how do I keep chickens warm in cold michigan winters ?

there are 34 chickens barred rocks, marans, golden commets, partridge cohcins buff cochins &2 french faverollies or some thing like that & 2 roos I heat lamp over there water. we will beputting some kind of insu. up. how much ventilation do they need? there run hole is about a foot tall & wide . do they need a window cracked or a roof vent?

Cant hurt to have ventilation, usually an open door down low, and then some sort of vent, or 'planned cracks' up high keep things moving without loosing a lot of heat. Also moves out the ammonia, and extra humidity the birds breathing.

We used left over attic insulation, and some other odds and ends, sandwiched betwen particle board. Use what ever you can afford. or have lying around, just make sure the birds cant get at it to eat it, and that it is rodent proofed.

Good Luck!

I have 19 hens and 2 rooster's. Last winter we had a smaller coop but only 5 chickens. We have expanded our coop to accommodate the new additions. Our coop is not insulated and last year we only had a bit of frost bite on the roosters comb because he would rub of the vasaline as soon as we put it on... Silly Roo! When we received the new addition, the hatchery gave us a free exotic hen. Now, keep in mind, our order was only cold hardy chicks as we live in North Dakota and it gets very cold.... Not unusual to see -20 to -30 F.... the exotic chick is an Egyptian Fayoumis and is not cold hardy..... We are very concerned about her surviving the winter! Any suggestions??

Yikes! That is very cold! I hope someone has some good advice for you. This will be my first winter with hens and here in Utah the coldest we get is maybe a few weeks in the negatives. We had 1 super cold night last year at -16 and that is unusual. Hopefully she can stay warm in the middle of the other hens. I hope someone else chimes in from that area.

Hey pollo mamma. How is your fayoumis doing so far? I have one too and am starting to get concerned for her. It's only gotten down to 20!! I think it may be a long winter for her. I got her from a breeder in NH so I didn't think about there being an issue but so far she doesn't seem thrilled with the cold.

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Hopefully you have a cold hardy breed since you live in a northern region. A well designed coop will keep your chickens warm during the Winter. Be sure to block drafty wind from entering the coop; Yet, provide plenty of up high ventilation downwind. Straw has good insulating properties and is always nice to add in the coop during the Winter. You can also add a lamp to the coop to provide a warming station with the benefit of light for egg production. The light should be indirect to reduce stress. Over the years, I have found the chickens enjoy free ranging outside during even the coldest temperatures but generally stay in the coop during high winds or storm events.

Good draft free, well vented housing is what is key, i also fully agree on breeds, choosing cold hardy ones will make the whole process easier on everyone. My big hens don't have an insulated coop, other than whatever the R factor would be of the fancy paneling the coop was made from lol I have venting and i chose a flat roost so they fluff down on their feet at night.

We've had some not so nice weather even this week, they go about their day free ranging and come back at dusk, this isn't their first winter and mine get pretty cold(winters) there are colder areas but frankly past -22C i am am froze so colder is only worse, i do not heat or light my birds, will often toss BOSS into the coop floor just before bed so they can clean that up. You have a pretty good sized flock, way more than I.. only keep 4 standard chickens right now... yes, a drop compared to most here. We do have silkies as well, but they have yet to winter(all youngin's) so far those have tolerated the cold we had, no heat, no fancy gear.

There is a good ventilation page, i must find it for you.. to Quote my daughter recently who lifted up a hen in our recent cold snap, "wow, is she ever warm" as she tucked her hands under the birds wings, it was cold here below freezing, it shocked her, i knew they were warm as they were happily behaving as they always do. Watching your animals is key to see how they are coping and i mean all of them, us sadly suffer the most, i wish i could carry a chicken all day in my hands lol

Here link to the page on ventilation.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop