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

[jsmith2952]

@CindyR: thanks for the great info. I like how your method is "simple and uncomplicated". How big is your coop? I'd leave my pop door open, too, and have been since I got them in May, but it's beside the roosting post and I think it might start to be a little too chilly for them there. Last night when I went up to check on them, one of the girls was sleeping in a nesting box, (farthest away from the pop door) which I'm assuming is unusual since I rarely find poop in the box. I don't want to obsess over this too much, since I never worry about my other pets the same way...I just want to make sure I don't (through ignorance or otherwise) put the chickens at a disadvantage come winter.

 

[jsmith2952]

@spainterrd: did you see the posts about putting clear shower curtains or plastic on parts of the run for windbreaks? You can google lots of images of that--it doesn't look beautiful when it's done, but I imagine cutting down on the wind would be helpful.

 

[LadyCluck77]

Our coop is about 4x4.5 foot with a little elevated nesting box area. The run is about 4x10 feet. My husband moves it about every 3 to 4 days, but the chickens have the run of the whole yard during the day. I can't see him lifting the coop/run tractor and hauling it in the snow covered yard. I've so far read the first 5 pages of this thread and see ideas for straw and leaves on the run. Any other ideas?

This is a good set-up. My coop is a similar size, but my run is not covered (yet!) For winter, what I plan to do is build a simple lumber frame, in either an "A" shape or a slanted roof shape (to let snow slide off) and cover with tarps to keep the elements out of some of the run area. My reason for this is with the fairly small coop the birds may get bored and start to peck at each other.
I plan to keep my outdoor roost (which is very simple) and a few bales of hay in the covered run area. I also have purchased a flock block, which they seem to like, and keep it under the coop so it doesn't melt in the rain. I have seen people hang suet and I will probably do that too in the colder months.

Your run is already framed and wired out. Tarps or plastic along the outer walls of the run should be sufficient to keep the cold winds at bay. You seem to have a flat top to your run area. If possible, frame a simple rectangle or A frame and attach it near the high part of the nest box. Then cover with a clear or black tarp. Use the excess edges of the tarp to staple to the connections of the nest box, and you will still be able to access it. That should help the snow slide off.

Good luck!

 

[CindyR]

@jsmith, my coop is 10x12. 8 foot high ceilings. My chickens do not like a stiff cold winter wind but there is a big difference between a nice cool breeze and the wind at -30 or-40. In the summer they roost right beside the open window which is above the pop door but in winter they move to the west window that I close then, it's also away from the pop door. The roosts are high enough that winter drafts from the pop door don't seem to reach them. All winter they are in and out of the coop, on really windy winter days they stay inside and I'm sure some cold breezes get in through the pop door but it doesn't seem to bother them at all.

It's probably not wise to raise delicate chickens without heat, Seramas come to mind but my chickens are a mix of bantams and large breeds (Barred Rock and Welsummer) and are very hardy. The bantams are mixed breeds and may come from some fancy little bantams that my sister raised but they appear very hardy as well. Perhaps because they have been raised without heat and adjusted.
Sometimes we over-coddle to the detriment of kids and critters. Keep it simple. That said I would be wary of raising the delicate breeds without any winter heat. Of course my winter is very different from a Texas winter where I would probably not give any kind of chicken heat in the winter.

It's hard to say why your hen would sleep in a nest, is she going broody?

Look up breeds online to find out which ones do well in cold climates. You might want to hunt up an article on ventilation by a lady who raises chickens in eastern Canada. Very informative. Big difference between direct drafts and ventilation.

 

[aart]

Our coop is about 4x4.5 foot with a little elevated nesting box area. The run is about 4x10 feet. My husband moves it about every 3 to 4 days, but the chickens have the run of the whole yard during the day. I can't see him lifting the coop/run tractor and hauling it in the snow covered yard. I've so far read the first 5 pages of this thread and see ideas for straw and leaves on the run. Any other ideas?

How do you reach your eggs from the outside?
What is your roof made of.....will it hold up to snow load?

 

[jsmith2952]

@cindyR: my coop is only 3.5' tall, which significantly restricts ventilation placement and keeping the pop door open. Of course if I knew thenwhat I know now I would've done things so differently, but I want to make due with the size of the coop now until we're ready to replace it. My girls are hardy, I'm just hopeful that all these tips I'm planning to implement will be enough.

As for the one hen getting broody--I didn't even think of that because their breed is very in-broody! But I'll keep an eye out for it now!! Thanks for thinking of that.

 

[DelBlueHen]

Whoops! Just learning how posting works...see post below.

 

[DelBlueHen]

To prepare for winter, I will shut a couple windows, get out and dust off the cookietin water fount warmer, aaannnnnd that's it. Will not get out and use heatlamps, won't wrap anything in plastic, no haybales, no carpet or heattape for the roosts, no styrofoam sheets, no added light to extend the day, no special diet plans, no vaseline for combs, no heated rocks, no lava lamps, nuclear fision jetpacks, or LCD TVs. The birds themselves are preparing right now, by growing in their winter feathers. I don't really need to do anything.

I love your coop!

 

[JackE]

I love your coop!

Thanks, I kinda like it myself.

 

[Fowl Wench]

DE and Deep Litter Method don't mix. DLM is essentially a compost system, DE kills a lot of the organisms that make DLM work.

Here is a good account of DLM, that in the second year DE additions made it fail. It's great documentation on a long term DLM.

Woops! Thanks aart, for the heads up on that. I did find the thread and read about her DE fail. I'm def stickin with the DLM!!