Winterizing and Watering in S West PA

[ByardK]

Hi!

I am sure this has been discussed, so I apologize if so. We live outside of PGh and this will be our first winter with our chickens.

We have a pre fab coop from Tractor supply- I believe the sentinel. Anyway, how much insulation if any and donI need an electric heater? Sometimes it can get in the single digits and the wind chill below 0. It varies from year to year.

Also, food and water. Is there a way to water without electricity and prevent it from freezing? I have read not to put food and water in the coop?

Looking for economical suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Hi!

I am sure this has been discussed, so I apologize if so. We live outside of PGh and this will be our first winter with our chickens.

We have a pre fab coop from Tractor supply- I believe the sentinel. Anyway, how much insulation if any and donI need an electric heater? Sometimes it can get in the single digits and the wind chill below 0. It varies from year to year.

Also, food and water. Is there a way to water without electricity and prevent it from freezing? I have read not to put food and water in the coop?

Looking for economical suggestions.

Thanks!

Can you verify which model it is, and the square footage? How many chickens, are they full-size or bantam, and how old will they be?

The danger for chickens in winter, even quite cold winters, is the buildup of moisture (from breath and poop) and ammonia (from poop) that occurs when they are stuck inside pre-fab coops with shockingly inadequate ventilation during bad weather. They can develop frostbite from the excessive moisture.

If the coop is properly ventilated and dry, and NOT drafty, they shouldn’t need heating or insulation (they’ll try to eat the insulation.) After all, they’re wearing down jackets 24/7. @Ted Brown

Keeping water thawed is a challenge though. There is at least one informative thread going in the Feeding and Watering sub-forum. Good luck!

Edit to add: here’s a thread to start with, if you haven’t seen it yet: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...r-100-chickens-in-40-with-wind-chill.1671357/

 

[ByardK]

Can you verify which model it is, and the square footage? How many chickens, are they full-size or bantam, and how old will they be?

The danger for chickens in winter, even quite cold winters, is the buildup of moisture (from breath and poop) and ammonia (from poop) that occurs when they are stuck inside pre-fab coops with shockingly inadequate ventilation during bad weather. They can develop frostbite from the excessive moisture.

If the coop is properly ventilated and dry, and NOT drafty, they shouldn’t need heating or insulation (they’ll try to eat the insulation.) After all, they’re wearing down jackets 24/7. @Ted Brown

Keeping water thawed is a challenge though. There is at least one informative thread going in the Feeding and Watering sub-forum. Good luck!

Edit to add: here’s a thread to start with, if you haven’t seen it yet: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...r-100-chickens-in-40-with-wind-chill.1671357/

The girls just started laying this past week. There are currently 3, and I have attached a pic of the coop.

 

[Folly's place]

Cute structure, not so good as a coop. Actual dimensions? Do you have it on a concrete base, or a wide hardware cloth skirt, or some way to keep digging predators out?
How well is the hardware cloth attached, and how good are those latches? Picture two big dogs attacking it, or a nice big raccoon tearing at it. Most of us have started with coops that need help to be safe, and we learn the hard way.
I don't see any actual ventilation except for that cute little opening up top. Is that it? Two to three square feet of upper ventilation is recommended for three standard birds!
If you wrap the three leeward sides of your hardware cloth area, especially if you can leave the upper section of the 'run' hardware cloth open for ventilation, and have the chicken coop door open all the time, that should work pretty well. Consider the entire roofed area as coop, because then the size may work out for your birds.
Water in winter without electricity will be a pain, just sayin'. For only three birds, not so hard to carry fresh out there three times each day, having maybe two water dishes to swap them out.
Electricity! Safely done, well worth it. Also, without supplimental light at the coop, egg production will be poor when daylight drops below 14 hours per day. Your pullets might do fairly well this first year, or not, depending on their breed types.
Silkies need assistance in very cold or very hot weather, most 'normal' breeds do not. Birds with large single combs and large wattles may have some frost bite, really can't be helped, except to keep the coop well ventilated so it's not more humid than ambient.
Mary

 

[ByardK]

Cute structure, not so good as a coop. Actual dimensions? Do you have it on a concrete base, or a wide hardware cloth skirt, or some way to keep digging predators out?
How well is the hardware cloth attached, and how good are those latches? Picture two big dogs attacking it, or a nice big raccoon tearing at it. Most of us have started with coops that need help to be safe, and we learn the hard way.
I don't see any actual ventilation except for that cute little opening up top. Is that it? Two to three square feet of upper ventilation is recommended for three standard birds!
If you wrap the three leeward sides of your hardware cloth area, especially if you can leave the upper section of the 'run' hardware cloth open for ventilation, and have the chicken coop door open all the time, that should work pretty well. Consider the entire roofed area as coop, because then the size may work out for your birds.
Water in winter without electricity will be a pain, just sayin'. For only three birds, not so hard to carry fresh out there three times each day, having maybe two water dishes to swap them out.
Electricity! Safely done, well worth it. Also, without supplimental light at the coop, egg production will be poor when daylight drops below 14 hours per day. Your pullets might do fairly well this first year, or not, depending on their breed types.
Silkies need assistance in very cold or very hot weather, most 'normal' breeds do not. Birds with large single combs and large wattles may have some frost bite, really can't be helped, except to keep the coop well ventilated so it's not more humid than ambient.
Mary

Not sure about the specs, but we leave the coop door on the inside ajar, and open the outer one during the day.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Cold won't be an issue with the temperatures listed, frostbite can occur as high as freezing point if moisture and ammonia can't escape. As your enclosure is not predator or snow resistant you're in a catch 22 - closing up doors and often vents in an attempt to keep birds warm or protected from predators and weather simply traps them inside a moist environment.

Even with just 3 birds I'd highly recommend modifying the existing coop to give them more space and more importantly, ventilation up high where it's most needed. If that's something you're interested in I can post more instructions...

And then beef up the run, because one good snow fall or a single hungry raccoon will take that whole thing down.

As far as the water without electricity there's a thread here with a variety of ideas, including a few that are non electric: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/topic-of-the-week-keeping-water-from-freezing.1645664/

 

[ByardK]

Cold won't be an issue with the temperatures listed, frostbite can occur as high as freezing point if moisture and ammonia can't escape. As your enclosure is not predator or snow resistant you're in a catch 22 - closing up doors and often vents in an attempt to keep birds warm or protected from predators and weather simply traps them inside a moist environment.

Even with just 3 birds I'd highly recommend modifying the existing coop to give them more space and more importantly, ventilation up high where it's most needed. If that's something you're interested in I can post more instructions...

And then beef up the run, because one good snow fall or a single hungry raccoon will take that whole thing down.

As far as the water without electricity there's a thread here with a variety of ideas, including a few that are non electric: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/topic-of-the-week-keeping-water-from-freezing.1645664/

Thanks! The only door that stays opened is the one up the ramp. We have a fenced in back yard and I am aware if predators, etc. I am looking into local Amish to build a coop.

 

[saysfaa]

...I am looking into local Amish to build a coop.

I bought an Amish-made coop. It was a good choice but they tend to be much better at building than at knowing how much ventilation chickens need. Even when they have coop plans, they tend to be too closed up.

At a minimum, have them leave the eaves open, protected by more roof overhang than is standard in a coop or shed. Or you might consider an open-air shed - one side entirely open.

 

[saysfaa]

...

Also, food and water. Is there a way to water without electricity and prevent it from freezing? I have read not to put food and water in the coop?

Looking for economical suggestions.

Thanks!

Yes. Well, there is a way to get about 12 hours before it freezes... insulated buckets. Vacuum-sealed is the most effective insulation. I find double-walled buckets (meant to chill wine) at thrift shops for about $5 each every now and then.

Other insulation will work - some people have set a smaller pail inside a five gallon pail and filled the gap between them with insulation. I tried that with foam and with wool. I was trying to get 24 hours before the water froze because my neighbor took care of my chickens while we were gone at Christmas and she would come only once a day.. I didn't get 24 hours at that time of year with any of my attempts but did get a lot more piece of mind through the frigid spells later in the winter.

I tried to follow a tutorial with spray foam and made a mess when I didn't allow enough space for it to expand and because I'm just not good with such things. Wool was unusable sweaters from thrift shops (shrunk, moth holes). That had pros and cons. 2" foam panels cut to fit worked best for me.

 

[OnlySympathy]

You don’t really need much. If I remember correctly the lowest we got to last year was -6 for a few hours so cold is not an issue. I would put a tarp on the side of the run facing the wind but that’s really all you need. Ventilation looks like it will be an issue though. Are you able to add any up above where they roost?

And it sucks but the easiest thing to do for water if you can’t have electricity is to just get one of those black rubber bowls for tsc and just dump it as needed. Once in the morning and maybe once in the evening depending on how cold it is this winter.