Winter Questions... PLease advise

[All about the EGG]

Get a couple mesh covered vents from the hardware store. Then drill a couple 2" holes on the coop wall, and screw the vent on. That fixed my ventilation problem. But then my coop is 4x4.

 

[CityChook]

Oh honey, I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid you're going to have to cut into that beautiful coop for proper ventilation. Just cracking that window isn't going to cut it, as you can already see. Neither will a couple of 2" holes. I originally thought that putting it under the gable (above the window) would be a good spot, but you'll need to move the roost so that it's not quite so high and in front of the vent. You're right - the reason it's getting frosty inside is because it is too humid and it's so cold outside. Oh well, maybe think of this as your get out of jail free card... correct this problem quickly before you end up with frostbite problems. I'd recommend a couple of 12x12ish furnace intake vents, readily available at your local hardware store. If you can, make a plan for closing them (a slide works great) for when it gets really cold or if a storm is blowing in.

As far as only opening the coop door if it's 30 or above, well, that's just bunk. Goodness, here in the midwest, that could be May!! It was 18 here this morning but the sun was out so I let my girls out to free range. Now granted, there is only a skiff of snow on the ground -- they will NOT venture out once it snows. Their choice. But they did come out and get a little sunshine for a little while. Give them the option -- if they don't want to go outside, they don't have to, but they can if they want to if their door is open.

Regarding adding heat, there are many many differing opinions. I choose to heat my coop. Some do not. It's a personal preference. But I do recommend that you make a game plan of how you can get heat to them if you need it. We both know how bad it's going to get before it gets better.

I'm assuming that you have a heated water dish? If not, that's a great investment. Otherwise you're going to need to be vigilant about changing out their water, which could be on the hour here.

 

[Gonzo]

First off, I love your coop! My girls live in a nice old yard barn! I have 2 vents on opposite sides, the size of your typical central heating/air vents, and so far, that seem to be doing fine, I'd say we have similar size coops, so that should be plenty of ventilation. also, I'd be sure to put them up as high as possible so it'll take out heat in the summer. Good Luck! I'm soooo jealous of your coop!

 

[mags2009]

Thanks everyone, my DH is going to put in some vents today or tomorrow. Hopefully the girls will be ok until then? We are expecting a lot of snow over the next couple of days, and very cold temps. City chook- if you read this, what do you use for heat? Anyone else can chime in also! Thanks!

 

[Chickenmaven]

I use a heat lamp - ONLY if is super cold (below zero). It is tightly secured to a beam and is on a timer to run during the coldest part of the night 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Note that this is a fire hazard. I am very aware of this. However, my coop is fairly close to my bedroom.

 

[CityChook]

Good morning Mags - The girls will be fine. You are a good chicken mom.

There are many different ways to configure the heat in your coop, but this is what I do:

I have hardwired a light fixture (ceramic socket) into the wall about 2 ft. above the roost. I did this because I was worried about falling lamps/fire, but a regular brooder lamp fixture will work just fine. Just make sure that you REALLY secure it so it doesn't fall and catch your coop on fire. Put it over your roost so that it will warm them while they are asleep/inactive and the temperatures are the coldest. Into the fixture, I have a 250 watt ceramic heat emitter, the kind used for reptiles. They can be purchased at large pet stores, but I bought mine on ebay for about 50% retail. They are quite expensive, but worth it (IMHO). They provide a radiant heat - it heats surfaces instead of air - so it doesn't really raise the temperature inside the coop so much, but it will warm the girls while they hang out on the roost. More importantly, it does not provide any light, so it won't disrupt their sleep cycles. I started out using a red heat lamp (probably the most common source of heat used by BYCers) but found that it kept them up all night and tended to make them cranky/aggressive with each other. Anyways, I leave the heat on 24/7 from November through April. I also have a heated water dish (purchased at Mills Fleet Farm) to keep the water thawed. Very happy with that as well. I really didn't notice a sizeable change in my electricity bill last winter, and it was a real doozy of a season with record cold temperatures.

For that 3-4 week period in January when it gets really really cold around here (we're talk'n -20F and more), I supplement with a second heat lamp. I just use their brooder red lamp for this. While it does tend to keep them up (they party into the night because the lights are still on...), it just becomes so darned necessary to warm up the air inside, and the red lamp does a great job at this. It's only temporary, and they adjust fine - they're chickens... Just to give you some perspective, my coop got down to -5F inside last winter - with insulation and heat - and we made it through with no frostbite issues.

I gave my girls cracked corn for a bedtime treat last winter. They loved it and it will keep their bodies working hard overnight to metabolize (therefore creating more body heat).... B.U.T..... I think I managed to throw off their nutritional balance as they started feather picking (for protein). It was very stressful to me -- so, if you choose to give them carby treats, make sure to do it in moderation.

Hope this helps. Please feel free to PM me anytime if I can help you more. And don't worry... chickens do great through the winter if they are given just the minimal amount of care and attention. Make sure that the coop is dry and draft free, the water is fluid and then consider your heat.