Winterizing a chicken coop

[Farmer Peggy]

HJi Everyone
Can anyone tell me how to put a picture on here?
I want to make my dog kennel in my garage into a chicken coop. but I am worried that it will not be warm enough for them. I have 3 hens and 1 rooster. The kennel is made of posts and chainlink fence. I am going to install a window that will act as a patio door for them to get to thier run outside. I am going to make it taller to stand in. The garage is very cold in the winter. Our temperatures drop to minus 35 sometimes. I don't want the rooster to get frost bite on his cone. I thought about putting a dresser in there for them to go in and huddle together but I'm not sure if they would go into it or if that would even help. I would like to put a pic on here to show what the kennel looks like now so I can get some ideas.

 

[KMHunter]

Go to uploads, find the picture on your computer and upload it. Make sure you pick the right size for posts. I made the mistake of uploading pictures in the website size. You want the 640X480 for message boards.

Go to my uploads and find the pic you want, right click on the box that says image under the pic. Copy and paste onto the post.

hope fully this works for you.

 

[Farmer Peggy]

Here are the pictures, Thanks for your help!

 

[Farmer Peggy]

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Remember it will not get as cold in the garage (be it attached or freestanding) as it does outdoors. Especially not on the coldest nights. Put a max-min thermometer in there, you'll see

That said, as long as you provide QUITE A LOT OF BEDDING, and personally I would put plywood down over the concrete floor of the pen to provide additional insulation, you are likely to be fine. If you do see the first hints of frostbite you can run a lamp, but I can tell you that my 35x50 horse barn (concrete slab, sorta insulated walls and ceiling, but millions of holes that the wind blows through) has never been below about 0 F despite outdoor temperatures dropping to -25 F and lower. So the temperature situation may not be quite as dire as you fear.

I have done a page (just yesterday in fact) on cold weather coop design and management, you may find it helpful; the link is in my .sig below.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat