Homesteading Chicken Coop Build, Chickens, Pond, Garden & Projects

Not sure about temps, but I think the real concern is wind. I wouldn't be too concerned with the bigger ventilation, just as long as they are out of the wind, no big drafts where they roost. They do very well in cold weather it just that wind can give them frostbite.

My coop is a convertible, hardware cloth for a roof with some plastic lose roofing laying on top. In the summer I remove the panels completely, in the winter I cover it partially. It's under a pole barn so rain never gets in.

 

What are you using for litter? I tried the deep litter once but had an issue with mites. I was using wood shavings from TSC though so maybe that was the problem.

 

Oh, around -20 to -25 depending on wind. I have a totally different setup and roughly 35 birds in the coop. Body warmth does a good job of keeping the chooks warm enough and they get plenty to eat besides their grain ration. What variety or varieties of girls do you keep?

 

Nice work

 

Im using pine shavings from I get from a local feed store. Knock on wood, so fsr no issues with mites.

I have 2 golden wyndottes, 5 Jersey giants and 3 plymouth blue rock.

I did wind up putting a wooden covering over the ventilation opening above the roosting bars. I figure it wouldn't hurt.

 

Seems like people never have much issue keeping birds during the winter, and more chickens end up dying from the summer heat. I'm under the impression that my coop could use more ventilation, but so far there really has been no issues with it being overly humid or frostbite or anything else to get me worried so I'm going to leave it alone for now. I've seen figures call for 1 sq ft of coop ventilation per bird. I have a 6x8 coop that 12 birds sleep in....I certainly don't see cutting 12 sq ft of ventilation in my coop.

 

Hung up Christmas present this morning. And my wife says she doesn't like chickens.

 

How does everyone keep the water from freezing in their runs/ coops? I have a bucket system with the little cups that will automatically refill. Its inside the coop and froze a couple times this year. I just take a gallon or 2 of hot water and pour in bucket and chip out the cups. Kind of a pain in the arse, but it works.

 

We use these. Drill a hole in the side of a 5 gallon bucket near the bottom and hang the bucket then use a submersible heater.

 

I have 4 in the bucket and I’ve had to replace 1 in 5 years, and that was probably because I hit it on something when I was refilling the bucket, and it started leaking around where it threads into the plastic of the bucket. There is some spillage during use. Our coop is elevated with an attached run, the water bucket is hung under the coop, so any spillage/leakage isn’t inside the coop and the chickens have access to it 24/7. I’d be a little reluctant to use it inside a coop for fear of increasing moisture/humidity inside the coop.



Homesteading - Chicken Coop Build, Chickens, Pond, Garden & Projects

 

I have plastic waterers that are usually replaced with buckets when the cold temps hit. It'll take two buckets morning and night this year since I upped the count on laying hens. It's tempting to get another heater like that (had one years and years ago).

A nipple waterer probably wouldn't work for me since this time of year and with the snow forecasted the birds probably won't get out until it melts. A pit run gravel for the floor but heavy clay underneath it would make a mess if it leaked at all. Dang!

 

Thanks for the input. Gives me some ideas for the setup I have.