How to winterize your coop

It is important to know that hens do not adapt easily to a change of environment. Moving them puts a lot of stress on them. We sometimes hear people say that in the fall they return their chickens to farms, coops or breeders. Be aware that your chickens could be under a lot of stress if they were moved to a new group without quarantine or acclimatization. Very often, those who take them back, cannot handle all these returns and have to isolate your hens in separate cages and very often they will be taken to the slaughterhouse.

In some cases, the hens will be exposed to aggressive stress in the order of the row and they risk being pecked to death, otherwise they will suffer enormous stress and see the laying stop or lose their feathers, which is not desirable just before winter! In some cases, they could be exposed to lice and disease. Therefore, it will be wise to plan your project and to plan to set up your hen house to keep your chickens in winter. Don’t forget that the demand for new laying hens is high in the spring at the hatcheries and that this pressure is increasing all the time.

The longer people keep their hens, the more supply and demand will stabilize. Because the pressure is strong in spring and summer at our Coops to provide you with good, healthy and vaccinated hens.
I understand the concern that humans have for their chickens during the winter. But it is important to understand that the physiology of chickens, like that of many bird species, is designed to allow them to withstand the cold, as long as their basic needs are met.

Cutting off the wind

Drafts and wind in the poultry house can be dangerous for the health of your chickens. On the outside of the aviary, the ideal is to staple strong, transparent plastic on each side to cut off the wind. The use of transparent corrugated panels is also practical because they are reusable year after year. Plexiglas, which is more expensive, is a stronger material and is available in different thicknesses. It can also be used to cover sections of doors or windows, for example. The important thing is not to create a greenhouse effect.

The aviary needs to breathe, so you may want to keep 5 to 10 cm of opening in the top of the screen to allow air to circulate freely. The chicken house should not be airtight, as moths and mites will more easily enter.

A high chicken house

In Quebec, with our humid and rainy climate and our harsh winters, it will be important to build your urban chicken coop at a minimum height of 50 cm to 90 cm (2 to 3 ft.) from the ground. This elevation is important not only to provide your hens with a dry hen house, but also to allow you to clean it more easily. In addition, an elevated barn will make it difficult for predators and undesirables to get in. This elevation also facilitates snow removal and access during the winter.

Electricity

You will find it very convenient to supply the henhouse with electricity. Not only to light you during your evening visits, but also to connect all sorts of useful accessories, especially for the winter: automatic door, timer, heating lamp, radio, lighting, electric water trough, fan, etc.

The ceramic lamp and its receptacle

Most of the time, during the winter, urban hens do not need heating, especially if the poultry house is insulated. If your barn is not insulated or is designed with thin materials and you are concerned about your chickens in cold weather, you may be able to improve their comfort by using a ceramic lamp or other radiant objects that provide heat, such as animal heat mats and radiant panels. However, you should be careful with these accessories, as the risk of fire is significant.

The Electric Drinker

Since the water that hens drink must not freeze during the winter, electric waterers are very practical in that they simply keep the water above freezing. To prevent the formation of an ice crust on the surface of the drinker, I advise you to put golf balls in the water circle.

ACCESSIBILITY TO THE HENHOUSE

In Quebec, we receive a few good snow falls every winter. Therefore, you will have to plan for a driveway to get to the henhouse every day. As soon as the first snowfall occurs, I recommend that you mark off the area you want to make accessible, so that you can clear the snow all winter long. The access door to the aviary and your access to the nests must be well cleared of snow for your daily cleaning. The snow that accumulates on the other three walls of the barn will serve as insulation and will form a natural protection against the elements. Make sure, however, that sunlight is always able to enter the aviary, as it is essential for egg-laying.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND STRAW BALES. MOULD AND MOISTURE ARE HARMFUL TO THE HENS. SNOW WILL ACT AS INSULATION ALL AROUND LIKE AN IGLOO.

Cute but harmful sweaters

Social media occasionally show us pictures of hens wearing small wool vests in winter. Although these images are very touching, these clothes are harmful to the chickens. Indeed, they must be able to ruffle their feathers to trap the heat close to their bodies. The wool sweaters that some people put on the hens prevent the natural thermoregulation principle, which is dangerous for them.
Below are some good accessories to have to get ready for winter!