Winter is coming

[LtDanFan]

as this is my first year of chicken keeping and i live in Wisconsin, i have been thinking about how to keep my ladies and gentleman comfortable, warm and safe. I have no electricity to the coop at this point and my bf is opposed to running conduit to the back of our property (1/3 acre) to make this happen. Thus, i am looking at solar powered things and non electric solutions.
We (well… HE, haha) will be building a new coop as one of the two tiny pre-fab coops we currently have is falling apart and is not even remotely winter appropriate.
I’m looking for solutions to keep water from freezing, what has worked for others and coop design ideas/hacks to incorporate to make winter not so bad for the flock. I have looked up solar powered ventilation fans but also suggestions for this would be appreciated.
Also, im not originally from Wisconsin and having grown up and lived in moderate climates my entire pre-Wisconsin life, i do not have innate knowledge of how to survive in the cold. I have been here for nearly a decade but i have a heated mattress pad, a snow blower and a fireplace so i credit those advances with surviving in this tundra-adjacent climate.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You chickens will be fine. They will thicken their coats as it gets colder and will acclimate to the outside temperature. They will keep themselves warm.

Provide adequate wide roosts so they can cover their toes at night. Make sure to have good ventilation without drafts, and block the prevailing winds. Also make sure the bedding is thick.

For quite a few years I've carried out a watering can with some warm water and used rubber pans to water. I dump and refill in the am, and top off if necessary in the afternoon.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

For quite a few years I've carried out a watering can with some warm water and used rubber pans to water. I dump and refill in the am, and top off if necessary in the afternoon.

This is what I’ve always done in the winter as well. The black ones work well. I lived in Wisconsin for a few years and we didn’t have heat or electricity out at the coop. Good ventilation and proper roosts are key. You don’t want their breath creating moisture that gets trapped in the coop.

 

[Sefirothe]

You'll also want to think about collecting eggs multiple times per day if possible.

I have a shed that's divided in half, chickens get one half and the other is used for storage. We have electric run out to it and on the bitterest days I have a small oil filled radiant heater on the storage side that runs to keep the inside of the shed just above freezing. Mostly to keep the eggs from freezing and cracking since I'm only able to get out to collect eggs in the evening after work.

Of course having an electric heated water is also a great bonus. I dont have to worry about the chickens going without water since I couldnt visit multiple times a day to replace frozen water.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

This would be a good read for you as it has a few winter chicken keeping articles linked: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ide-in-the-snow-or-keep-them-indoors.1650472/

 

[FrizzledWyandotte7]

Make sure their run is out of the wind too-I’m in Wyoming and I’ve put stuff along the run fencing so they feel a bit warmer during the day.

 

[Knobby]

You're chickens will be alright. We live in Ohio, so we have very similar weather as you all. Main thing is to make sure you provide clean drinking water for everyone. We have 12 acres and our chicken/duck coop area is roughly 200 feet from the nearest electrical source, so the first year I wound up running extension cords to the coops and plugging in water heaters. That worked fine until the deers enjoyed chewing on the cords. This year I setup a solar panel system, but realized that the heaters drew too much current and drained the 2 batteries, that I had, rather quickly. So I will be hauling 5 gallon buckets this winter until I figure out what to do.

 

[LtDanFan]

You're chickens will be alright. We live in Ohio, so we have very similar weather as you all. Main thing is to make sure you provide clean drinking water for everyone. We have 12 acres and our chicken/duck coop area is roughly 200 feet from the nearest electrical source, so the first year I wound up running extension cords to the coops and plugging in water heaters. That worked fine until the deers enjoyed chewing on the cords. This year I setup a solar panel system, but realized that the heaters drew too much current and drained the 2 batteries, that I had, rather quickly. So I will be hauling 5 gallon buckets this winter until I figure out what to do.

Ugh, this is what i am afraid of. Given that we are currently displaced from our house for going on 6 months due to a (very small, but still very smokey) house fire involving our first attempt at brooding babies, my boyfriend will not stand for electric cords being run out from either the house or garage and i cannot blame him one bit. It makes me nervous too.
I have been looking into solar systems for ventilation but was afraid that its either too cloudy most of the time or there is too little sun during our short daylight hours to charge enough to keep the coop warm during the long nights. Maybe i’ll have to set up a generator but those are pretty loud so that’s probably not a good option. I’m sure they will keep warm once inside but we occasionally (some winters more than others) spend several days in the double subzero digits. My hope is that with predictions for a snow laden winter, the temperature will be warmer than when its too cold to snow.
Further, my coop is strictly a place for laying and sleeping as days are spent in the chimkin yard with various means of cover, so i do not have room for food and water in there, nor do i want to incur that mess. When we build our new one, we may be able to incorporate this into the design but I think its simpler without, and i’d like to keep it that way if possible.
If only someone would invent a wind powered coop grid or a windmill which could be hooked up to a battery that would then power the heaters all night. We have more wind here than sun, even in the light of summer.

 

[Knobby]

I do believe that wind-operated chargers are available, but not sure as to the cost of the setup. I just think I need to add a few more batteries and solar panels, since my current setup is ample enough to power a fan to circulate air in the coop and provide lighting when needed.

 

[lagrange chicks]

I use solar just to operate my chicken door which has did a good job keeping enough charge to the battery to keep it operating when we get those non sunny stretches. I take water out a couple times a day and put a heavy clear plastic on the run which really warms up in the day(greenhouse like) and keeps the cold wind out.