Winterization for chickens...

Indian Summer  has entered and is brushing her skirt of golden leaves over the valley. Fall is officially here and winter is coming soon.

If this is your first fall with chickens, there are a few things we might want to think about doing for our feathered friends.

Coop Maintenance:  The winterization of your coop depends on what type of coop you have.

It's time to make sure that your coop is going to keep your little chicken nuggets from freezing over the winter. Many have insulated walls in their coops making this process pretty easy.

Most breeds of chickens are very winter hardy, but in case you might have treated yourself to a rare bantam breed or two you might want to read up on how to properly care for them in the winter.

Here is a guide that will give you info on how cold hardy your chick-a-dees are.


So now we know about our chickens and how cold hardy they are. Of course I'm not at all opposed to letting  the most delicate roam free in the house with a fashionable chicken diaper on.

 I have a cedar slatted coop with an open tool cloth wire floor.(ahem-- that I made myself, ah-- thank you very much, oh your too kind, stop applauding...

  My little 6x4 coop has been oh-so handy dandy  in the summer to clean quickly and keep and allow for ventilation.
Now with the winter coming I plan on using the deep litter method on the floor. This will allow the coop to be insulated by hay and keep the hay changing to a minimum so as to not freeze my toasties off.

On especially cold nights I also have a handy dandy heat lamp that setup in the coop. 

So what is the Deep litter method, you ask? Well grab a lap chicken and a cup of tea and I'll tell ya!

The Deep Litter Method for the coop is just what it implies. Allowing the litter (wood shavings) to build up over a weeks, months helps heat the coop (because that's what chicken manure as compost does). It in turn helps keep the chickens warmer in the colder months.
This means minimal cleanings and only occasional upkeep.

DEEP LITTER METHOD:

 You will need

• Pine Shavings, and Hay if desired.

• 1/2 lb of  Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) --a natural substance which has long been used to as a natural pest control and absorber and dehydrator. (It helps dry chicken poopie). It also has a side use as a nutritional supplement.

• I usually buy my Diatomaceous Earth at the North End Organic Nursery.

1. If you have a open wire floor like mine, you will first prepare the coop by laying down a cover on the wire floor so the shavings won't fall through. Light weight board, or thick cardboard would work great.

2.On the floor of the coop add 6 inches of pine shavings. You can add only a few handfuls of hay if you like as well. I like to add it to keep the litter from clumping too much.

3. Sprinkle a fine layer of food grade Diatomaceous Earth on the pine shavings. (I use my flour sifter)

4. Lightly rake the shavings and the DE together and every other day or so as needed.

5. Every month or so afterward add another 1-2 inches of pine shavings and another sprinkling of DE. Then lightly rake. (your chickens might even do this for you!)


In the spring time you can clean out the coop and add the litter to your compost pile. It makes a wonderful addition flowerbeds and plants.

Nice clean comfy coop in the winter will help our flocks stay happy and in turn be better for egg production, which is already tough in the winter.

For more information on Diatomaceous Earth - click below to find a study on litter quality and chicken broiler performance. The study is done on broilers but I think can be expanded to apply to all chicken breeds.

University of Georgia study on Litter Quality and Broiler Performance -

Coop Dreams

I've become obsessed with designing the perfect coop for my new flock of backyard birds.
Generally when it comes to Chicken Coops you have three options.

1. Purchase a pre-made coop or kit either online or built locally. Prices range from around $400-$2000
2. Make your own coop. There are plans available to buy on the internet or you can design your own. Prices can vary- it can be less than $50 if you have scrap lumber, some spare paint and are handy with tools.

Here's my dilemna. I loved the pretty coops that are sold online as pre-mades. What I don't love is their price tag starting at $400 for a coop that needs to be assembled and that doesn't include the $100 shipping charge..


Another big problem is that I am not even a novice when it comes to wood working or even just plain building. I once built a cat scratch post.. it took me four days.
My brilliant husband isn't much better either... actually he's worse.

But we are adamant in our intent to do this project. After looking at about fifty different plans, we've decided on a hen house with a detachable chicken run and a slope roof. It has five roosts- enough for up to 10 chickens. Although I won't need that many, it's just nice to have the extra room.

I've been drawing and re-drawing plans and finally came up with a coop that looks almost exactly like this.

Assembled and shipped this coop prices at $1900.00
I'm hoping to build it for less than $450.00 which includes the purchase of a few power tools and paint (I know we're bad Idahoans for not owning power tools).

My plan dimensions are a bit different. Instead of the four roosts from the pre-fab coop, mine will have five, and a couple other niceties added.
Best of all it will be on four heavy duty wheels so the chicken house can be moved to new spots in the yard.

Almost equally importantly it will be an attractive coop. With neighbors it's not good to build some funky atrocity that looks like a small meth lab.

I will post pictures of the finished product online.

Become a follower of my blog and I will e-mail you the plans and detailed pictures.

Gaining momentum and have a plan now.

I've been reading more about keeping chickens and find I'm more convinced than ever to begin this little quasi-movement towards organic eggs.
There is something that is intrinsic in many of us to find our way back to a simpler way.
Lives have become less about acquiring material things and more about acquiring experience and cherishing the process of the journey...