Winterizing a Little Tikes Coop

[bostonbrood]

New here. Put together a little tikes coop this past spring for my wife who wanted a few new pets. Getting the idea from searching Google and coming across this forum. Seeing others with the same coop idea here was wondering what others did in keeping their chickens warm in the cold months. Being in Ohio can get pretty cold. Right now all gaps and cracks have been sealed with the foam caulking and inside filled with some straw and wood shavings. My wife, feeling terrible about them being in the cold wants to use a heat lamp but everything we see says not to due to getting to warm. Any advice would be wonderful. Thanks

 

[ChickNanny13]

Welcome to BYE, glad you joined us. You may want to update your profile with your location, we won't have to ask where your location is when replying to post

How many chickens do you have or plan on getting for that set up? Bantams or LFs?
Many have found the amount the prefab company states it's good for, isn't correct

I'm thinking you're ok but may want to put roofing on the run. Is the coop going in the run or the run "attach" to the front? Do not recommend a heat lamp in the coop (fire & possible over heating). Are the windows screened?

 

[wamtazlady]

Sealing up all your gaps is not the way to have a warm chicken. If you heat that coop you'll want to seal it up tight and that is not good for the birds. A dry chicken is a warm chicken. Chickens produce a lot of moisture by breathing and pooping. You need to vent that moisture out of the coop. When planning your vents you also need to make sure no direct wind and drafts will be blowing on your birds.

I would also second the suggestion to cover your run. The birds will be much happier going outside every day. Covering 3 sides of the run will give them a nice area out of the wind to hang out during the day.

I live in Northern Montana. Got down to -22 F last winter. Suggest vent area is 1 square foot of vent for every bird. For example my coop has two 1 foot by 3 foot vents under the eaves. Has a 2 foot by 2 foot vent in the back door that gets no wind. The pop door is open year round into the run. Run has 3 sides covered with clear vinyl shower curtains. Run is also covered. No matter how cold it gets the birds are outside in the run all day long, pecking and eating and drinking. Their food and water are kept in the run. The cold never seems to bother them one bit. In fact, chickens can deal better with cold weather than they can hot weather.

 

[bostonbrood]

That picture is when it was still being built. But the setup is the way you see it. They come out the side window into the run. A roof was added to the run and currently covered with a tarp to keep snow out. There are 3 chickens. And all other windows are screened off.

Friday I will be covering the the front windows to prevent any direct wind.

Welcome to BYE, glad you joined us. You may want to update your profile with your location, we won't have to ask where your location is when replying to post

How many chickens do you have or plan on getting for that set up? Bantams or LFs?
Many have found the amount the prefab company states it's good for, isn't correct

I'm thinking you're ok but may want to put roofing on the run. Is the coop going in the run or the run "attach" to the front? Do not recommend a heat lamp in the coop (fire & possible over heating). Are the windows screened?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Your three should be fine in your set up but watch out for Chicken Math come Spring

 

[aart]

Pics of inside, please?
Where in Ohio? North, central, south have rather different climates.
It's gonna be tough to ventilate that playhouse...might leave the top holes in the door open....or leave all of them open and make a stand off damper out of plexiglass.

 

[bostonbrood]

Northeast, couple miles off lake erie. The holes in the door will be covered but not sealed off, just to stop the direct wind coming towards it. I can post a photo later today.

Pics of inside, please?
Where in Ohio? North, central, south have rather different climates.
It's gonna be tough to ventilate that playhouse...might leave the top holes in the door open....or leave all of them open and make a stand off damper out of plexiglass.

 

[bostonbrood]

Pics of inside, please?
Where in Ohio? North, central, south have rather different climates.
It's gonna be tough to ventilate that playhouse...might leave the top holes in the door open....or leave all of them open and make a stand off damper out of plexiglass.

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

New here. Put together a little tikes coop this past spring for my wife who wanted a few new pets. Getting the idea from searching Google and coming across this forum. Seeing others with the same coop idea here was wondering what others did in keeping their chickens warm in the cold months. Being in Ohio can get pretty cold. Right now all gaps and cracks have been sealed with the foam caulking and inside filled with some straw and wood shavings. My wife, feeling terrible about them being in the cold wants to use a heat lamp but everything we see says not to due to getting to warm. Any advice would be wonderful. Thanks

I have never done anything to winterize our coop. I have found that chickens are very adaptable to most climates. I think that they will be fine, but be sure to follow the other advice you are receiving about ventilation. Good luck!