Winter is almost here!! Share your tips and tricks for coping the elements with your chickens!

[CuzChickens]

Wow! I left for just a little while and bam! You all exploded! Keep these great tips coming! I love all the pictures so far, and I can already tell it will be difficult to pick a winner!

 

[Roosterbreaux]

Thanks for the Greets and the info. I'll be doing a small roost as my chickens free range. So all I'm looking at is heat and ventilation ! (}:+D)

Roosterbreaux

 

[chickie farmer]

With your plastic on top, It may get too heavy and pull down chicken wire if that is being used. I use a tarp and have to keep the snow off of it. I need to put metal sheeting over the top instead of a tarp. I also have plastic around half of the run on the sides that will block snow from getting into the pop door which is on the west and north side. I don't know if this is how you have yours or not but it has worked for me for the last few years. I shovel out snow on the other half. it's about 25 ft. by 15 ft. with the coop raised inside the run. plus I have a water heater inside the coop which works great with no problems. I have 2 windows with a storm door (with 1/2 inch mesh over them on the south side and 2 vents on the north side that are 5" by 3'. I crack one of them open about 2 " and a window open at the top about 2-3 inches on the south side. enough for a breeze to go through. with the pop door open of course during the day when it gets really cold. The sun warms it up during the day. The rooster gets a few black dots (frostbite) during the winter though. He won't let me get close to him to put Vaseline on his comb.

 

[chickie farmer]

I didn't mean the pop door was on the west and north side, I meant it was on the north side only. the plastic is on the west and north side.

 

[Griffin6659]

Want to make sure i cut my vent Rightso they just need to be at thr top I left 2 2foot slits about 2inches Wide across the top when I put the plywood on last summer so it could air out would that work...i want to do it the best way and i will get what i need to do it right

 

[CuzChickens]

I am thinking I probably need to get better ventilation. It has been raining here, and yesterday, some rain got in the house, so the bedding was a tiny bit damp near the door. I open the coop this morning and there is condensation on the inside roof......I guess I know what I need to do this weekend.

 

[clearwaterchick]

I'm in Alberta, near the mountains, and we get cold winters here! I've just ordered the horizontal nipples from Amazon.ca. About 23$ including shipping for 5 of them . Not exactly cheap, but i'm hoping better than the vertical ones. I put the vertical ones in a 5 gallon bucket outside in their pen for the summer, but water is always dripping from them when the chickens drink. Definitely don't want that hassle in my coop for the winter! Check out amazon, and you'll find them .

 

[wamtazlady]

You will love those horizontal nipples for winter. They are worth it even though they are more expensive than the vertical nipples.

 

[CuzChickens]

I'm in Alberta, near the mountains, and we get cold winters here!  I've just ordered the horizontal nipples from Amazon.ca.  About 23$ including shipping for 5 of them .  Not exactly cheap, but i'm hoping better than the vertical ones.  I put the vertical ones in a 5 gallon bucket outside in their pen for the summer, but water is always dripping from them when the chickens drink.  Definitely don't want that hassle in my coop for the winter!  Check out amazon, and you'll find them .  

I know somebody that lives in Alberta! I have thought about getting those nipples, let me know how you like them.

 

[RodNTN]

Here is what I'm looking forward to this winter: