# Getting coops ready for winter!



## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

What are your best tips for getting your chickens and coops ready for winter? Seems like a lot of you are more south, but we can get waaay below zero up here, so winter is serious.

I am having a panic attack because I don’t know what happened to summer, and fall is almost here. My goal for the next month is to finish my second coop and run (It is safe, but not winter ready) and get the winter ventilation fixed in my other coup.

How do you clean the poo off your roost bars? Originally, I thought about hitting them with a pressure washer, but ours died while removing poo from our garage apron…lol. They are just painted 2x4 chunks, might it be easier to just put on new ones than scrub poo?? 🤢


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## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

One thing I found out last year the hard way was how to check for drafts. One a breezy day, close yourself in the coop and put your hands where your chickens roost. If you feel the breeze , they are at risk of frost bite.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Metal paint scraper works well scraping poop off roosts.


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## ChickenMom24 (Feb 14, 2021)

dawg53 said:


> Metal paint scraper works well scraping poop off roosts.
> View attachment 42154


Thanks! I didn’t think about that. Still not looking forward to that activity! 😆


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Like your test for a draft, that's what you don't want. But you do want an exchange of air to keep moisture from building up from their warm bodies. Usually doors don't fit tight and that can be the bottom inlet. Then depending on the roof construction that is your exit. 

Yep, the scraper works really well. And it's not as hard as you think it is.


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