Naturegirl155
Chirping
As I head into my first winter with chickens in CT, I'm starting to get nervous that I haven't done enough to prepare for winter cold, especially after last night.
I'll post some pictures of the coop, the modifications I made for the coop, the run, and the modifications I made for the run. Any feedback or suggestions for improvement would be greatly appreciated!
The Coop: We bought the coop from tractor supply because it was cheap and we got what we paid for. I didn't trust the quality of coop, so the first thing I did to reinforce it was to locate it right next to our detached garage, facing South.
I dug out and leveled a spot for the wood frame base my husband built. I covered the base with landscape hardware and filled it with stone dust. We screwed the coop to the base after I put another screen of landscape hardware directly under the coop.
To winterize the coop, I covered the screened sides with scrap wood. The West side of the coop (where the nest boxes are located) is covered with a combo of landscape fabric and burlap to cut down on drafts. (I left the vent accessible). Inside, I insulated with a combo of cardboard and recycled denim insulation wrapped in landscape fabric to reduce damage from pecking.
The Run: The Run is 12 feet wide by about 40 feet long. We built it alongside our existing dog fence with access to the dog yard for a wider range when we are home. The top of the chicken run is covered with chicken wire to keep birds of prey out (and keep birds of lay in!).
To winterize the run, I sandwiched the fence sections around the coop with landscape fabric and burlap (the looser burlap keeps moisture off the fencing material). This cuts down on the wind in the run while still allowing sun to stream in and warm the coop during the day.
Food and Water: I keep food and water in the run but out of the coop to minimize the risk of critters trying to chew their way in and to reduce the risk of water spills or too much humidity. I built an A frame out of pallets for the food bucket and the water is kept from freezing with a submersible aquarium heater.
Last night was the first night I forced Sven and the Coopers to sleep in the enclosed part of the coop rather than on the outter roosting bar they are used to using. I think I'm doing okay by them but I'm new to all of this so any feedback would be welcomed!
I'll post some pictures of the coop, the modifications I made for the coop, the run, and the modifications I made for the run. Any feedback or suggestions for improvement would be greatly appreciated!
The Coop: We bought the coop from tractor supply because it was cheap and we got what we paid for. I didn't trust the quality of coop, so the first thing I did to reinforce it was to locate it right next to our detached garage, facing South.
I dug out and leveled a spot for the wood frame base my husband built. I covered the base with landscape hardware and filled it with stone dust. We screwed the coop to the base after I put another screen of landscape hardware directly under the coop.
To winterize the coop, I covered the screened sides with scrap wood. The West side of the coop (where the nest boxes are located) is covered with a combo of landscape fabric and burlap to cut down on drafts. (I left the vent accessible). Inside, I insulated with a combo of cardboard and recycled denim insulation wrapped in landscape fabric to reduce damage from pecking.
The Run: The Run is 12 feet wide by about 40 feet long. We built it alongside our existing dog fence with access to the dog yard for a wider range when we are home. The top of the chicken run is covered with chicken wire to keep birds of prey out (and keep birds of lay in!).
To winterize the run, I sandwiched the fence sections around the coop with landscape fabric and burlap (the looser burlap keeps moisture off the fencing material). This cuts down on the wind in the run while still allowing sun to stream in and warm the coop during the day.
Food and Water: I keep food and water in the run but out of the coop to minimize the risk of critters trying to chew their way in and to reduce the risk of water spills or too much humidity. I built an A frame out of pallets for the food bucket and the water is kept from freezing with a submersible aquarium heater.
Last night was the first night I forced Sven and the Coopers to sleep in the enclosed part of the coop rather than on the outter roosting bar they are used to using. I think I'm doing okay by them but I'm new to all of this so any feedback would be welcomed!
Posting links to previous threads, conversations, articles etc is so helpful! (and it's nice to know I'm not alone)
When I saw the wood the coop was made of, I thought "Oh boy...a rat is going to sneeze and blow a hole in the side of this thing." I was thinking of making a second shelter for them out of recycled pallet wood this summer. Do you know of any articles or threads where I can find some inspiration?
