as cuddling and bedding down in it. I will clean some out every day and leave a base layer in. Hay is so easy to move...and I dont like shavings. Here's hoping we have a decent winter this yr....have heard it's going to be brutally cold...but you never know until we actually get there!

 

[Rachelsmile79]

Also check out something called the hound heater. It is for dog houses, but I m going to use one this winter when it gets -30 for my chicks.

 

[Mahtowagal]

Are heaters really necessary? I ask because I have horses...and so many people blanket them but they are actually better off left au naturel....with all the hay they can eat and warm water...as long as they have a wind break and no wet coming down. Dry, with plenty of hay, they do not even mind -50. They hate the buggy hot weather but are perfectly fine with cold. Maybe Cochins are the same...as long as they get a chance to acclimate to the temps and are not kept under a heat lamp at all. I don't know. I know a friend in Illinois keeps hers out 24/7 all winter with no heat...and they are very healthy but she's in Illinois....so very different than northern Minnesota.

 

[woodmort]

There is a post on here someplace from a member in Alaska who uses no heat and her birds are fine. Just remember when you add heat you're introducing a source of possible fire so unless it is absolutely necessary, why do it? BTW, my aunt, who lived in Blackduck MN had chickens for years and, as far as I know, didn't supply them with any kind of heat.

 

[BellaFarfalla]

I live in Mahtowa, MN and this will be our first winter with a dozen Cochins. After all the reading I've done, we plan to keep our 8 X 12 coop open all day, every day, regardless of temps...and closed at night only because of predators. We have an enclosed area with chicken wire on the top but even racoons would get to them at night if they werent closed up. Otherwise I'd leave the coop open all the time. Only way for them to become cold hardy well acclimated birds! I have horses also..and they absolutely do wonderfully being out in 50 below temps as long as they have hay and warm water. I hate to see people blanketing them and messing up what mother nature gave them.....which is a brilliant natural system to stay warm in the coldest bitter temps. Here is a good article on cold care... blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/11/16/cold-weather-chickens-8-things-not-to-do/ We MAY end up using a 250 watt red bulb at night..... will have to just see how it goes. As of now, no intention of heating it.

We don't live where it gets nearly as cold as Minnesota, but this is the same plan we have. Our plan is to let them out in the morning and leave the coop open and shut them in at night. If it gets too cold we have a heat lamp we can put in their coop, but otherwise we want them to get used to the cold and go natural. My grandmother raised hers the same way and never lost a chicken to the cold. My thought is that if it worked back then, it will work now.

 

[duluthralphie]

Hey Mahtowahgal!

I plan to leave mine have outdoor access all winter long also. I am more concerned about moisture than cold. I built an 8x12 coop this summer and left a opening under the eaves for moisture and 2 roof vents. I also left a hole on each end of the gable. the first 4 feet is for feed storage and not birds.

However I have found the chickens and guineas prefer to roost in the rafters than on the roosts ( silly birds). I plan to close the vents with insulation blanket pieces, I think the draft will be too much in the rafter area. I can then remove the insulation in the summer when I need the ventilation.

I also plan on crowding the birds a tad. They will have access to a fenced area and hopefully they will stay in the fence when the snow gets 4 feet deep. Either way I will lock them in every night. I hope the access to the outside counters my over crowding.

In summer I free range, I worry more about predators in winter so free ranging will end with the snow or sooner. I will be allowing guineas and chickens into this coop. If the guineas will go into it is questionable. They go in now but only if I herd them in every night....

 

[Rachelsmile79]

Sometimes you may have to use a heat source at times due to weather conditions and the breed of chickens you may have. Yes many people have used no heat source in the past, but I'm sure they didn't have breeds of chickens that were sensitive to the cold winters. Now that urban backyard chickens are allowed in many areas, restrictions on how many birds you can keep can also be a decision factor. (If they can keep each other warm enough without a heat source. ) As with anything one thing may work for one person, but not another due to varying circumstances. That is why we our all here to share our experiences and ideas, so we can all make an informed decision on your pets

 

[duluthralphie]

I have picked breeds that should be COLD hardy... But time will tell. I plan to heat the water and have a light bulb in the building I plan no other heat source. I grew up on this farm and we had no heat sources for any animals back then and they survived. With global warming and all it brings the birds should be able to survive all winter in a bikini.....