Winterizing?

[scrambledmess]

I need tips on winterizing my coop. Anyone have any pictures of what you did in the past to get your coop ready for winter?

I converted a very large yard shed into a coop. My DH isn't very crafty and cut a few holes in the walls to vent. So currently those are wide open holes in the tops of the walls under the roof over hangs. Do those need to be covered? We do get pretty cold here and there is no wind blocks near the coop.

What about water? How do you keep water from freezing?

What about the little doors to the runs? How do you keep the heat in there?

I am sure there are things I am not aware of that also need to be done by winter. Thanks in advance for any tips to get their coop ready.

 

[Mahonri]

We have to 'summerize' our coops here.

Caulking, AC, Shade...

Guess you'd do the opposite there.. but if you have enough birds you wouldn't need a heater.

But don't close it up so tight that there isn't ventilation.

As for the pop door, I put a rag over the top of it and cut verticle strips from the bottom up.

It's like going through the plastic into a freezer in a grocery store... keeps the cool/heat in but allows them to go in and out.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Are the holes in the top covered with wire? If not, they should be to keep out predators. While we have yet to winter with our little flock, we did insulate our tractor. There are insulation panels we will put in the ceiling of the tractor when it is time to park it for the winter. DH is working on special door coverings to block the wind from getting in around the doors. You still need ventilation for the winter or you will get a buildup of condensation in the coop. Do you have vents on the bottom as well as the top of the coop? We are also using the deep litter method which will help keep the coop warm during the winter as well. Some people use aquarium heaters in their water buckets. There are several good threads on here about winterization that you should look through. Since we also have no wind blocks where we are parking the tractor, we will be putting bales of hay aound the bottom of the tractor to block the wind from getting underneath it. I hope this helps.

 

[teach1rusl]

I would leave the vent holes alone this winter (you might tape cardboard over the ones on the prevailing wind side) as you will want ventilation up high in the winter time. If your pop door faces prevailing winds, you can stack straw bales to make a little wall a couple of feet in front of the opening, or you can build a little "tunnel" type opening, like you see on igloos... Make sure you're using wide roosts (2 x 4 flat side) so the chickens can cover their feet. Add a few inches of bedding.
Many love the heated dog water bowls to keep water from freezing...we made our own with a clay pot and a light bulb (our metal waterer sits on top), and use the heavy rubberized bowls for out in the run - fill w/warm water in the morning, and generally remains liquid for several hours...fill again after work if needed.