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

[Alaskan]

Yep... And we get a bunch of pretend, "not yet winter" spells that trick you into thinking that there are a few weeks left of mobility.

It is hard to make sure everything is cleaned up before everything is frozen.

 

[bigred77]

frozen ground?
whats that?


/s/
Texas

 

[Alaskan]

Like when my baby sister called me in a panic because her water trough was frozen.... I told her to wait two hours



(She lives in Texas)O

 

[bigmrg74]

frozen ground?
whats that?


/s/
Texas

When its been below freezing long enough that the ground freezes. Probably up in the panhandle of Texas you would have a minimum depth you would have to bury plumbing deep enough that the frost in the ground doesn't get to it. Maybe somewhere around 20 or so. Here in Michigan, it can be from 42 to 48 inches. And then up in Alaska they would probably go deeper in some spots, and then there's spots where they really can't do plumbing very well because of Permifrost issues, where the ground can stay frozen all through the year and doesn't allow surface water to really trickle through the ground.

 

[Wissa38]

We're in Northern Vermont, so probably fairly comparable weather.

Winter checklist:

Wrap the indoor run area (The run that has a roof and is enclosed in hardware cloth) in heavy plastic.

Put tarps over two sides of the fence in the outdoor run area. This gives them a place outside where the wind is kept to a minimum.

Buy some hay and put it somewhere dry. I'll put this down over the snow.

Buy a big container of meal worms. Nice cold weather treat.

Put away the water dispensers I use in warmer weather. Set out the heated dog water bowl, which is where they get water in the winter. We have it on a cold sensitive plug so the bowl only warms when it's below 32. We don't keep water in the hen house (where we close them in at night) during the winter. Keeps the humidity down.

Put down an extra deep layer of bedding in the hen house.

Make sure I have extra grit and dirt for when the ground is frozen.

Stand outside the hen house and contemplate drilling more holes for ventilation. Every darn year...

That's it, I think, for prep.

We never heat our coop. We made sure to get cold weather breeds and the girls go outside all year round. We make sure they get lots of good food, including warm oatmeal and meal worms. We keep the bedding deep and make sure to keep it especially clean in the winter to keep the moisture down.

I'd be afraid of fire, and I'd worry the chickens weren't acclimatized to outdoor temps. What if your heater failed?

On "warmer" winter days I'll open some of the hen house windows and get some fresh air through.

Good luck.

 

[Alaskan]

There are so many coop fires.... It is terrifying.

 

[the poppster]

I've got a double hung window in my coop. In the summer I open the bottom...in the winter months I shut the bottom and open the top part as far as necessary to keep the flow of fresh air into the coop above the birds...this air vents out a opening in the ceiling to vent out the ridge vent that runs the full length of the coop roof... the roof is insulated with eve vents...just like a house.so the warm air rises thru the ceiling vent and out the roof. Creating a air space between the insulated ceiling and the metal roof panels.it cuts down on drafts and keeps the coop dry. The coop walls are also insulated and are vented for air flow to prevent moisture build up...the floor has one inch blue board insulation, plastic vapor barrier, plywood and the floor is covered with rubber roofing that continues four inches up the walls...the rubber does not absorb moisture and helps to keep the coop bedding dry. The used bedding is spread out into the run and turned under with a garden fork...I add a bit of leaf mold and a few bags of peat moss and garden dirt to promote composting. It doesn't freeze hard and the birds help to mix it up by digging for corn and sunflower seeds I give them as scratch.

 

[Alaskan]

Poppster, that sounds lovely!!!

 

[aart]

I've got a double hung window in my coop. In the summer I open the bottom...in the winter months I shut the bottom and open the top part as far as necessary to keep the flow of fresh air into the coop above the birds...this air vents out a opening in the ceiling to vent out the ridge vent that runs the full length of the coop roof... the roof is insulated with eve vents...just like a house.so the warm air rises thru the ceiling vent and out the roof. Creating a air space between the insulated ceiling and the metal roof panels.it cuts down on drafts and keeps the coop dry. The coop walls are also insulated and are vented for air flow to prevent moisture build up...the floor has one inch blue board insulation, plastic vapor barrier, plywood and the floor is covered with rubber roofing that continues four inches up the walls...the rubber does not absorb moisture and helps to keep the coop bedding dry. The used bedding is spread out into the run and turned under with a garden fork...I add a bit of leaf mold and a few bags of peat moss and garden dirt to promote composting. It doesn't freeze hard and the birds help to mix it up by digging for corn and sunflower seeds I give them as scratch.

How big is the vent in the ceiling?
Can yo post pics?

 

[the poppster]

The vent is about 12x8 inches covered with a hardware cloth hinged frame. The coop is 8x10 ft inside dimensions. I have 6 nest boxes built into the wall that extend into my garage...with individual doors to each...I Don't have to go into the coop to collect the eggs. I'm sure happy with that little convenience. It's been a work in progress....since it was finished....the birds never know what to expect when "That lady that feeds us" gets some idea into her head. I will see if I can get some photos.