Winterizing your coop

[cheri222]

I am in north pa and live right on lake erie, lots of lake effect snow. I also had concerns. They are choosing to spend all day outside in the covered run. The run is 6 ft high and has plastic around the bottom 3 ft to keep out drifts. After 2 days of breaking ice out of the water, I decided to add a heated water bowl but that is it. They seem to like the cold. They are also 6 months old.

 

[Justafarmgirl]

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That makes me feel infinately better- I think I'm going to put a plastic liner around the base to keep out drafts. Their run is mostly covered, but portions of it are netting(To prevent falcons from getting them, we threw netting up the first day we noticed a falcon hanging out, and haven't quite had the spare cash on hand to finish fully roofing it yet). I was wondering if they'd be OK, because they really prefer to huddle up together outside than hang out in the coop. I put down plenty of sawdust and straw for them today, so they should at least have warm feet. The coop is a constant work-in-progress, eventually I'm sure it'll be spot-on. I just want to make sure they're nice and warm.

 

[BarredBuff]

Are they feathered fully? How many do you have?

 

[Justafarmgirl]

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They're all full feathered, or very close to it(Are they supposed to have thick layers of feathers on the area of their body where their wings are? I don't think they are, but I only know about a few kinds of bird, chickens I'm learning as-I-go). But they seem plenty happy sitting out at night in a pile. The coop has a large triangular section above the walls(Where the house meets the roof) that is open for good ventilation, but we still have a heat lamp in there. We're in MD, so our winters + summers are -generally- pretty mild, but this one seems like its going to be a particularly bad winter, so I just want to make sure everyone will be OK if 2-4 feet of snow falls(Doubtful, but never hurts to prep for the worst!). Our summers are very mild, so heat isn't a huge concern for me(Plus we're right next to the lake, so we get a nice cool breeze all the time).

Thanks for the input, I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to my concerns :3 As for their water, if I keep it in their coop it will likely not freeze, but if I leave it inside they might not want to go get it. Any thoughts here? I know they make a heating element for water dishes, but are there any other suggestions you can offer?(I change their water first thing every day when I get up).

 

[Justafarmgirl]

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They appear to have fully developed feathers, and I have 19, of all sizes(if that matters).

 

[BarredBuff]

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They appear to have fully developed feathers, and I have 19, of all sizes(if that matters).

Oh they will be fine!! Without lights. They dont need the lamps they are tougher than what you think. Just keeping plenty of straw in there. And since the coop is smaller the body heat will help tremendously.