This entry was posted on Sunday, September 25th, 2011 at 12:21 pm and is filed under Coops.
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Great coop. Well hidden from the public eye as well. Nice job.
The chickens should be warm enough even in Chicago winters. The cold is not so much an issue because their feathers will keep ‘em warm. But wind and predator protection is needed, so a secure door on the coop and opossum proof hardware cloth on the lattice will do it.
Chickens are suprisingly winter hardy, as long as their space is dry and not drafty. Put a little vaseline (petroleum jelly) on their combs and wattles to prevent frostbite, apply as you would hand lotion.
I’d take that carpet off the dog house, it will harbor bugs, and get poopy fast. Wood shavings (not cedar, and not sawdust) is warmer, and more absorbent than straw. Get wood shavings at pet supply or feed stores for about $10 for a huge compressed bale that will last a long time. Straw has holes down the middle which can harbor bugs.
Hardware cloth is a great idea, I agree. It’s better than chicken wire. Get the 1/2 inch size and staple it inside the lattice. That way you won’t have rats coming in for the chicken feed and the eggs. Your pullets have lots of space, that’s great! Enjoy!
I like your pen, I live in a suburban area that bans all non pet animals unless you have 5 acres or more. I am thinking I could get away with just hens since I have 3 acres. But it looks like you are having a good time in the city.
Just a note on this, remember, even if an ordinence does exhist against poultry, for there to be action, someone must lodge a complaint. IF you keep things small scale and tidy… rats & mice come to the feed, I can’t imagine people complaining about a couple of hens. The Dept. of Health generally gets the call where potentially unhealthy conditions exhist. Keep them clean and manageable and as with anything else, quality of life increases.
I personaly think that that coop is to confined for the chickens and they don’t have any good grass and bugs to eat. Also, I don’t think putting a light in that small thing is very smart. It has the potential to start a fire…… Take off the carpet. It will smell like a shit.
Chickens want to roost at night and nest during the day. So the lamp inside the nesting box is a bad idea since it needs to be dark in there. The light needs to be in the henhouse but other than the nesting boxes. Chickens need 14 hours of light in order to lay eggs. Use a timer, as you want that extra light turned on in the wee hours of the morning rather than at night when they are use to roosting. You wont want to disturb that timing.Leghorns are great layers but not winter hardy.
My biggest concern is fire hazard with the light. I have friends who have had a coop fire, but this is attached to the house. Other wise I love the set up.
I would raise cornish cross (roasting birds) and butcher before winter.
just an update for you guys, this video was from last year… the chickens made it through the winter just fine, they actually didnt sleep in the little house at all, they only use it to lay eggs. I just keep the light outide and they just perched and slept outside all winter no problems. tough birds.
hey this is trucklover9, i think you should put straw in their but you should aslo build them a nestbox out of scrap wood. i have chickens and everything is made from scrap. trucklover9
why kill them before winter? Can the cornish cross not survive witner in massachusettes? (We get snow and the whole works) I ordered cornish.. soon to arrive
they would probably fine with a light…I just would be super careful/firerisk. I’ve had friends lose the coop to fire, and your’s is attached to the house!
RU after eggs? that may change things.
How creative, I wondered how to coop chickens if I was able to have some in my area, in NY we get cold winters too, so great questions on the heating issues, I’ll check comments and keep checking back so if you have new info.
those birds lived out in the cold all winter, didnt even go in their house!! they didnt complain either, unless the wind was really strong… then i moved t hem to the garage for the night, but they were happy and kept laying eggs in sub zero temperatures!!
I live in South Dakota. It’s been down to 23 below zero so far this winter with only one day near 10 in the last 2-3 weeks and my chickens are doing fine in their big coop. I do have 3 250 watt heat lamps for them to go under if they want and they do use them more when it’s colder. The coop is drafty as ever too. The key is to keep alot of feed and water available I believe. Basically fresh air,water and plenty of feed and they seem to do fine.
i have 20 chickens and the best way is to use straw they are not that fussy the are quite immune to the cold and i live in ireland and we get-5 degrees each day
yep this was made a few years ago and these birds have lived through 2 winters no problem. they dont even go in their coop, they just sit on top of it and get cozy
I live in Wisconsin. My chickens do great in really cold weather. Just try to keep out the draft out and keep plenty of straw for them to burrow into. After that you should have no probs, they are a pretty hardy bird. If you want you can keep light by them, just make sure it is high enough. One of my friends chicks kicked straw by the bulb and started a fire. So be careful, hope this helps. later.
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Great coop. Well hidden from the public eye as well. Nice job.
The chickens should be warm enough even in Chicago winters. The cold is not so much an issue because their feathers will keep ‘em warm. But wind and predator protection is needed, so a secure door on the coop and opossum proof hardware cloth on the lattice will do it.
Chickens are suprisingly winter hardy, as long as their space is dry and not drafty. Put a little vaseline (petroleum jelly) on their combs and wattles to prevent frostbite, apply as you would hand lotion.
I’d take that carpet off the dog house, it will harbor bugs, and get poopy fast. Wood shavings (not cedar, and not sawdust) is warmer, and more absorbent than straw. Get wood shavings at pet supply or feed stores for about $10 for a huge compressed bale that will last a long time. Straw has holes down the middle which can harbor bugs.
Hardware cloth is a great idea, I agree. It’s better than chicken wire. Get the 1/2 inch size and staple it inside the lattice. That way you won’t have rats coming in for the chicken feed and the eggs. Your pullets have lots of space, that’s great! Enjoy!
I like your pen, I live in a suburban area that bans all non pet animals unless you have 5 acres or more. I am thinking I could get away with just hens since I have 3 acres. But it looks like you are having a good time in the city.
Just a note on this, remember, even if an ordinence does exhist against poultry, for there to be action, someone must lodge a complaint. IF you keep things small scale and tidy… rats & mice come to the feed, I can’t imagine people complaining about a couple of hens. The Dept. of Health generally gets the call where potentially unhealthy conditions exhist. Keep them clean and manageable and as with anything else, quality of life increases.
for insulating their nest boxesmtry to layer pine shavings and straw this provides for the warmest bedding possiable
I personaly think that that coop is to confined for the chickens and they don’t have any good grass and bugs to eat. Also, I don’t think putting a light in that small thing is very smart. It has the potential to start a fire…… Take off the carpet. It will smell like a shit.
thats a pretty nice chicken coop man.
Chickens want to roost at night and nest during the day. So the lamp inside the nesting box is a bad idea since it needs to be dark in there. The light needs to be in the henhouse but other than the nesting boxes. Chickens need 14 hours of light in order to lay eggs. Use a timer, as you want that extra light turned on in the wee hours of the morning rather than at night when they are use to roosting. You wont want to disturb that timing.Leghorns are great layers but not winter hardy.
My biggest concern is fire hazard with the light. I have friends who have had a coop fire, but this is attached to the house. Other wise I love the set up.
I would raise cornish cross (roasting birds) and butcher before winter.
just an update for you guys, this video was from last year… the chickens made it through the winter just fine, they actually didnt sleep in the little house at all, they only use it to lay eggs. I just keep the light outide and they just perched and slept outside all winter no problems. tough birds.
hey this is trucklover9, i think you should put straw in their but you should aslo build them a nestbox out of scrap wood. i have chickens and everything is made from scrap. trucklover9
why kill them before winter? Can the cornish cross not survive witner in massachusettes? (We get snow and the whole works) I ordered cornish.. soon to arrive
they would probably fine with a light…I just would be super careful/firerisk. I’ve had friends lose the coop to fire, and your’s is attached to the house!
RU after eggs? that may change things.
How creative, I wondered how to coop chickens if I was able to have some in my area, in NY we get cold winters too, so great questions on the heating issues, I’ll check comments and keep checking back so if you have new info.
those birds lived out in the cold all winter, didnt even go in their house!! they didnt complain either, unless the wind was really strong… then i moved t hem to the garage for the night, but they were happy and kept laying eggs in sub zero temperatures!!
I live in South Dakota. It’s been down to 23 below zero so far this winter with only one day near 10 in the last 2-3 weeks and my chickens are doing fine in their big coop. I do have 3 250 watt heat lamps for them to go under if they want and they do use them more when it’s colder. The coop is drafty as ever too. The key is to keep alot of feed and water available I believe. Basically fresh air,water and plenty of feed and they seem to do fine.
they will probably freeze to death.
i have 20 chickens and the best way is to use straw they are not that fussy the are quite immune to the cold and i live in ireland and we get-5 degrees each day
yep this was made a few years ago and these birds have lived through 2 winters no problem. they dont even go in their coop, they just sit on top of it and get cozy
Great idea for utilizing space under your deck, however; my question is: does it get smelly?
I live in Wisconsin. My chickens do great in really cold weather. Just try to keep out the draft out and keep plenty of straw for them to burrow into. After that you should have no probs, they are a pretty hardy bird. If you want you can keep light by them, just make sure it is high enough. One of my friends chicks kicked straw by the bulb and started a fire. So be careful, hope this helps. later.
they are going to stink being under under your deck i got 50 and they smell on the hot days