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

[Bogtown Chick]

My coop sits off my lawn with the whole side of my coop engulfed in woods and shade of a little hill. My south sun is so-so. Great for Summer and keeping cool..not so great for a little solar heating in the winter.

Not everybody has built that style of coop that JackE has. And that coop works pretty great for winters yes. Most people have a gabled or a a simple slant in their roof (to me the simple slant is probably the best and I wish I had it) So then you need to figure out how to deal with the relative humidity for your area vs. the cold. I'm just putting it out there that there is no one answer for all coops and chickening style.

Considerations for breed type, what your using your chickens for utilitarian or show, head space in the coop, ventilation, number of birds, size of the coop....etc etc.
Research it out folks.

 

[jimbob86]

Is headspace/headroom important for the birds, from a humidiy/ventilation standpoint? I intentionally made my tractor short, to minimize weight and to give flies noplace safe to land without being eaten by a chicken (it works!) I also figured that the less airspace, the warmer it would be.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I think a little head space helps. You're birds are going to be giving off lots of moisture: Thus the need for lots of ventilation. But if that moisture hits the roof pretty fast and condensation happens it will happen on their combs fast too. It may not hurt to add a bit more "weight" to the coop.

Well it might hurt when you're picking it up to move it....

 

[Alaskan]

All coops need ventilation, no matter what climate you are in, you need a large amount of ventilation.

Period.

 

[aart]

Is headspace/headroom important for the birds, from a humidiy/ventilation standpoint? I intentionally made my tractor short, to minimize weight and to give flies noplace safe to land without being eaten by a chicken (it works!) I also figured that the less airspace, the warmer it would be.

Common misconception, but no, you want so much ventilation that the coop will not 'hold' any heat.
It might be a bit warmer in the coop, depending on solar gain and lack of 'wind'.

Head space is important because you want the majority of your ventilation as high above the roost area as possible.

 

[Rich55016]

All this talk of winter has me thinking I have a lot more to do. I live in MN, it gets cold. I think I need to add a couple more vents other then my windows, would you suggest some up by the peak? Also this run is 24' x 24', I will not be able to cover the whole thing any suggestions?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Most winter winds blow out of the north and west, so any sort of wind break on those sides would help, we put up cheap fence panels from the home improvement store, also not sure which way your windows face, but south facing is good in winter, may get some hay bales to put down in the run after it snows, small venting in the peak area can be good, or cracking the Windows, especially south can help, my smaller coop gets enough ventilation by the air moving through the door cracks and a cracked window, just make sure it's not blowing directly on your roosts which should be 2x4 with the two facing up and maybe one with the 4 facing up as an option. Nice looking coop and run.

 

[Rich55016]

It sits in a pretty good wind break, so maybe just put some panels up. I have the inside of the coop done, the vents at the top may be a good plan. I planned on putting bales all the way around the bottom of the coop for the winter to keep the floor a little warmer. I do not plan on insulating or heating it. We do have negative temperatures for weeks on end at times though.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You said you're in Minnesota, I'm in Wisconsin, so same winter climate, I would wait until the ground freezes good before you put the hay around the bottom or you'll end up taking care of rats or mice all winter too.

 

[Alaskan]

Most winter winds blow out of the north and west, so any sort of wind break on those sides would help, we put up cheap fence panels from the home improvement store, also not sure which way your windows face, but south facing is good in winter, may get some hay bales to put down in the run after it snows, small venting in the peak area can be good, or cracking the Windows, especially south can help, my smaller coop gets enough ventilation by the air moving through the door cracks and a cracked window, just make sure it's not blowing directly on your roosts which should be 2x4 with the two facing up and maybe one with the 4 facing up as an option. Nice looking coop and run.

You need the roosts with the 4inch side flat. A 2inch side to perch on will result in frozen toes.

It sits in a pretty good wind break, so maybe just put some panels up. I have the inside of the coop done, the vents at the top may be a good plan. I planned on putting bales all the way around the bottom of the coop for the winter to keep the floor a little warmer. I do not plan on insulating or heating it. We do have negative temperatures for weeks on end at times though. 

I would figure out how to extend the roof a bit over the run, different ways to do that.....

Then the wall that is facing the run, and now under a roof, I would open up a 6 inch to one foot tall gap all along that side... Either above the window header, or up in the peak area... Whatever is easiest.

Then the run side that is running like an extension of the coop wall.... I would cover that first section with something solid and see through. So options would be a clear tarp, clear shower curtain, semi opaque plastic panels, fogged windows ... I would do that to help stop any wind from blowing into the coop vent that you just cut out (in my first suggestion). Also, the panel there would keep the run warmer and keep snow from blowing there and dumping.

It would be a good spot to put your water dish.... It would stay thawed longer. If you use a heater in the waterer, and keep the water outside in the run, there is a lower risk of a coop fire.