Cold weather coming to OK!

[jordan_lang]

Hi all! It’s my first year with chickens, I got them in spring 2023. We survived the summer but the coming winter & cold weather is new to me. I’ve tried reading some of the threads here on this but haven’t seen much that helps me out. sorry in advance for the long post, any and all advice is welcome :

I have 11 hens in a 6x8’ or 8x10’ coop (can’t remember exactly), around 6ft tall. Point is, there is more than enough room for all of them & most sleep up in the rafters instead of the roosting bars, so as far as i can tell they don’t cuddle up at night for warmth. There are two windows across from each other a couple feet higher than the roosting bars that are covered, but we are working on making sure the wind stays out, and there are vents in the roof. the floor is rubber stall mats with sand and coffee bedding on top.

my run is 24x12’ and not covered, just lined with hardware cloth & i just put out a bunch of straw. they have feed available at all times in the run. it’s a mix of scratch feed (cracked corn) and layer crumbles. they also have water at all times in the run and i change it often. lately i’ve had to go out and break it up in the mornings too.

it doesn’t get super cold here in OK but we are, however, known for our wind it got below freezing last night + 20mph winds & 30mph gusts.

next week will drop to around -10°F and i am a little worried about my hens! i just ordered some heavy duty shower curtains to wrap parts of the run in but i dont have any ideas for my coop. it was built by my boyfriend so im sure there are gaps and spaces that wind/cold is able to get in. it’s also not insulated because i was worried they would peck at it and try to eat it. their roosting bars i turned flat so they can lay on their toes, but like i said earlier, most are sleeping in the rafters anyway.

i have heard not to supplement heat (heat lamps) so id like to know if you all agree with this & if so, what do you do/what do you recommend doing in the coop and run to help them keep warm & protect from frostbite?

 

[Sally PB]

it’s also not insulated because i was worried they would peck at it and try to eat it

Good.

i have heard not to supplement heat (heat lamps) so id like to know if you all agree with this & if so, what do you do/what do you recommend doing in the coop and run to help them keep warm & protect from frostbite?

The problem with supplying heat is they acclimate to it, and a power outage can be a big problem. I'm in Michigan, and have never heated my coop.

You need ventilation to exhaust their warm, moist breath and the ammonia fumes from their poop. Both rise.

I have a heated dog water bowl in the run to ensure that the chickens have liquid water to drink. I don't keep water in the coop, as I don't want to raise the humidity, or possibly have water spill, soaking the bedding (and raising the humidity).

next week will drop to around -10°F and i am a little worried about my hens! i just ordered some heavy duty shower curtains to wrap parts of the run in but i dont have any ideas for my coop

Dry chickens are warm chickens. They're wearing a down parka. If they can get out of the wind, they can keep themselves warm at -10F. I wrap the prevailing wind sides of my run with shower curtains. I cover the vents in my coop with filter material. It allows air (and warm moist breath and ammonia) to escape, but cuts the wind to almost nothing.

When we get down to single digits, I do this:
The chickens might not come out to get water, so I put a bowl of snow in the coop, weighted with a brick or rock so that they don't tip it over. They love to peck at snow! I put 2 bowls of feed in the coop too. Then I close the people door, which I usually leave open all day. At 5 degrees and colder, I close the pop door too.

My first rooster had frostbite on his comb and wattles. It eventually turned black and fell off. Do not try to "treat" frostbite with Vaseline, just leave it be.

 

[jordan_lang]

Good.

The problem with supplying heat is they acclimate to it, and a power outage can be a big problem. I'm in Michigan, and have never heated my coop.

You need ventilation to exhaust their warm, moist breath and the ammonia fumes from their poop. Both rise.

I have a heated dog water bowl in the run to ensure that the chickens have liquid water to drink. I don't keep water in the coop, as I don't want to raise the humidity, or possibly have water spill, soaking the bedding (and raising the humidity).


Dry chickens are warm chickens. They're wearing a down parka. If they can get out of the wind, they can keep themselves warm at -10F. I wrap the prevailing wind sides of my run with shower curtains. I cover the vents in my coop with filter material. It allows air (and warm moist breath and ammonia) to escape, but cuts the wind to almost nothing.

When we get down to single digits, I do this:
The chickens might not come out to get water, so I put a bowl of snow in the coop, weighted with a brick or rock so that they don't tip it over. They love to peck at snow! I put 2 bowls of feed in the coop too. Then I close the people door, which I usually leave open all day. At 5 degrees and colder, I close the pop door too.

My first rooster had frostbite on his comb and wattles. It eventually turned black and fell off. Do not try to "treat" frostbite with Vaseline, just leave it be.

thank you so much for the detailed reply!!! i really appreciate it and it definitely eases my mind! i just get worried thinking about leaving an animal outside in this weather. i would never leave my dogs out so it started worrying me that they could be suffering without me realizing. i’m glad to know they are warm and self-sufficient with little/some help by me! thank you again