Adelaar
In the Brooder
- Jul 4, 2023
- 16
- 46
- 49
I’m curious what other people do with bantams in the winter. I’ve read lots of things about standard chickens not needing heat and being very cold tolerant as long as the coop is draft free and dry, but I’ve also read about bantams not being as cold tolerant but unsure of how much cold is too cold for them. We are in Indiana with lows already dipping into the 30s at night.
I have 3 barnyard mix bantam pullets that live with 1 cross beak ameraucana pullet since they all get along well with them with no bullying among themselves. I’ve tried to let them have supervised free range time with standard size pullets let out too but the bigger girls seem fixated on chasing and harassing the bantams and cross beak even if they have acres to roam so I don’t think I’ll be able to keep the bantams in bigger coop with the bigger chickens and guineas to snuggle for heat. They currently have a 25sqft thin walled pre-fab coop to themselves.
I don’t mind bringing them into garage or house on cold days/nights if needed but I’m not sure how cold I can let it get before I need to make the decision to move them vs letting them enjoy their outdoor coop/run as long as possible. Do I need to move them when it’s below freezing? Or are they ok until lower temp? I could also put the chick heat plate out in coop for them?
Pics of bantams and one with their coop compared to full size coop.
I have 3 barnyard mix bantam pullets that live with 1 cross beak ameraucana pullet since they all get along well with them with no bullying among themselves. I’ve tried to let them have supervised free range time with standard size pullets let out too but the bigger girls seem fixated on chasing and harassing the bantams and cross beak even if they have acres to roam so I don’t think I’ll be able to keep the bantams in bigger coop with the bigger chickens and guineas to snuggle for heat. They currently have a 25sqft thin walled pre-fab coop to themselves.
I don’t mind bringing them into garage or house on cold days/nights if needed but I’m not sure how cold I can let it get before I need to make the decision to move them vs letting them enjoy their outdoor coop/run as long as possible. Do I need to move them when it’s below freezing? Or are they ok until lower temp? I could also put the chick heat plate out in coop for them?
Pics of bantams and one with their coop compared to full size coop.