Heat For Winter?

[bobbi-j]

I'm new so tell me what you would suggest with what we have.

I would suggest closing off the run and turning it into a coop, and adding a bigger run. I don’t know how much snow you get there, but my chickens hate snow. In all the years I’ve raised chickens, I have yet to have any that want to go outside in it, so my chickens will spend three - or sometimes more -months of the year, cooped up. They need room to move around.The suggested sf mentioned is actually the minimum suggested space. Overcrowding causes a whole different set of problems.

Your chickens are still babies. That’s why they huddle at night. What kind are they?

 

[nuthatched]

I appreciate the response but that seems to contradict itself.

I put gable vents in the gables of our coop when we got it. And its certainly not sealed in terms of air or wind neccesarily getting in.

Here's a pic for reference (before the vents)...


View attachment 3260335

It doesn't. If your car has sunroof, you can open it and ventilate your car without feeling much breeze, if you open the windows, you get a breeze right through. To be honest, your coop is only big enough for maybe 2 birds. Even if you closed in the whole thing to use a coop, it wouldn't be big enough for 6 birds, a real shame considering how much they sell those things for.
think of it this way, would you consider it ethical or good animal husbandry to keep 6 of any other animals of similar size on a coop of that size? 6 cats? 6 Rabbits? 6 small dogs? Of course not, they'd fight, the feces would pile up in short time.

We have 6 hens, which is what the coop advertised as the max. I know, take those types of things with a grain of salt.

But the sf you're suggesting sounds a little liberal in terms of needs.

Even now when its not cold outside they all huddle together when in the coop for the night. Seems like that would be enough.

I'm new so tell me what you would suggest with what we have.

What was suggested is actually conservative in terms of size, 4sq foot per bird is the minimum you should have in the coop. Atleast 8 sq foot per bird in the run. And 1 linear foot of roost per bird. Prefab coops get their measurements from the egg industry, where hens live their whole 16-18 month lives in tiny, tiny cages, usually debeaked to keep them from killing and/or eating each other from stress.

Also please explain the "you need X amount of ventilation" but "you don't want it too drafty thing".

You do not want wind you hit your birds, you want vents high above their heads so ammonia and moisture leave through the top. A rule of thumb is 1 square foot of ventilation per bird.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/over-sized-isnt-just-for-sweaters.77604/

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would suggest closing off the run and turning it into a coop, and adding a bigger run.

My conversion spiel (note that this may still not be big enough for 6 standard chickens in a cold climate without a protected outdoor space, however it will definitely increase the space you have):

To turn it from 2 small "boxes" (tiny coop above tiny run) into 1 bigger "box" you'll want to remove as much of the inside coop wall as possible, plus the floor. Take out the old roosts too.

Nests might be able to stay as is, or may need to be relocated elsewhere or replaced - depends on the structure of the coop and how things inside stack up once done.

Run a new roost(s) lengthwise or widthwise across the newly open space, depending on how much roost is needed. Ideally you’d like 12” per bird but 10” can suffice in many cases.

Board up some of the external wire walls so that the roost area is protected from winds and rain. Do NOT fully cover up all the wire, you need ventilation and natural light, so at the very least a few inches under the roofline should remain open. If your climate allows for it, you can leave entire walls open with just the mesh, or make it convertible for the season by covering up open walls for winter, and then uncovering for summer.

Example of a modified prefab: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

 

[aart]

But the sf you're suggesting sounds a little liberal in terms of needs.

It's not, it's minimal....
......especially in harsh winter climate without a decent sized weatherproof run.
Believe me, I've been there done that, it wasn't pretty.
Chicken Cabin Fever is Real!

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @Raptor Chicken
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[alinas2010]

We have this coop, also, for 4 hens. You’re going to hate it. Idk if you have a small breed or standard chickens, but even a small breed would suck in this. It’s fine when they’re small little things, but you’re going to hate it when they’re bigger. I could never in a million years make my chickens stay in this all day, it’s wayyyy too small. As someone else said, maybe 1 or 2 chickens. The amount of poop that piles up once they’re a bit older is insane, and crawling under it to clean sucks. I couldn’t imagine 6 chickens in this, ever. Please do your girls a favor and turn this whole thing into a small coop, then build them a nice big run. Change out the roost bar inside for something big girl feet can grab comfortably, and add way more ventilation. I feel heartbroken every time I see my girls in this. They free range all day in our back yard until their real coop/run is done, (hopefully this week!) because I can’t stand the thought of them cooped up like this, it’s cruel. The advertising for this is awful, I am sorry you fell for it too.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

I appreciate the response but that seems to contradict itself.

Also please explain the "you need X amount of ventilation" but "you don't want it too drafty thing".

When it comes to ventilation you need to have generous airflow but to keep it above the birds' heads so that they're not sitting in wind that would ruffle their feathers.

Here's my illustrated article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

We have 6 hens, which is what the coop advertised as the max. I know, take those types of things with a grain of salt

Those advertisements are horrible! The numbers are based on the legal minimums for caged commercial chickens. Really deceptive and many, many new people have been fooled by them.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

6 hens

• 24 square feet in the coop. 4'x6' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber. If you can't walk into it, put the access door in the middle of the long side to make sure you can reach all areas of the coop because a stubborn chicken WILL press itself into/lay an egg in the back corner where you can't reach.
• 6 feet of roost
• 60 square feet in the run. 6'x10' or 8'x8'.
• 6 square feet of ventilation.
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

Since your chickens are still babies, here's a photo of 3 of my cull cockerels in a 4x8 space -- 32 square feet. Since they were about 4 months old they were just *slightly* smaller than an adult hen of their breed:

 

[SandyRiverChick]

You're getting really good advice so all that I can add is that once that coop takes some winter weather, it won't just be about size it's also just not going to stand up to weather for very long. And that's why your question about supplemental heat makes sense, you can see how thin the walls are. I have one that I use as a brooder. Meaning I think it's fine because it's indoors, it's inside my actual coop. So I think you should reinforce it. Like has been suggested, use it as an outline and add good quality wood and roofing material. Or build a slanted roof, carport type structure over it and put fencing wire around the posts. It's better to do it now than in the middle of winter. The BYC Flock is rooting for you! Check out the many creative coops in the small coops section! You got this!

 

[MattDeL]

I’m new here too. Don’t get discouraged by the “matter of fact” responses. I think everyone here means well.

I also had that exact coop and was thankfully able to sell it at not too much of a loss.

it used to sit inside my 10x10 dog kennel as a place for the birds to sleep at night but it became clear early on that it wouldn’t work as the grew.

I’m in NE Florida so I’m not worried about the cold. The heat on the other hand can be rough. My birds would have died in that thing.

Now that I removed the small coop I’ve remodeled a bit and turned the whole 10x10 kennel into an open air coop.

8 birds right now with plenty of space - using advice I got here! Best of luck to you!

 

[alinas2010]

I’m new here too. Don’t get discouraged by the “matter of fact” responses. I think everyone here means well.

I also had that exact coop and was thankfully able to sell it at not too much of a loss.View attachment 3261111it used to sit inside my 10x10 dog kennel as a place for the birds to sleep at night but it became clear early on that it wouldn’t work as the grew.

I’m in NE Florida so I’m not worried about the cold. The heat on the other hand can be rough. My birds would have died in that thing.

Now that I removed the small coop I’ve remodeled a bit and turned the whole 10x10 kennel into an open air coop.
View attachment 32611158 birds right now with plenty of space - using advice I got here! Best of luck to you!

Agree!! Very kindly put, thank you. I have to put a frozen gallon of water in here for them on hot summer nights, and hose the roof off to cool it down.

 

[Raptor Chicken]

I appreciate all of the responses I really do.

To clarify, that coop is not their life. They have a 24x36ft extended run that they get let out into every day after work and pretty much all day on Saturdays and Sundays.

We're not really in a position to buy more stuff so we're working with what we have.

I get the whole covering up the run of the coop idea, and thats certainly an option. But I'm a carpenter/lumber mill worker/woodworking hobbyist by trade and I wouldn't want it looking crappy, for lack of better terms. I'd have to give that idea some thought on how to go about it.

Also, there ARE gable vents in the main part of the coupe currently.

I live in Southern VA and here is a pic of the whole set up with extended run.

Temps RARELY get to 0. Most winters are high of 30's and lows in the teens.