Winter is Coming! Checklists, tips, advice for a newbie

[MeepBeep]

I did more research and found that heating a coop is NOT recommended at all!

It's not that black and white, although many like to still claim it is... In general with cold hearty, healthy, young-middle aged adult chickens heat is not recommend or advised in most instances... But, that doesn't cover all possibilities, If your birds are not cold hearty, not healthy ore are young or elderly heat very well might be a viable recommendation...

In that respect heating should be done with the up most care and safety, if your birds can peck at the heat source and damage it that is not a good thing, if you are using extension cords that is not a good thing and the list could go on, safety first... If one chooses to heat they need to focus on safety and why they want to heat, and then focus on the pros and cons of their decision and make an educated judgement call based on their individual circumstances...

I heat my coop, and it's the right choice for me based on several factors and my individual circumstances, the pros for me far outweigh the cons...

 

[Chickynik]

As we head towards colder weather, I need ventilation advice. The first picture is the inside of my coop. The other 2 are the advertisement photos from the guy we bought the coop from. We built our own much larger run and put hardware cloth over the big slider window. When the girls are on their roost, they are right in line with the window and the closable screened vent above the nest boxes. Way too drafty for winter. There aren't any other vents. Should we put little long narrow vents as close to the roof as possible or? Another question, is why does my rooster sit on the floor of the coop while the girls sit on the roost above him?

 

[MeepBeep]

As we head towards colder weather, I need ventilation advice. The first picture is the inside of my coop. The other 2 are the advertisement photos from the guy we bought the coop from. We built our own much larger run and put hardware cloth over the big slider window. When the girls are on their roost, they are right in line with the window and the closable screened vent above the nest boxes. Way too drafty for winter. There aren't any other vents. Should we put little long narrow vents as close to the roof as possible or? Another question, is why does my rooster sit on the floor of the coop while the girls sit on the roost above him?

Hmm, there doesn't appear to be much though about ventilation in that design...

I would install some vents as pictured in red, two 'round' ones on the ends and possibly some thin ones along the front side... I would also consider installing a roof vent or two on high side of the roof as indicated with the arrow...

Roof vent example...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-F...op-Roof-Static-Vent-in-Black-R50ABL/100041886

It appears you have correlated roofing and they do sell flashing or special roof vents for that as well...

 

[the poppster]

Interesting suggestions....seems everyone has their own way for dealing with animals in winter....I figured I might as well add mine to the list....
First off.....the person who thinks chickens can survive by eating snow....wonder if you could survive on snow as your soul source of hydration....not for long.....without proper hydration and warmth hypothermia sets in....deadly...to humans and birds...
Also the horses with the frozen water trough...if you can't find a way to supply a constant source of water....don't keep horses.....would you put a dog in a pen with a dog house and expect it to eat snow for hydration? Or break the ice to get a drink from its frozen water dish? I hope not. I feel the same about my birds.
Yes Grandpa didn't heat the coop in the winter....probably didn't have electricity....but he probably had a nice cosy coop Full of birds....he'd bank the snow around the north, east and west walls and most of the old time coops had a south wall full of Windows...with a kind of flap or shutter that could be closed over those Windows at night. They would supply the birds with fresh water up to four times a day....the roosts were made of at least 2x4s the wide side up so the birds could settle down onto their feet to keep them warm....frequently the coop had a storage area above the ceiling....so if it didn't contain hay...at least it formed a dead air space that helped to retain the warmth...
I live about a hop skip and a jump from Lake Superior...it would be warmer if I lived right on the shore, but I don't....it starts to snow in October....and the white stuff keeps coming till some time in late April....yes 7 months of snow....over 300 inches of it...we can get subzero temperatures for weeks on end....followed by weeks of more subzero temperatures....the kind of cold that freezes your nostrils shut with the first breath you take when you step outside....or take your breath away....that is the norm in the western end of the UP of Michigan....sound like Fun! Well you get used to it.....Soooo....Yes I heat my coop...keep it above 28 degrees or so depending on what the wind chill is....my coop is insulated...with ventilated air spaces in the walls and the ceiling...and the floor....the window is double hung insulated glass...they enjoy readily available fresh water 24/7...daily access to a covered 10 by 20 raised dry dirt and sawdust floor that doesn't freeze solid, so they can dust bathe on sunny days....the north and east sides of the run are tarped to create a wind break and keep the snow out...I feel that they deserve the best care I am able to give them.....and they pay me back with eggs thruout the winter....and the satisfaction and enjoyment of happy healthy chickens.

 

[aart]

Interesting suggestions....seems everyone has their own way for dealing with animals in winter....I figured I might as well add mine to the list....
First off.....the person who thinks chickens can survive by eating snow....wonder if you could survive on snow as your soul source of hydration....not for long.....without proper hydration and warmth hypothermia sets in....deadly...to humans and birds...
Also the horses with the frozen water trough...if you can't find a way to supply a constant source of water....don't keep horses.....would you put a dog in a pen with a dog house and expect it to eat snow for hydration? Or break the ice to get a drink from its frozen water dish? I hope not. I feel the same about my birds.
Yes Grandpa didn't heat the coop in the winter....probably didn't have electricity....but he probably had a nice cosy coop Full of birds....he'd bank the snow around the north, east and west walls and most of the old time coops had a south wall full of Windows...with a kind of flap or shutter that could be closed over those Windows at night. They would supply the birds with fresh water up to four times a day....the roosts were made of at least 2x4s the wide side up so the birds could settle down onto their feet to keep them warm....frequently the coop had a storage area above the ceiling....so if it didn't contain hay...at least it formed a dead air space that helped to retain the warmth...
I live about a hop skip and a jump from Lake Superior...it would be warmer if I lived right on the shore, but I don't....it starts to snow in October....and the white stuff keeps coming till some time in late April....yes 7 months of snow....over 300 inches of it...we can get subzero temperatures for weeks on end....followed by weeks of more subzero temperatures....the kind of cold that freezes your nostrils shut with the first breath you take when you step outside....or take your breath away....that is the norm in the western end of the UP of Michigan....sound like Fun! Well you get used to it.....Soooo....Yes I heat my coop...keep it above 28 degrees or so depending on what the wind chill is....my coop is insulated...with ventilated air spaces in the walls and the ceiling...and the floor....the window is double hung insulated glass...they enjoy readily available fresh water 24/7...daily access to a covered 10 by 20 raised dry dirt and sawdust floor that doesn't freeze solid, so they can dust bathe on sunny days....the north and east sides of the run are tarped to create a wind break and keep the snow out...I feel that they deserve the best care I am able to give them.....and they pay me back with eggs thruout the winter....and the satisfaction and enjoyment of happy healthy chickens.

What is your heat source?
What about ventilation?

 

[JackE]

"Yes Grandpa didn't heat the coop in the winter....probably didn't have electricity....but he probably had a nice cosy coop Full of birds....he'd bank the snow around the north, east and west walls and most of the old time coops had a south wall full of Windows...with a kind of flap or shutter that could be closed over those Windows at night".


A lot of Granpas did have electricity back in the day, but they didn't heat then either, as it was as unnecessary then, as it is today. Close up a "Coop full of birds" tight in the winter, and you'll end up with a bunch of sick, frostbit, possibly even dead chickens.
Check out the 100yr old book in the link below, and see what kind of coops they were using. Open-air, uninsulated, and unheated. Not messing around with any flaps or shutters. Coops like those were used up through Canada. You want to heat your coop, knock yourself out. It ain't my money your wasting. But don't come on here insinuating that people that don't heat, are cruel, or don't properly take care of their birds.

http://archive.org/stream/openairpoultryho00wood#page/n0/mode/2up

 

[LoneStarChicks&Horses]

Congratulations on being prepared! I have owned a flock for about 16 years and have averaged about 32 chickens at all times. I love my chickens--they have provided so much joy. I live in Nebraska where our winters can be frigid and the winds horrific. If you have a ceiling at least 8 feet off the ground, I highly recommend the red heat lamps--as long as they are far away from any straw or dry items that could catch on fire--and nothing could fall against the heat lamp. Ventilation is so important and so is keeping humidity low as well as keeping the bedding fresh--cleaning out the chicken house and the brooding boxes at least once per week or as needed (ie, if the bedding should get wet with rain or snow). Fresh clean water on a daily basis ensures good health.
Be sure and scrub out the water container at least every week or more often. Make sure the water in the bowl is clean and no straw poop or food is floating around in it. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[Alaskan]

As we head towards colder weather, I need ventilation advice. The first picture is the inside of my coop. The other 2 are the advertisement photos from the guy we bought the coop from. We built our own much larger run and put hardware cloth over the big slider window. When the girls are on their roost, they are right in line with the window and the closable screened vent above the nest boxes. Way too drafty for winter. There aren't any other vents. Should we put little long narrow vents as close to the roof as possible or? Another question, is why does my rooster sit on the floor of the coop while the girls sit on the roost above him?

I think MeepBeep's suggestion as to where to put the vents is very nice! Because YES, you just can't have the vents... That blow air directly on the perches open. Arg! As to your rooster , roosters temd to be heavier and clumsier than the hens, and so sometimes simply are not able to maneuver as well as the hens. Wit the small coop that you have, he might not be able to hop up on the perches, or simply not feel as secure on the, since he is heavier. (Now lets see you tell me that your hens are giant Australorps and your rooster is a bantam ) Achem... Anyway. Also, I have never used rounded perches... I have no idea if that is a factor as to how easy it is for your rooster to get up there. I use the flat wide side of a 2x4.

 

[MeepBeep]

A lot of Granpas did have electricity back in the day, but they didn't heat then either, as it was as unnecessary then, as it is today.

It's not that black and white, no matter how many times it's repeated...

Grandpa chose birds that were suited to his climate, if he lived in a cold area he didn't have a flock of cold intolerant birds... And if he lived in a hot area he didn't have a flock of heat intolerant birds... That is why there are so many different breeds of chickens across the continents, some much better suited to certain climates than others... There are other variables as well when comparing what they did 100 years ago to today that we could get into...

But don't come on here insinuating that people that don't heat, are cruel, or don't properly take care of their birds

May, I ask you to do the same in regards to attacking people that choose to provide supplemental heat and telling them they are wrong and your way is the only way when that is in fact not true?

I don't attack people that don't heat, in fact I endorse not heating in many instances... I also don't attack people that choose to heat if they do it properly and safe as there are instances when heating is not a bad thing...

Instead I endorse education on when heat can be beneficial and when it can be detrimental, this should be endorsed on this forum as whole instead of trying to make it the black and white answer it is most certainly not in all instances...

 

[Rogers BY Farm]

:cdThis will be my 2nd winter with chickens. We're in zone 7. Last year when we'll. We use a galvanized heated waterer. No coup heat or supplemental light. They go out in their covered coup yard most days. This year we're putting up some fiberglass on the wall of their coup yard to cut back on rain/snow in their yard.