Just starting out with Chicks already worried about winter

samssimonsays

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We bought 5 straight run Icelandic chicks (hoping for a couple hens and roos) from a local person hatching them and then I added in 2 easter eggers, one faverolle and a polish the next day because... I couldn't help myself. :hide I like variety and eye candy...

We have yet to build them a coop and are debating between cramming that into my already too small barn that has all grain and supplies and GOATS in it or building them something new. With our minnesota winters there is the idea IN the barn maybe better for warmth and convenience but.... space. What would you recommend for cold temps? I would like to add in some geese and maybe a duck as well. to start with. I would love to raise some pastured meat birds eventually but those will be mostly summer. Maybe have a coop for younger birds in the barn and wintering them and build a separate one for them all summer long.... :idunno
 

frustratedearthmother

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I wish I had a totally different area for my chickens. I have several barns/sheds and they all pretty much go where they want. The ones in the "smaller" barn roost on the dividers between the kidding stalls. The stalls are all left open when we don't need them for kidding and goats tend to sleep in them. That's fine unless they sleep too close to the half-walls that separate the stalls. They'll get pooped on - and that's just gross! I didn't want them in the feed room either. It was separated by a half-wall also between the main part of that barn. I put panels up to keep them out of there - nothing like having chicken poop on the milking stand or the tops of the feed barrels.

But, with your winters.... I dunno... I can imagine they'd need a place to get some protection.
 

samssimonsays

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They would have a completely chicken wired wall (floor to ceiling) for the two sides to keep them contained while in the barn to prevent that! I don't want to clean the poop off everything :sick and because goats are.... goats.... they need an area that they can not at all what so ever get the chicken feed. my barn is not very easy to clean per-say... but I am thinking building a summer shed for them and then having a wintering "pen/coop" in the barn for them might be the way to go. I can then control the lighting and water easier without worrying about electricity over winter... hmmmm.... brainstorming now LOL
 
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