Winterizing Coop & Chicken

[Emily Rogatsios]

So we first got our chickens in the spring...and have yet to experience cold weather. We do have electricity that can run into the coop so we are thinking about putting a heating lamp. We have 4 hens and 1 rooster. They have a fenced in area where they roam and then they have their coop.

Any suggestions for keeping water and not having it freeze?

Do I need to start shutting the coop door at night to keep the warmth in? We want them to keep laying throughout the winter.

Any suggestions I greatly appreciate !

 

[rjohns39]

So we first got our chickens in the spring...and have yet to experience cold weather. We do have electricity that can run into the coop so we are thinking about putting a heating lamp. We have 4 hens and 1 rooster. They have a fenced in area where they roam and then they have their coop.

Any suggestions for keeping water and not having it freeze?

Do I need to start shutting the coop door at night to keep the warmth in? We want them to keep laying throughout the winter.

Any suggestions I greatly appreciate !

How cold does it get and for how long?

There are lots of alternatives for keeping water from freezing, below are a couple.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-1000w-submersible-bucket-heater?cm_vc=-10005

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/farm-innovators-heated-poultry-fount-3-gal?cm_vc=-10005

 

[Molpet]

chickens have a down coat on and do not need a heat lamp
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ed-fire-warning-learn-from-my-mistake.278395/

 

[wamtazlady]

It gets down to -22 F here. The girls were happy and spent most of the day outside in their covered run. A warm chicken is a dry chicken. The main thing you have to do is get the moisture from their breathing and pooing out of the coop. You do NOT want to close up the coop and try to keep the warmth in. Again, a warm chicken is a dry chicken. I wasn't sure I believed that when I first got chickens a few years ago, but it works. No heat. No insulation. No closing up the coop. Ventilation should be up high and the birds low so no breeze blows on them.

For water many use a heated dog bowl. My waterer is a clear 10 gallon tote with lid, horizontal nipples, and a stock tank deicer that is safe to use in plastic. Not only keeps the water thawed to -22 F, it only needed filled once a week. Water is kept outside in a covered run that has 3 of the sides covered with clear shower curtains. Wood shavings, hay, and leaves make for a comfy run.

First year pullets will generally lay through their first winter. Mine did. Averaged 10 eggs a day from 13 pullets. They molt at 18 months, just before their second winter. They will stop laying for 2 or 3 months. Mine started to lay again in February. The way to get around that is to make sure you always have some first year pullets. Some people add light to their coop. Fourteen hours of light a day will also keep the chickens laying.

Adding, we had at least 3 members who lost all or most of their flock last winter because they decided to heat their coop. Fires are terrible.

 

[wamtazlady]

I had to go find it. Here is a fantastic post about the different types of waterers for chickens. It'll give you all the plusses and minuses of each system.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/diy-chicken-waterer-3-compared

 

[bobbi-j]

Your first year pullets may or may not lay through the winter. Mine did not. If you want them laying, you can put a regular light bulb on a timer, set to give them about 14 hours of daylight. No heat lamps needed.

I don't know where you are, or how cold it gets, but here on the MN prairie, it can be in the teens below zero for a week or more at a time, and some spells in the 20's below for a few days, sometimes up to a week or so. I do not use heat in my coop, but it is well ventilated so the moist air can leave the building. I use an electric, heated dog dish for their water.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

My temps will get down to the teens, no plans to close up or change anything other than maybe a heated waterer.

Gary

 

[bobbi-j]

Oh, and...

 

[Madzillah]

I wasn't planning on heating, but I have August babies and it got cool here before I could put them out. I have the lamp on and all ventilation open at night only. This weekend night temps are going to warm up enough for a few days for me to wean them off, I think. (7 adolescent hens in a 4x4 coop-until we enlarge...I only meant to have a 4.) Then I am getting a panel thing just in case for when it is super cold just in case.

 

[bobbi-j]

I wasn't planning on heating, but I have August babies and it got cool here before I could put them out. I have the lamp on and all ventilation open at night only. This weekend night temps are going to warm up enough for a few days for me to wean them off, I think. (7 adolescent hens in a 4x4 coop-until we enlarge...I only meant to have a 4.) Then I am getting a panel thing just in case for when it is super cold just in case.

Where do you live? What is "super cold"? The problem with heating after it gets cold is, they have grown their winter down, and are acclimated to the weather. Think of it like this: Put on all your winter gear on a "super cold" day. Go outside for a while. An hour if you can stand it. If you have the proper protection, you might get coldish, but not freezing. Now come in. Leave your gear on. Leave it on for a few hours. Getting hot? That's what happens to your chickens. They are fine without heat. Better off, really.