I sold my chickens to a buddy a while back. I stopped over there a few days ago and he showed me what he'd rigged up for the girls. I thot it was pretty clever.

First he nailed pallets together to form a "shed" about 8' x 4' x8' Then he stuffed the pallets with straw and nailed some old paneling to the outside. Same thing for the roof.

This is actually inside the existing coop which is not insulated and kinda drafty and airy but it'll give them a warmer place to hang out at nite.

-- john (natlivent@pcpros.net), November 30, 2001

Answers

That's interesting. I had thought about this myself, and being low on funds, asked myself, what do I have in abundance? Leaves. So I took some old grocery bags and stuffed them with leaves, and am using them in my chicken coop walls until I can do something better. It'll work just fine for this winter.

-- Sandie in Maine (peqbear@maine.rr.com), November 30, 2001.

Remember that cold is not your chickens enemy during winter, water is!

Is there enough ventilation so that no condensation builds up on the walls, floors or sleeping hens? Wet feathers don't insulate very well. And wet birds will develop respiratory illnesses in two shakes of a wattle!

Gotta love pallets tho, they just beg to be built with! Boy do i hate the 'new' plastic ones.

-- bj pepper in C. MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), November 30, 2001.

My chickens are let out everyday, wether it is raining or not. They opt to go out or stay in. The chickens appreciate the rain for a bath and such, they do fine here. We built a coop for them and drilled about a 3" diameter holes on the sides of the walls for ventilation. Also, we put in a 24"x24" plexiglass window in the coop. I used to close it but it seems like the chickens would lay less if I keep it shut. Well, now, I leave it open year round and they lay more. I guess they like the fresh air or the draft.

-- Debra (olallacreek@myfarm.net), November 30, 2001.

The birds generally know what they need, don't they ms. debra?

Btw, I did not mean to imply that chickens should be kept out of the rain. There would be a feathered revolt if the pretties were kept from chaseing all those drowning worms!

-- bj pepper in C. MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), December 04, 2001.