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

[hennible]

I came across this image last fall and it just struck me as a great winter Run to create. Very cozy. Lots of roosts. Jungle Gym things to do for the birds to help with winter boredom...etc. It looks like bent pvc pipes holding wire and attached to 1x4 or 1x 6's with plastic over the top. Only issue being you'd need to vent this somehow. But the snow load should shimmy right off and The plastic shouldn't be easy to catch in a strong wind...etc. The Winter Wind does amazing things with tarp and plastic. When you think you have it all sealed and buttoned down-- it usually comes up and needs attention before the winter is out. IDK...It's a winter set up of a Hoop Coop. For those looking for an inexpensive way to make a covered run...this may be something to take a look at.

This is great... Maybe I'll put my birds in the greenhouse.... Someday with some modifications.

 

[Alaskan]

My birds get access to my greenhouse all winter.

 

[aart]

If the snow is wet and sticky, it can even stick to and then collapse netting or wire that is on the run top.

We had a ton of snow last year, most of it was dry and light tho because of the extreme cold(for our area) and it all went thru my 2x4 welded wire run roof........

...until the very wet snow in February stuck to the mesh and kept sticking...**** near collapsed the whole thing. Luckily I was able to clear it before it collapsed, with one of my metal sheds I as not so lucky.

 

[hennible]

My birds get access to my greenhouse all winter.

My coop and greenhouse are about an acre apart. Need a coop by the greenhouse area... How's yours set up?

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Blooie: I love it! With that set up the hay bales are definitely part of the structure. Framework gets set right on the bales and flip up panels on the back and front sides for eggs, feeding and watering. I just love it for its simplicity, frugleness, and coziness.

 

[Blooie]

Um, while I thank you for the praise, my coop isn't the one with the hay bales, the lift up nesting boxes and the framework. Mine is just an empty hoop shell with an attached coop.

 

[Alaskan]

Quote:

The coop is a full built like a building 8x8, at a tiny bit higher elevation land wise, and then it is up on skids, so the floor is maybe 2 feet above the ground. The greenhouse was built shorter with the side walls being only 4 feet tall, and with a dirt floor. The result is that the South facing window of the coop still gets lots of light, the greenhouse doesn't block it.

The shed is also built short with a dirt floor, and with big vents, about 7 inches of open wire, along all exterior walls.

As you can see, I have perches in both the coop and the shed, even though the coop is insulated, and the shed is not.

Picture of duck coop in the orchard, and the ripple plastic thing in the back is the greenhouse. You can see the edge of the pale coop door, red walls of the coop, in the left edge of the photo.


Entire layout. Notice how short, small and "we are not here" the shed and greenhouse are.

 

[hennible]

Thank you. The diagram is awesome
That a nice set up... Now to build a coop by the greenhouse and a greenhouse by the coop

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Um, while I thank you for the praise, my coop isn't the one with the hay bales, the lift up nesting boxes and the framework. Mine is just an empty hoop shell with an attached coop.

Right.

Sorry Blooie. I posted the pic of the hay bale one and my thoughts were a "Run-On sentence" on previous post.

 

[Chewys Chickens]

I can't believe all the great info on this thread! This will be our first winter with the chickens and I have been reading the post and making a list of things to do. After last winter in Michigan I want to make sure we are totally prepared for anything! Thank you all so much!