Winter

[Areemas]

So I'm new to the chicken world and winter is coming up. I have 2 leghorns, 3wyandotts, 2easter eggers, and 1 mollted houdan. I believe all are winter hardy birds except the houdan. What should I do with her. How do you all prepare your coops for the winter?

 

[lazy gardener]

Where are you. If you put your general location in your profile, it will help folks to give appropriate advice.

 

[Spartan22]

Yep location will help, but regardless make sure there's enough ventilations above. With your 8 chickens, I assume you have big enough (height +room) coop for proper air flow above & their heads not too close to the roof of the coop. Make sure the coop is dry and not drafty, I get 0-20*F in the winter w/ occasional below zero though my 1st Year w/ chickens were mostly -10-20 but non got frost bites specially the leghorns (big combs) keeps my 4 coop windows partially open 90% of the time and the pop door to the run open 24/7 so the chickens can decide to go in and out. Though I put clear plastic around my run to prevent snow and rain blowing in.

 

[Areemas]

Where are you. If you put your general location in your profile, it will help folks to give appropriate advice.

Northern Colorado, good advice I'll try and do that.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Next question is how big is your coop? The smaller the coop the more things you need to consider. Do you get lots of snow? Are you shoveling it? Can you shovel out your run?

What are you plans for watering?

I use hay in the winter for winter forage and for my birds to stand on. You will need to keep your birds busy to prevent boredom.

Sometimes my birds can't go outside because of storms and prolonged bad weather. Is your coop big enough for them to spend days in? Sometimes birds will start pecking each other if confined for too long without things to do.

Just a few things to consider.

 

[Areemas]

Next question is how big is your coop? The smaller the coop the more things you need to consider. Do you get lots of snow? Are you shoveling it? Can you shovel out your run?

What are you plans for watering?

I use hay in the winter for winter forage and for my birds to stand on. You will need to keep your birds busy to prevent boredom.

Sometimes my birds can't go outside because of storms and prolonged bad weather. Is your coop big enough for them to spend days in? Sometimes birds will start pecking each other if confined for too long without things to do.

Just a few things to consider.

Lots of good things to think about. My coop is actually pretty small but I just aquired another coop that I can setup in the run. I can deff shovel the run and put hay down. I do have a heated water bowl that I can stick out there for them.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Some people wrap their runs in plastic, may be something to consider, at least the prevailing winds side.

 

[aart]

Is the second coop big enough for all 7 birds?
Because they are going to want to be all together.

What is your plan for snow load on the netting on top of run?
That's a nice summer run,
but looks extremely dubious for holding up in winter snows.
I assume Northern Colorado gets a ton of snow.

 

[Areemas]

Is the second coop big enough for all 7 birds?
Because they are going to want to be all together.

What is your plan for snow load on the netting on top of run?
That's a nice summer run,
but looks extremely dubious for holding up in winter snows.
I assume Northern Colorado gets a ton of snow.

No we reallly don't get a ton of snow, about 41 inches per year occasionally we get a blizzard but on average it not too bad. I was thinking of covering the top with a tarp. Also all the birds do fit in the coop usually they all sleep on the Roost and top nesting area, leaving the bottom empty. I was thinking of attaching the other coop to this one making it into one coop.it has access from the bottom.

 

[aart]

A tarp might make it worse.
Best of Luck.