We use the same plastic on our run (mid Michigan). Instead of taking the plastic down each spring we roll it up to the top and fasten it for the warmer months. This winter will be the plastic’s 7th season. It doesn’t get damaged and super easy to take down and reinstall. We even use a similar fastening system. Maybe you’ll find this helpful.
Thanks for your input…we built a new run this Spring and this was my exact thought to install and roll up in warm weather. Glad I read that it can work. 🙌🏻
The very best way to do water is to get a 100 gallon water trough. Put a horse water heater in the trough and run an appropriate electric cord to electricity. The water NEVER freezes unless the power goes out. Hang a plastic water pitcher near the trough. Dip out water and pour into rubber bowls kept in the run. Empty them at night when you lock the chickens in the coop at night. Keep a piece of plywood on top of the horse trough at all times to save any critter from flying or falling in.
So glad I found you! It is nice to have someone doing what you do in Minnesota! I am in central Minnesota and to have you sharing your homestead in a zone I am in is wonderful! Thank you!
I'm glad your channel popped up on me feed, I enjoy watching content from a Minnesota channel, I am a native Minnesotan, retired last year, and live in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis. I'll be looking forward to watching your progress. 😊
Greetings from a MN 4a subscriber (between Walker and Brainerd). I have been thinking of adding chickens and my biggest concern has been whether they suffer in winter and what they need so this answered so many questions. Very helpful, THANK YOU :)
My chickens have been roosting in the rafters too, on the top of the door. I’ve even found eggs and hatched chicks in the soffit 😅 I put bird spikes on top of the door to deter them but the seremas are so tiny and light, they just roost on top of them. We used to keep the goats with the chickens and when we moved the goats, 2 hens decided to move with them to the new barn. They’ve decided to move back with the rest of the chickens lately. Chickens are funny creatures 😂
What a smart idea for the nesting boxes! If you will pull the thin end of a funnel through your checken wire with the large funnel inside the coop, you can pour the old water through the top of the funnel and it will go outside the coop
I built a raised platform out of plywood across the end of my chicken run which is 12 foot wide and added a ladder so the chickens can go up to drank from my heated dog bowls and their bowls stay clean and nothing gets scratched into them from the ground. stays clean summer and winter.
We tried this and the water froze the first night. We even tried putting in two aquarium heaters, and no go. Maybe it works if your weather is not so far below freezing? We were down around 0-5 degrees F.
For future years, to know orientation of the plastic, you can color code each corner, painting a dot of the same color on the coop (green dot on coop matching green dot on plastic; using paint, duck tape, yarn, whatever). Your setup is amazing.
Interesting on the roll away nesting box u had. I absolutely had to move to a rollaway nesting box. I got mine from Hen Gear, and despite my hens not liking it either, it took time to gradually get them to use it, but slowly removing their old nesting boxes, they love it now and so do I!
Good morning I am a new subscriber. My name is Cyndi and I live in Northern Minnesota in a town called Bagley. It was totally a surprise to find this channel I will share it so other people can find out about it, so they can enjoy it as well.
Greetings from Crow Wing County. I got my first chickens this last May as day olds, so this is my first winter. I am glad to see that you are also from Minnesota, so you know my climate. I too had my birds roosting in the rafters. I had to rush in building the run so that i had somewhere to move them out of the brooder. Once i had the coop built, they were already roosting in the rafters and did not go into the coop. It took 3 weeks of moving the birds into the coop at night to let them know where they were supposed to go. It was funny after 2 weeks, when i started moving them, a couple would jump off the rafters and go into the coop. Fortunately, the redirecting was completed a couple of months before they started laying. I love your content. Thank you.
Another reason you want the light to come in the morning is so that, as the sky slowly darkens, the chickens can see where their roosts are. I've heard of people turning on artificial light in the evening, then they turn off and the chicken's eyes don't adjust to the sudden darkness...in the process of trying to jump up onto roosts that they can't see, they've misjudged and broken their leg.
Very interesting video. We are in the middle south of the USA. Most of our winter is 40’s and 50’s with just occasional dips into freezing. Only once or twice has it gone down to single digits. We so admire your strength to thrive in such cold weather.
My husband brought home some huge peace’s of plexiglass that’s what we put on our chickens run. Works super well. And out run is pretty close to your is . Yup I gotta clean the coop and get it button up for winter here in western Michigan. I lived in northern Minnesota for 12 years before I met my hubby . Winters can be brutal yes . I was up by thief river falls minn . Great job hun .
The cut resistant grip gloves are good for ladies doing outdoor jobs in the winter. I like using them when handling saws/hardware/drills/hammers/nails etc and they have great grip for pulling weeds, too.
Hi from Canada. I get -20 to -46 regularly. What I do is put greenhouse panels over the wired walls in the winter. I also put an electric heater that shuts off if it tips or overheats. It sits in a metal dog cage three feet up on a shelf. I have a fan that blows heat and has attached filter to catch dust. Have to blow dust off from time to time. Use a 12/3 extension cord. I use 3 gal metal chicken waterer on a heater base out in the run so doesnt add moisture in house. Has been working great. The heated dog bowls are great for givjng chickens warm oatmeal.
Enjoyed this video. I just got rid of my last chickens, as we plan to travel and no one to watch them. We live north of Bemidji, so I understand the extras that have to be done to keep the girls healthy and happy.
Great coop & covered area for the chickens 👍, I had so much going on with injuries in the past & had to get rid of my animals, With milling & building at the cabin keeps me busy for the time being but would love to get chickens again 🙂, I am in a pretty cold area where we get into the -40's as well yes good ventilation & good dry floor they still do well :) Awesome setup you have ! Take care"
You could use paint markers on the furring strips and where they match on the shed, even marking where the screw holes are if you want. A big Sharpie might work for a couple of years but paint markers will last longer and you can also use different colors for coding.... and mark the plastics too.
I think i would put the nesting boxes in the center of the room rather than against the exterior wall. Seems like it would help avoid the extreme cold transferring through the wall.
I just love to hear the girls sing the egg song!!! Thank you for this video. I am down in Houston, so I don't have the winter weather challenges you do.
Awesome to find a fellow MN homesteader making good content! I am in central MN. Thanks for the pro tip with the heated dog bowls. Definitely going to give them a try this winter. Tired of breaking out the ice from rubber bowls.
I'm in Oklahoma and we have much milder winters. I don't have power to the coop because I there is a gravel driveway in the way. I take the waterers in in the evening and clean them. Then i take them back out in the morning and fill them.
I live in TN but most of my current layers want to lay on a shelf in an L of our barn. That is where I put a large nesting box. Thanks for the idea. I was going to insulate it. Hopefully the new layers, will start in the nesting boxes in the run. If I keep them inside they all sleep and crap in them.
Also team no heat ✋🏼. We may have to cover our run after watching this video! ❄️ spoken like a true Minnesotan… “hopefully we get a real winter this year!” 😂 Very informative video! Thanks for your content! 😊❤️🌲
I love yall videos and all that land and those roosters can run around outdoors have ya trying to put up an fence so the dogs don’t get lost they running around playing good fan
I use a dog bowl, but also a bird bath deicer in a rubber bowl for another water (gallon jug fulled with sand to hold it down) And i use 2 heated hanging waterers with the horizontal nipples..
What I do for my animals i take a bottle of water and Salt in the bottle and then I put it in my ducks and chicken water and the bottle of water and selt doesn't freeze. It will Turn. Ice it's a little bit but not as bad. I do Not have any electric in my coops because we don't want fires. I use the amazon white tarp that For greenhouses, and that really works really good too.There's different types that you could use to cover as long as the chickens are warm. That works Good dead, the plastic you can use or tarp.You can use your round for your chicken then buy it every time. When I covered the door on my chickens and my duck coop I put Clear Shower curtain that I could still see them. And make it still see me.
Great video, for your plastic a little more investment. Use greenhouse plastic as it lasts 5 to 6 years and wiggle wire to mount it to the coop. Spray paint indicators where the plastic is mounted for next year's installation. Thanks 👍👍.
@thehomesteadingrd Bird netting from amazon would be cheaper to block them off from the rafters, then you can easily remove it in the spring if you want, to allow accrss so they can go up there again if they want.
I had to laugh when you said 35° below, had -50 degrees F on February 2, 1996 here in Central MN and it got colder as you went North. -60 F near Tower. I can remember winters when it didn't get about -20 F for 2 weeks at a time, 0 felt like a heat wave. We could use some cold winters to get rid of some pests killing the trees and those tics
Back in 1972 up by Itasca State Park we saw straight -40°F. This before calculating wind-chill was done! My parents had just moved back to MN from S CA. I was 5 and remember CA's weather! Major shock!!
When you take the plastic down from the coop next spring if you plan to reuse it again use electrical tape on each piece to indicate where it goes; L, L1, R, R1, etc. Takes the guesswork out of it.
@@thehomesteadingrd and in late summer before you want to put it up again, when the grass is nice and clean and stuff dries fast in the sun; lay it all out on the grass and wash it. Just hose it down with water and use a softer broom to get the dirt off, let it dry in the sun, turn it around and do the other side. If you dont mind the wetness (and it is not too cold) you can even do it before you put it up before winter.
Great idea! I’ve been debating switching over to something more permanent like greenhouse panels. I’d still take them off for the summer but I imagine they’d last for a decade or more
A little FYI, I did that for our cat shelter outside and over time the mat shifted, layered up on itself and basically started a little fire...😱 I caught it in time. I was thinking u had made a slit or sleeve under the nesting box for it to safely hide away.
We're 1 zone north of you. We have meat rabbits. Pretty hardy critters. Still...they get moved to their winter condos on the sunny side of the garage.🤠
Well.....last year we wrapped the hutches with plastic. This year I'm working on building a lean to structure out of used porch windows. That way the hutches are under cover themselves. Not to mention me too🤠 @@thehomesteadingrd
In the uk we don't have to do anything for our chicken coop! It's so mild. It's cold but they don't need anything other than making sure they have lots and lots of bedding and some scratch
Chantecler chickens were bred in Oka, Quebec, Canada by a monk at the Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac in the early 1900s. A dual-purpose bird with roosters weighing around 9 pounds and the hens at around 7. The girls lay well even throughout the winter months. Less than in warm weather, but they do still produce. Their feathers fit tight to their bodies but have a good deal of extra fluff for insulation making them the most cold-hearty chicken in existence. They also have very small combs and wattles meaning no frostbite. As long as they are dry and draft-free, they'll have no issues well below -40°F/C. (my coop was unheated and definitely NOT air tight. 😂) They have the genetics of Dark Cornishes, White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, White Plymouth Rocks, and White Wyandottes. As well as the original white variety, Partridge Chanteclers were introduced in the 1930s. They are friendly and great foragers!
I love your channel and your suggestions on winterizing. We live in Northern MN so they are helpful. The one thing I am surprised about is your use of chicken wire on the run. Do you have any issues with predators?
Lots of great information! What about silkies? I’ve read they have a bit of a harder time staying warm because they don’t have the pin feathers. I didn’t have them last winter. One is the naked neck kind. How in the world does she stay warm? I love your idea of the heat mats! I am planning on wrapping their run in plastic. It’s not the main run but it’s attached to the coop along with a bigger run. At least that’ll give them a place to get out of the wind. I have big chickens in a separate flock but not worried about them.
@ After seeing your heat mat trick I’m wondering if I could put one in the enclosed run which is pretty small and put some straw on it if they would realize there’s a warm spot for them. I don’t know 🤷♀️ I’m gonna cover the whole floor of little run with straw to maybe give them some warmth. I may be over thinking it haha.
Ohhhh are you not afraid of the heating mats catching fire with the hay being right on top of it? I have no idea but I would be worried about something like that?? 🥰❤️🙏🏻🍁🇨🇦
That seedling mat is a new idea, cool. I was trying to think of something for my nesting boxes that are attached to the outside and north side of the hen house. I’ll have to look into this. 👍🏻
You do know that when a chicken is hatched it has all the eggs they will ever lay . So I’m in nc and I never have put lights in my coop . Not even for my quail . I just let nature take it course.
Winter in northern Minnesota is NOT 6 months long! It starts sometime in November and ends in early April or late March. I have been here for 76 winters and that has never happened. And it rarely gets to 35 below and when it does, it lasts for only a few days. Usually late January or during full moon. Insulate your coop and you could keep it warm with a light bulb.
Egg production has got nothing to do with daylight ... fewer hours of daylight tells the chicken it needs to make his winter feathers ... and feathets are pure protein...if the body has to choose to eather make the feathers so it can survive winter or laying eggs..its an easy choice ... so the key here and the solution is not adding light...because they wont make sufficient plumage...but to add protein! And preferably animal protein ... chickens thrive on bugs which is animal protein but during winter there arent many bugs... So by adding protein they now have enough to make the feathers and to lay eggs for you... i have about 10 chickens and i just give a 5 oz can of tuna a day.. or I also have a smal mealworm farm set up so i will give them about 2/3 of a cup of wiggly mealworms a day...or i even throw in a good handful of cat kibble when i give them there grain scratch... and that provides them with enough protein to keep em warm and produce the eggs i love so much ...
Miss Minnesota now I live in Fl. Grew up in Outing and Emily. I'm so sorry you let people foreign people destroy Mn. And kets not to forget that governor.
My husband brought home some huge peace’s of plexiglass that’s what we put on our chickens run. Works super well. And out run is pretty close to your is . Yup I gotta clean the coop and get it button up for winter here in western Michigan. I lived in northern Minnesota for 12 years before I met my hubby . Winters can be brutal yes . I was up by thief river falls minn . Great job hun .
We use the same plastic on our run (mid Michigan). Instead of taking the plastic down each spring we roll it up to the top and fasten it for the warmer months. This winter will be the plastic’s 7th season. It doesn’t get damaged and super easy to take down and reinstall. We even use a similar fastening system. Maybe you’ll find this helpful.
That’s brilliant!!! Thank you!
Great idea! I'll use bamboo to roll it up around and tether. Excellent
Thanks for your input…we built a new run this Spring and this was my exact thought to install and roll up in warm weather. Glad I read that it can work. 🙌🏻
The very best way to do water is to get a 100 gallon water trough. Put a horse water heater in the trough and run an appropriate electric cord to electricity. The water NEVER freezes unless the power goes out. Hang a plastic water pitcher near the trough. Dip out water and pour into rubber bowls kept in the run. Empty them at night when you lock the chickens in the coop at night. Keep a piece of plywood on top of the horse trough at all times to save any critter from flying or falling in.
Love that idea! Thank you!!
@@thehomesteadingrd Mulch beds create heat, and provides fertilized mulch for your spring garden
Here in Lakes Country. Great to see MN specific content. Thank you! ❤
Thanks for being here!
So glad I found you! It is nice to have someone doing what you do in Minnesota! I am in central Minnesota and to have you sharing your homestead in a zone I am in is wonderful! Thank you!
Yay!!! I’m glad you’re enjoying my content! There’s not many of us in the content creation world up here 🫶🏼.
@@thehomesteadingrd
I grew up in N MN. Bemidji area.
I'm glad your channel popped up on me feed, I enjoy watching content from a Minnesota channel, I am a native Minnesotan, retired last year, and live in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis. I'll be looking forward to watching your progress. 😊
How cool! I’m so glad that you found me ☺️
Love to see Minnesota content!
Yay! ☺️☺️
If you’re not wanting to buy the expensive heated bowls an old crock pot works great as well
Greetings from a MN 4a subscriber (between Walker and Brainerd). I have been thinking of adding chickens and my biggest concern has been whether they suffer in winter and what they need so this answered so many questions. Very helpful, THANK YOU :)
Chicken-keeping in Minnesota can be a little tricky, but it's totally doable! 😊
My chickens have been roosting in the rafters too, on the top of the door. I’ve even found eggs and hatched chicks in the soffit 😅 I put bird spikes on top of the door to deter them but the seremas are so tiny and light, they just roost on top of them.
We used to keep the goats with the chickens and when we moved the goats, 2 hens decided to move with them to the new barn. They’ve decided to move back with the rest of the chickens lately.
Chickens are funny creatures 😂
That is hilarious! Chickens are always up to something. 🤪
What a smart idea for the nesting boxes! If you will pull the thin end of a funnel through your checken wire with the large funnel inside the coop, you can pour the old water through the top of the funnel and it will go outside the coop
That’s a great idea!
I built a raised platform out of plywood across the end of my chicken run which is 12 foot wide and added a ladder so the chickens can go up to drank from my heated dog bowls and their bowls stay clean and nothing gets scratched into them from the ground. stays clean summer and winter.
Love that idea!! Thank you for sharing
To keep the water from freezing but a small aquarium heater in the water 💦 works like a charm!
We tried this and the water froze the first night. We even tried putting in two aquarium heaters, and no go. Maybe it works if your weather is not so far below freezing? We were down around 0-5 degrees F.
For future years, to know orientation of the plastic, you can color code each corner, painting a dot of the same color on the coop (green dot on coop matching green dot on plastic; using paint, duck tape, yarn, whatever). Your setup is amazing.
Awesome! I'll definitely try that for next year!
@@thehomesteadingrd 😊
Interesting on the roll away nesting box u had. I absolutely had to move to a rollaway nesting box. I got mine from Hen Gear, and despite my hens not liking it either, it took time to gradually get them to use it, but slowly removing their old nesting boxes, they love it now and so do I!
Good morning I am a new subscriber. My name is Cyndi and I live in Northern Minnesota in a town called Bagley. It was totally a surprise to find this channel I will share it so other people can find out about it, so they can enjoy it as well.
How cool! I’m so glad you found me and thank you so much for sharing! 💕
My mom is from Solway.
Greetings from Crow Wing County. I got my first chickens this last May as day olds, so this is my first winter. I am glad to see that you are also from Minnesota, so you know my climate. I too had my birds roosting in the rafters. I had to rush in building the run so that i had somewhere to move them out of the brooder. Once i had the coop built, they were already roosting in the rafters and did not go into the coop. It took 3 weeks of moving the birds into the coop at night to let them know where they were supposed to go. It was funny after 2 weeks, when i started moving them, a couple would jump off the rafters and go into the coop. Fortunately, the redirecting was completed a couple of months before they started laying. I love your content. Thank you.
Just write on the plastic with waterproof marker which pieces goes where( north east, west and south. And up or down for the ground pieces)
Another reason you want the light to come in the morning is so that, as the sky slowly darkens, the chickens can see where their roosts are. I've heard of people turning on artificial light in the evening, then they turn off and the chicken's eyes don't adjust to the sudden darkness...in the process of trying to jump up onto roosts that they can't see, they've misjudged and broken their leg.
I built 2×2 frames,stapled the reinforced plastic to it.
Then screw the frames in.
Then i can just unscrew the frames and store them.❤️your content 👍
Ooooo that’s a neat idea!!!
Love your setup! I had 14 chickens until 2022, due to health reasons I don’t have the chickens. I miss them so much, I going to raise them in 2025.
Very interesting video. We are in the middle south of the USA. Most of our winter is 40’s and 50’s with just occasional dips into freezing. Only once or twice has it gone down to single digits. We so admire your strength to thrive in such cold weather.
It definitely takes some planning! 😅Thanks for watching.
Northern Wisconsin here glad I found you
Love it!! Thanks for being here!
My husband brought home some huge peace’s of plexiglass that’s what we put on our chickens run. Works super well. And out run is pretty close to your is . Yup I gotta clean the coop and get it button up for winter here in western Michigan. I lived in northern Minnesota for 12 years before I met my hubby . Winters can be brutal yes . I was up by thief river falls minn . Great job hun .
Love to enjoying Winter in Minnesota .
It's a beautiful time of year!
Howdy from Forest lake Minnesota! Great episode!
Thanks Pat!!!
The cut resistant grip gloves are good for ladies doing outdoor jobs in the winter. I like using them when handling saws/hardware/drills/hammers/nails etc and they have great grip for pulling weeds, too.
Great tip! Thank you
I've been putting off getting chickens bc of the cold. I live near Blackduck, MN. This is great. I'm doing this. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s so worth it! You won’t regret it!
Grew up in Laporte.
Hi from Canada. I get -20 to -46 regularly. What I do is put greenhouse panels over the wired walls in the winter. I also put an electric heater that shuts off if it tips or overheats. It sits in a metal dog cage three feet up on a shelf. I have a fan that blows heat and has attached filter to catch dust. Have to blow dust off from time to time. Use a 12/3 extension cord. I use 3 gal metal chicken waterer on a heater base out in the run so doesnt add moisture in house. Has been working great. The heated dog bowls are great for givjng chickens warm oatmeal.
Wow! That sounds like a great set up! I want to switch over to greenhouse panels next year (or whenever this plastic starts to fail)
Furring strips…smart!!
It makes a BIG difference! We started with staples years ago and that was a mistake
Enjoyed this video. I just got rid of my last chickens, as we plan to travel and no one to watch them. We live north of Bemidji, so I understand the extras that have to be done to keep the girls healthy and happy.
I'm sorry to hear you had to let your girls go, but I understand completely about travel! It’s so hard to find good help
Great coop & covered area for the chickens 👍, I had so much going on with injuries in the past & had to get rid of my animals, With milling & building at the cabin keeps me busy for the time being but would love to get chickens again 🙂, I am in a pretty cold area where we get into the -40's as well yes good ventilation & good dry floor they still do well :) Awesome setup you have ! Take care"
You could use paint markers on the furring strips and where they match on the shed, even marking where the screw holes are if you want. A big Sharpie might work for a couple of years but paint markers will last longer and you can also use different colors for coding.... and mark the plastics too.
We enjoyed this video so much we’ve subscribed! Blessings everyone 🌱
So glad you're along for the ride!
I like and agree with everything you did to winterize your coop. I’ve done all of that!😊🐓❤️👏☃️🥶
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I think i would put the nesting boxes in the center of the room rather than against the exterior wall. Seems like it would help avoid the extreme cold transferring through the wall.
Hi everybody, Walker Mi nesota here!! I too was thrilled to find a Northern Minnesota channel!!
So cool to have another Minnesotan viewer! 👏🏼👏🏼
Grew up in Laporte.
I just love to hear the girls sing the egg song!!!
Thank you for this video.
I am down in Houston, so I don't have the winter weather challenges you do.
Awesome to find a fellow MN homesteader making good content! I am in central MN. Thanks for the pro tip with the heated dog bowls. Definitely going to give them a try this winter. Tired of breaking out the ice from rubber bowls.
So glad to hear it! Those heated bowls are a game changer! Good luck 🙌🏼
Shovel snow for chickens n farm animals to nibble on for water. Just like in the wild. Sux if freezing temperature n no snow to feed.
I'm in Oklahoma and we have much milder winters. I don't have power to the coop because I there is a gravel driveway in the way.
I take the waterers in in the evening and clean them. Then i take them back out in the morning and fill them.
That’s a great solution when you have mild winters!
I live in TN but most of my current layers want to lay on a shelf in an L of our barn. That is where I put a large nesting box. Thanks for the idea. I was going to insulate it. Hopefully the new layers, will start in the nesting boxes in the run. If I keep them inside they all sleep and crap in them.
Also team no heat ✋🏼. We may have to cover our run after watching this video! ❄️
spoken like a true Minnesotan… “hopefully we get a real winter this year!” 😂
Very informative video! Thanks for your content! 😊❤️🌲
I’m so glad to hear it! Definitely give the covered run a try. It’s a game changer for sure ✨
I love yall videos and all that land and those roosters can run around outdoors have ya trying to put up an fence so the dogs don’t get lost they running around playing good fan
I use a dog bowl, but also a bird bath deicer in a rubber bowl for another water (gallon jug fulled with sand to hold it down) And i use 2 heated hanging waterers with the horizontal nipples..
Add a little beet juice to the water it helps from freezing.
Awesome advice. Great idea on keeping the eggs warm
What I do for my animals i take a bottle of water and Salt in the bottle and then I put it in my ducks and chicken water and the bottle of water and selt doesn't freeze. It will Turn.
Ice it's a little bit but not as bad. I do Not have any electric in my coops because we don't want fires. I use the amazon white tarp that For greenhouses, and that really works really good too.There's different types that you could use to cover as long as the chickens are warm. That works Good dead, the plastic you can use or tarp.You can use your round for your chicken then buy it every time. When I covered the door on my chickens and my duck coop I put Clear Shower curtain that I could still see them.
And make it still see me.
Great video, for your plastic a little more investment. Use greenhouse plastic as it lasts 5 to 6 years and wiggle wire to mount it to the coop. Spray paint indicators where the plastic is mounted for next year's installation. Thanks 👍👍.
I’ve been debating switching over to that once this plastic fails!
@thehomesteadingrd use what you got
@thehomesteadingrd Bird netting from amazon would be cheaper to block them off from the rafters, then you can easily remove it in the spring if you want, to allow accrss so they can go up there again if they want.
I had to laugh when you said 35° below, had -50 degrees F on February 2, 1996 here in Central MN and it got colder as you went North. -60 F near Tower.
I can remember winters when it didn't get about -20 F for 2 weeks at a time, 0 felt like a heat wave.
We could use some cold winters to get rid of some pests killing the trees and those tics
It’s been a while since we’ve had a winter like that!
Back in 1972 up by Itasca State Park we saw straight -40°F. This before calculating wind-chill was done! My parents had just moved back to MN from S CA. I was 5 and remember CA's weather! Major shock!!
Ya real feel at 50 below, but not actual!
This was great! You are amazing. Ty for sharing. Love your videos.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for being here
When you take the plastic down from the coop next spring if you plan to reuse it again use electrical tape on each piece to indicate where it goes; L, L1, R, R1, etc. Takes the guesswork out of it.
That is such a great idea! I’ll definitely try to remember that for next year.
@@thehomesteadingrd and in late summer before you want to put it up again, when the grass is nice and clean and stuff dries fast in the sun; lay it all out on the grass and wash it. Just hose it down with water and use a softer broom to get the dirt off, let it dry in the sun, turn it around and do the other side.
If you dont mind the wetness (and it is not too cold) you can even do it before you put it up before winter.
@@MagdaRantanplan I was thinking the same thing! I'll do my best to remember this summer :)
I did the same for our covered run. Eventually the plastic needed replacing, so I got clear 14 mil tarps. Lets more light in too
Great idea! I’ve been debating switching over to something more permanent like greenhouse panels. I’d still take them off for the summer but I imagine they’d last for a decade or more
I really like this
Good job...have subscribed! Lovely, informative, pleasant blog ...can tell you love your animals.
Thanks so much for subscribing, I really appreciate it!
A little FYI, I did that for our cat shelter outside and over time the mat shifted, layered up on itself and basically started a little fire...😱 I caught it in time. I was thinking u had made a slit or sleeve under the nesting box for it to safely hide away.
I had to add bird netting (black plastic) to the rafters for the same reason. It works like a charm.
Oh nice! I bet that works well, too
Hey there, from the Metro area. We are not homesteaders, but I enjoy your content. Thanks! Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you for watching! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Thanks for all of the great ideas. I'm hoping to get chickens next year.
You’re welcome!!
I am in Central Minnesota. Have you ever figured out what the coop adds to your electric cost? A 1500 watt device can cost $4/day.
High clarity plastic sold at Menards is as clear as a window 🪟 and could be placed over the door
Im new here, glad I have found you.
Central Minnesota here lakeville area! Songlad i found you!!
How cool! Thanks for being here
We're 1 zone north of you. We have meat rabbits. Pretty hardy critters. Still...they get moved to their winter condos on the sunny side of the garage.🤠
It sounds like you have a good system going for your rabbits!
Well.....last year we wrapped the hutches with plastic. This year I'm working on building a lean to structure out of used porch windows. That way the hutches are under cover themselves. Not to mention me too🤠 @@thehomesteadingrd
Now my curiosity asks, how north in minnesota are you? 😂 greetings from Virginia Minnesota.
In the uk we don't have to do anything for our chicken coop! It's so mild. It's cold but they don't need anything other than making sure they have lots and lots of bedding and some scratch
That sounds wonderful!
Chantecler chickens were bred in Oka, Quebec, Canada by a monk at the Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac in the early 1900s. A dual-purpose bird with roosters weighing around 9 pounds and the hens at around 7. The girls lay well even throughout the winter months. Less than in warm weather, but they do still produce. Their feathers fit tight to their bodies but have a good deal of extra fluff for insulation making them the most cold-hearty chicken in existence. They also have very small combs and wattles meaning no frostbite. As long as they are dry and draft-free, they'll have no issues well below -40°F/C. (my coop was unheated and definitely NOT air tight. 😂)
They have the genetics of Dark Cornishes, White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, White Plymouth Rocks, and White Wyandottes. As well as the original white variety, Partridge Chanteclers were introduced in the 1930s.
They are friendly and great foragers!
Wow that's a lot of great info, thanks for sharing!
I love your channel and your suggestions on winterizing. We live in Northern MN so they are helpful. The one thing I am surprised about is your use of chicken wire on the run. Do you have any issues with predators?
We have hardware mesh on the bottom half, which is also buried under the ground. Haven’t had an issue
Great video 💯❤❤❤🕊️
Thank you so much!
Ever thought about using a fish tank heater to allow the water not to freeze? ❤🇬🇧🙏
Nope, this works well enough!
We tried... the water still froze.
Lots of great information! What about silkies? I’ve read they have a bit of a harder time staying warm because they don’t have the pin feathers. I didn’t have them last winter. One is the naked neck kind. How in the world does she stay warm? I love your idea of the heat mats! I am planning on wrapping their run in plastic. It’s not the main run but it’s attached to the coop along with a bigger run. At least that’ll give them a place to get out of the wind. I have big chickens in a separate flock but not worried about them.
Gosh, I’m wondering the same thing! This is my first year with silkies. We’ll see how they do
@ After seeing your heat mat trick I’m wondering if I could put one in the enclosed run which is pretty small and put some straw on it if they would realize there’s a warm spot for them. I don’t know 🤷♀️ I’m gonna cover the whole floor of little run with straw to maybe give them some warmth. I may be over thinking it haha.
Can you maybe cover the door and cut out a little square for you to look thru
I live in northern Minnesota, just curious where you are? Virginia MN for me.
Ohhhh are you not afraid of the heating mats catching fire with the hay being right on top of it? I have no idea but I would be worried about something like that?? 🥰❤️🙏🏻🍁🇨🇦
So far so good! I’ve been doing this for many years now
That seedling mat is a new idea, cool. I was trying to think of something for my nesting boxes that are attached to the outside and north side of the hen house. I’ll have to look into this. 👍🏻
You do know that when a chicken is hatched it has all the eggs they will ever lay . So I’m in nc and I never have put lights in my coop . Not even for my quail . I just let nature take it course.
I need suggestions for a coop with no electricity near it, please. The electrician was way too busy and wasn't able to get the power run to the coop.
Winter in northern Minnesota is NOT 6 months long! It starts sometime in November and ends in early April or late March. I have been here for 76 winters and that has never happened. And it rarely gets to 35 below and when it does, it lasts for only a few days. Usually late January or during full moon. Insulate your coop and you could keep it warm with a light bulb.
Easy trigger
I am assuming the chickens leave the power cords alone??
Sorry to sound silly but arent the nesting box to have a top on to make a box??
Well, I guess she told you!!🤭
Can you go skiing there? They have nice mountains to go skiing.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Those heating mats look like a sure fire hazard. Yikes!
You are so beautiful and friendly, I wish you good health🌹🌹🌹
Do you have a concern with the pad wire cords laying on the hay? Or the chickens peck at the wire and short out the power?
We haven’t had an issue with that thankfully. So far, so good.
Why not just lay the heating matts under the nesting boxes?
Because it’s thick plywood
Are there no rodents that kill youre chickens when they are wakingoutside Greatingsfrom Holland
Use a sharpie and write on it before you take it down (ex. N side, door end, S side)
Smart! Thanks
Egg production has got nothing to do with daylight ... fewer hours of daylight tells the chicken it needs to make his winter feathers ... and feathets are pure protein...if the body has to choose to eather make the feathers so it can survive winter or laying eggs..its an easy choice ... so the key here and the solution is not adding light...because they wont make sufficient plumage...but to add protein! And preferably animal protein ... chickens thrive on bugs which is animal protein but during winter there arent many bugs... So by adding protein they now have enough to make the feathers and to lay eggs for you... i have about 10 chickens and i just give a 5 oz can of tuna a day.. or I also have a smal mealworm farm set up so i will give them about 2/3 of a cup of wiggly mealworms a day...or i even throw in a good handful of cat kibble when i give them there grain scratch... and that provides them with enough protein to keep em warm and produce the eggs i love so much ...
In Future needs 🐔 Rooster rooster , Respect All belong to Homesteading.. Can needs heaters .
What is the situation with the weird colors on the dogs. Sorry I have never seen those and they look very uncomfortable
Do you run wavy tube guy 24/7?
I used to during the day, we don’t need him anymore
👍🤠
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
You are so beautiful
Miss Minnesota now I live in Fl.
Grew up in Outing and Emily. I'm so sorry you let people foreign people destroy Mn. And kets not to forget that governor.
My husband brought home some huge peace’s of plexiglass that’s what we put on our chickens run. Works super well. And out run is pretty close to your is . Yup I gotta clean the coop and get it button up for winter here in western Michigan. I lived in northern Minnesota for 12 years before I met my hubby . Winters can be brutal yes . I was up by thief river falls minn . Great job hun .