Winter

[chickenwoman1405]

What do you guys do with your coop and chickens during winter any tips so I can be ready thanks

 

[Oncoming Storm]

How old will your group be in the winter? Personally, my birds are all old enough where they don’t need assistance in the winter. But when my first group first moved outside, we set up our brooder light in the coop at night so they wouldn’t get cold. But once they’re fully fledged they shouldn’t need any help. Maybe some extra feed.

 

[MROO]

What do you guys do with your coop and chickens during winter any tips so I can be ready thanks

I'm not too far from you - Maryland, near the Bay. We get a lot of icy rain, so I need to be careful about cold, blowing winds.

I have a good-sized open wall (hardware cloth) on the northern-facing side of my main run. I block that with a wooden panel built just for that purpose. It's nothing fancy - just a piece of T1-11 siding cut to fit & latched in place. I may not even have to do that, this year, as I moved a small wooden coop to block most of that wall. It may just stay there permanently.. If it gets really cold for long periods (like it did this winter,) I wrap the west wall loosely with a tarp. That's more as a windbreak than an insulator. That's my bachelor coop, and "The Boys" are hard-headed. They won't go inside, so I need to keep the wind off the little goofballs!

My main coop only has a small northern facing window. I block that with a piece of plexiglas that slides into place over the hardware cloth. If it's really cold, I'll bank the back wall with a bale of good hay. It serves as insulation, and gives the ladies something interesting to pick apart while they're all cooped up in bad weather.

Make sure you don't seal everything up tight. Ventilation is actually more important in the winter than it is in summer. If you close up too much, moisture stays inside - and you end up with frostbitten feet and combs.

Aren't you glad you have some time to plan? Did you see what happened in Montana, this week? Look up this report on Accuweather - and we think WE have crazy weather!

https://www.accuweather.com/en/wint...s-high-elevations-across-idaho-montana/761490

 

[chickenwoman1405]

How old will your group be in the winter? Personally, my birds are all old enough where they don’t need assistance in the winter. But when my first group first moved outside, we set up our brooder light in the coop at night so they wouldn’t get cold. But once they’re fully fledged they shouldn’t need any help. Maybe some extra feed.

My seven will be about 7/8 months old by winter and thanks for the advice

 

[Oncoming Storm]

My seven will be about 7/8 months old by winter and thanks for the advice

OKAY I did NOT realize how cold it is where you were located. I’d think it’s still be okay though. I’d watch for frostbite on their combs, especially if they have single combs.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I also loosely cover up my coop windows with plexiglass panels when the temps drop into the teens. I apply petroleum jelly to my White Rock's comb and wattles (she's the only one with the larger single comb) on nights when the temperature will go below 0°F. My coop is not insulated. I can't recommend putting hay in the coop - the strands are too long and they can get impacted crop from eating it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Hot or cold, good ventilation is key.

Chickens put out a lot of moisture and if you don't vent it out of the coop it will contribute to frostbite.

 

[aart]

Close the windows, baffle the soffit vents, block off north side of under-run, put the heater in the waterer.

Showing us your coop @chickenwoman1405 would garner specific suggestions.

 

[blackdog043]

Without seeing a picture of your coop, it's hard to tell you what to do.

My sofits and pop door are open year round, the front windows are left open a little less than the one on the right side in the pic, and both side windows are closed. I'm in NC, but if I were in SE PA, I would still do the same thing.

 

[wamtazlady]

Except for adding a heated waterer I don't do much in winter except close the window that is next to the roost. The 10 square feet of vents I have stay open year round. I live in NW Montana where it gets down in the -20s F.