Keeping the coop warm in the winter, HOW?

[cehasz]

I don't winterize. My birds are fat though so they keep each other warm! I do have a hoop coop with a greenhouse tarp. This absorbed some of the warmth from the day so they have a bit of something!

 

[speckledhen]

A chicken puts out a certain number of BTU's on its own so they are their own little heaters. Feathers are very insulating, providing they have some! The only ones who have a heat spot (small reptile night bulb overhead that directs a tiny warm blackish glow at one area) are the ones who have special issues, like my old BR hen with severe arthritis who cannot walk anymore and sleeps alone on the floor, and my aging Delaware rooster who suffers from the same thing, plus lung issues from a fungal infection years ago. Years ago, I gave my BR hen, Lexie, her own heat spot over the roost for the same reason, progressive arthritis.

I do not heat my coops, but there is no need for a bird with a special issue to suffer for a principle. I adjust what I do for the conditions of the individual birds involved. If I had a coop full of naked birds in freezing weather, I would add a couple more heat lamps for them until they got some feather cover, but I don't usually have that, only a couple here and there who may be a tad sparse but who snuggle up with the others.

 

[Tonya chicken]

Hey I love the coop!! Where do you live?

 

[Indoroowet]

Hey I love the coop!! Where do you live?

Hmmmm ... , Now I wonder who you are talking about ...

 

[BooeyBird]

Our new coop that we are building is made of pallets so there are cracks in the walls where the pieces are put together. Will this be considered ventilation or will it get too cold in their coop in the winter time?

 

[Nwchickma]

We've added plastic around playpen area for their day play when they aren't free ranging. We're not sure if we should add extra heat to the coop it self. I only have 6 chickens and the coop is rather large.

ANY ADVISE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED

I LOVE that you decorated your coop for Halloween! It looks GREAT! What kind of lights do you have in there? I just ordered some battery operated lights on a timer. I'm going to try and do what you did in your run. I ordered 5 strands (they are short) and I was going to set 3 to come on at 5am and the other 2 strands to come on 2:30pm because they stay on for 6 hours, that should give them some more light but also give them enough hours of dark to sleep.

I did not read all 12 pages of this thread so I'm not sure if you got your answer and this is my first winter with my girls. I only have 3 but my coop is pretty small, about 5ft long, 2 ft wide and 3ft tall. I just ordered a weather station that will save the temp and humidity highs and lows for the day. I got it on amazon for under $10 so my plan is to play it by ear. I insulated as much as I could (my coop is a little ghetto because it was a premade thing someone bought me, I should have returned it but instead added to it. drawing up plans for a new one in me head as we speak, don't tell the hubby) I've got straw ready to add and I've wrapped any potential drafty areas with plastic. I'm not planning on heating with anything electric, too scared of fires!

 

[jtn42248]

Our new coop that we are building is made of pallets so there are cracks in the walls where the pieces are put together. Will this be considered ventilation or will it get too cold in their coop in the winter time?

Your cracks will definitely provide ventilation. However they may also provide a draft. Remember that the ventilation needs to be up higher than the roosts so that humidity can get out as it rises with the warmth of the birds bodies. Anything else probably will create a draft and you will want to either fill those cracks or cover the outside with a plastic tarp during the colder months. As for warmth in the winter time it depends a lot on how many birds you have. The will generate a lot of body heat and will huddle together to keep warm if needed. The use of supplemental heat is a matter for debate. I do not make use of it and our winters often have several days running in the high teens to low twenties. I have 22 hens and one rooster in a coop measuring about 10 x 15. There is a narrow window up high for ventilation and it is open almost all the time year round. It is under an awning so that I don't have to be concerned about rain getting in. Then there is a large opening on another side that is also open most of the year. During the winter months I cover it with a clear plastic tarp (loosely so that there is still circulation) to keep out wind and draft since it is about roost level. My coop is metal set in (not on) a concrete slab. I use shavings for bedding and during the winter I mix shavings and straw about 6 inches thick and so far the girls seem to do o.k.

Good luck with your new coop.

 

[BooeyBird]

Thanks! The coop will be about 4 by 6 feet, and at the highest point about 7 feet. We have 4 hens and 1 rooster since a few days ago a coyote got one hen. I think we are going to fill in the biggest cracks but leave some of them. Also, is the coop too small or too big for that amount of chickens? I have 1 d'uccle, 1 bantam cochin, 1 polish, 1 EE, and a silkie rooster. Thanks for the information by the way.

 

[Indoroowet]

Also, is the coop too small or too big for that amount of chickens?

Minimum standard size for chicken coop

From what I have learned, there are just a few rules.

Coop sleeping area = 4 square foot per chicken ground space
Perch area = 2 square feet per chicken
Perch = use 1x4 or 2x4 -- 4 inch side up so the chickens can put their feet on it, hunker down and cover their feet totally.
Perch area above door opening.
When chickens are on perch, NO draft possible !!
Ventilation area = 1 square foot opening per chicken. Ventilation area in top end of coop.
Nestbox(es) = 1 for every 2 or 3 chickens, lined with 2-6 inch layer of bedding.
Nestbox(es) below perch area.
Run area = about 10 square foot per standard size chicken.


In summer I have the area underneath the coop (5x8) as shade area.
Food and water underneath coop in the shaded area.
Apparently chickens are more cold resistant than heat resistant !!
In winter I have a wind proof area 5x10 for the chickens.
3 sides covered with clear plastic sheet.

Anybody else have corrections or additional info/rules, please add or correct !

 

[jtn42248]

Good advice Indoroowet. For the run you should have about 10 sq ft per bird for standard sized birds. Less than that (5-7 sq ft) is good for bantams. I have 8 Sebrights that have their own 200 sq ft run and that is really too much but since they fly a lot I had to have enough space to put in two trees for them and cover the run so they could not fly out. My run for 22 hens and 1 rooster (standard sized) is about 300 sq ft plus they have free range all day every day.