Wintering my Flock

[nicklegoose]

This is my first season with my hens. I currently have 4 Reds and may be getting a fifth. Is there anything I should be doing now to prepare for a Southeastern PA winter?

 

[ranchhand]

!

Good for you, for thinking ahead. if you look in the Index, there is a whole area devoted to Coops & Runs, you will find a ton of info there.

I think the #1 rule for your area would be to create a good ventilation system without having a direct draft.

 

[cmom]

I agree. You will need good ventilation. This is an excellent source.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Is your coop insulated? I find that really helps keep the hen's heat in.

And as the other folks said, no drafts!

 

[patandchickens]

Nah, you don't need anything special other than a draftfree well-ventilated (i.e. dry-air) coop. You can insulate if you want, and won't regret it (assuming you do it properly) but it *by no means* necessary in your climate. (I grew up just outside Philly, so I do have some idea).

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[nicklegoose]

How does everyone who has regularly subfreezing winters handle the issue of the water freezing?

 

[patandchickens]

Most people use heated waterer bases or heated waterers. Some people hang a heatlamp over the waterer to keep it thawed but IMO this is not a very sensible use of electricity (and $), being as how heat rises so you are wasting an awful lot of the lamp's output.

Or, you can just bring the chickens fresh (liquid) water as many times a day as it takes to ensure an adequate supply before it freezes -- this may be 1x a day if your coop doesn't get real cold and it's a good-sized container of water with some insulating value, or it may be many many times a day if your coop is chronically around -20 F.

Also, of course, the better designed your coop is to not get excessively cold in the first place, the more slowly the water freezes

Pat