Went down in the 20's last night. The coop is not insulated, so the way I keep it warm is by making sure there is enough hay on the floor and in the nest boxes. Cinder blocks holes are filled with hay and surround the outside of the coop. This stops the wind from blowing underneath and chilling the floor.
In between all the studs inside the coop are packed with hay, especially around the windows. This keeps the drafts out while they are sleeping. Cold drafts can kill your hens. If you want to seal the windows, do it from the outside, not inside the coop. Chickens will peck at anything and you don't want them to eat window sealer!
I have a small slot on the the top of the back wall to allow for ventilation at night. It is up high enough under the eave so that no wind can get through.
Chickens must have water available at all times. Even at night. Don't use a metal waterer in the coop during the winter. It may get cold enough to freeze and make the coop colder. Use a small plastic one.
I keep a large one in the pen and a small chick one in the coop for nighttime use. They are both washed every day. (For some strange reason known only to chickens, they love to poop on them).
Hopefully while the weather was still warm, you thoroughly cleaned, washed and made repairs to your coop as I mentioned in an earlier post. Aren't you glad you did that already?
No comments :
Post a Comment