Step by step - Chicken Coop Winterization Project. -with pictures!

[Steadfast]

Hey guys: Look what I did this weekend!

Chicken Coop Winter-ization Project… (Pre-Winterization)

Added Removable Plexiglas over the shuttered vents…
Before

After
Those metal brackets turn to hold in and release the Plexiglas.

Added Removable wooden Triangle to keep warm air in…
Before

After

Added a sliding door to close in the chickens, inside the tower, at night.
The old door was just a permanent drafty opening.
Before

After

It frosted this morning. The temp was around 32f degrees.
I opened the tower door and stuck my arm in there and it was warm inside.
Excellent, Very excellent!

 

[SeramasLovers]

Great Job you done there!. I need to get my coop ready for winter as well. Thanks for sharing!

 

[workinnanie]

good job! cool coop!

 

[Steadfast]

My wife (and thus me too) has HIGH standards on the look of "her coop"!
Which I built and fully maintain "for her"....

(Click on the "My BYC Page" to see our coop's award winning full build.)

Anyhow... the wife laid down the ground rules for me on this:
"It BETTER look good... I don't care if it will work! No, you can't just put plywood up there!"

yikes... she knows me WAY too well!

So.... if you have such standards as I have to have.

Here is how I made the Traingle:

First,
I started out making a thin plywood triangle that I cut a few times until it fit perfectly.
then I glued my boards to it and screwed them to the plywood. (See, I still used ply wood - HA")

-Notice: the board stuck out from the ply wood.
It does not matter how jagged the boards look at the edge because,
once you have the ply wood shape, cutting off the excess wood sticking out from the edge of the triangle is a "snap"!

Once you have the first "front" triangle shape (if you are lucky) it will fit inside the "Back" triangle as well.
If so simply use the first triangle as a pattern to cut out the second one.

Also in this picture you can see the screws on the finished back of the triangle.
I left the middle with out screws incase I later decide I want to cut a "chicken" or "snow flake" shaped hole design in the front for decoration... I still might do just that...

*Bang* there you have it!

Stain and seal the wood. add some brass latches without falling off the latter.
And That's it! You have a fully removable, semi "good looking" roof vent cover for the winter.

It took alot longer to do than simply "slapping up" some plywood...
but, It did look much better then my slacker plans would have produced...
AND, in the end the wife was happy...

 

[teach1rusl]

I LIKE your wife...lol!! Your coop looks great too, winterized or unwinterized

 

[JackE]

You didn't totally seal off the ventilation for your coop, right? From what I'm seeing, You sealed the top vent, then covered the side vents/windows with plexiglass panels. If you did, You might want to give serious thought to undoing some of your "Winterization". Those chickens are still going to need fresh air even through the cold winter. Neat coop, open er back up a bit.
Jack

 

[wyododge]

FWIW, you can leave that coop wide open and save yourself some work. Although it appears you have already busted your but.

Chickens don't get cold in the US. Unless they are some sort of Amazonian featherless breed. Good looking coop though.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
Ummm...that's a pretty general statement. You might want to poll the chickens to get thier opinions on the matter. Chickens being able to tolerate/survive very cold temps is nowhere NEAR "chickens don't get cold in the U.S."
When I see a chickens standing there huddled and shivering on an icy winter day, no matter how many times I tell them that they aren't cold, they just don't seem to believe me.

I remember years ago a kid breaking a board over a pig's back (cruel kid) and laughing about it, saying "they don't feel pain." An animal having a higher pain threshold than a human does not mean that an animal does not feel pain.

 

[Steadfast]

JackE:
great reminder... however i have been inside my coop and as "tight" as it LOOKS with all the winterization,
the light coming in showes that there are LOTS of small holes throughout the structure for winter venting...

teach1rusl:
I agree with you 100%... sure they "may live" through the winter....
but I also know that miserable chickens also make pathetic eggs...
and I don't like seeing my animals merely "surviving" in my care.
I like to see them happy and thriving, without getting too soft.

I was also thinking about wrapping the space under the coop tower with plastic on 3 sides for windy days.
what do you guys think of that idea?

 

[JackE]

You have 9 chickens in there. You are going to need alot more ventilation in the winter than a few small holes will provide. You will find out, one way or the other. If you notice frost forming in there on cold days, you better do something or your chickens will not be happy and thriving. They need more fresh air/ventilation than you think.
Jack