Winterizing, is my coop/run big enough?

[NJisBearCountry]

Hello fine chicken people!

I thought I did exhaustive research before renting chickens last year and then before selecting a coop this spring but it seems like my girls keep laughing at me and finding new ways to prove I only know about indoor mammal care.

We have this coop and run: https://www.chickencoopcompany.com/...p-designs/products/the-rhode-island-homestead

We're in northernmost NJ which has Pocono/Catskill-like weather in the winter. We get extra snow and cold and wind that the rest of the state doesn't get. The coop is nestled in a wooded, brushy part of our property which helps with some wind protection but not completely. My electrician is running conduit for some outlets up to the coop so I can plug in a bucket heater and a heated perch since my girls are Polish hens and not quite as cold hardy as other breeds so we've been warned to make sure they have a little bit of supplemental heat for those couple of single-digit days we get in Jan or Feb.

Our current headcount is 3 chickens but my husband is pestering me to pick up 4 more to round out the crew asap, as that's been a long-term plan and I was stalling until I rid the coop and residents of red mites (mission accomplished, finally).


Question 1: Based on my setup and geography/weather, what additional winterization would you recommend? Should I be covering the sides of the run from wind with some kind of plastic or tarp? Does this coop appear to have appropriate ventilation, assuming it isn't drafty? Should I be keeping the side windows open or is that going to be too cold and just leave the window over the door open?

Question 2: the coop listing obviously states that it's more than enough coop for 10+ chickens, yadda yadda yadda. They even show their math and it's in line with what I've seen here but I'm skeptical. There are 4 roost bars inside the coop but only one is raised above the bedding on the floor and that's what my girls sleep on. It's diagonal so it's nice and long but not 10ft long. Do chickens happily roost on bars that are basically grazing the sand? Or will that eventually stress them out? Do I need to find a way to add more roosting footage in there to have 7 happy chickens? Is there really enough room for 7 happy chickens in there with the dimensions they list?
My girls currently are confined to the coop and run but we do plan to allow them some (limited) free range access within electric poultry netting once we can trust that the newest flock members will come home at night so I'm slightly less concerned about run space.

Thank you in advance for your chicken wisdom. I call my birds dumb but they keep proving to me that I am the dumb one.

 

[Raptor Chicken]

I don't know what the dimensions on the coop are. The run looked like it was roughly 3'x9' based on the 39"x101" the site listed.

The minimum requirements are 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, and 10 square feet per chicken for the run.

So based on the run size it looks like its suitable for maybe 3-4 chickens, comfortably.

I'm not an expert and am still learning myself. I'm just restating what I've read and been told here.

As for ventilation it does seem to be lacking based on the provided pictures.

 

[ANiceKaren]

Hello fine chicken people!

I thought I did exhaustive research before renting chickens last year and then before selecting a coop this spring but it seems like my girls keep laughing at me and finding new ways to prove I only know about indoor mammal care.

We have this coop and run: https://www.chickencoopcompany.com/...p-designs/products/the-rhode-island-homestead

We're in northernmost NJ which has Pocono/Catskill-like weather in the winter. We get extra snow and cold and wind that the rest of the state doesn't get. The coop is nestled in a wooded, brushy part of our property which helps with some wind protection but not completely. My electrician is running conduit for some outlets up to the coop so I can plug in a bucket heater and a heated perch since my girls are Polish hens and not quite as cold hardy as other breeds so we've been warned to make sure they have a little bit of supplemental heat for those couple of single-digit days we get in Jan or Feb.

Our current headcount is 3 chickens but my husband is pestering me to pick up 4 more to round out the crew asap, as that's been a long-term plan and I was stalling until I rid the coop and residents of red mites (mission accomplished, finally).


Question 1: Based on my setup and geography/weather, what additional winterization would you recommend? Should I be covering the sides of the run from wind with some kind of plastic or tarp? Does this coop appear to have appropriate ventilation, assuming it isn't drafty? Should I be keeping the side windows open or is that going to be too cold and just leave the window over the door open?

Question 2: the coop listing obviously states that it's more than enough coop for 10+ chickens, yadda yadda yadda. They even show their math and it's in line with what I've seen here but I'm skeptical. There are 4 roost bars inside the coop but only one is raised above the bedding on the floor and that's what my girls sleep on. It's diagonal so it's nice and long but not 10ft long. Do chickens happily roost on bars that are basically grazing the sand? Or will that eventually stress them out? Do I need to find a way to add more roosting footage in there to have 7 happy chickens? Is there really enough room for 7 happy chickens in there with the dimensions they list?
My girls currently are confined to the coop and run but we do plan to allow them some (limited) free range access within electric poultry netting once we can trust that the newest flock members will come home at night so I'm slightly less concerned about run space.

Thank you in advance for your chicken wisdom. I call my birds dumb but they keep proving to me that I am the dumb one.

That’s a nice coop/run for 3-5 girls I’d say.. hard to completely tell! I tend to err on the side of more plastic then less but many will tell you differently. Personally I would plastic most of that run at least at the bottom leaving open ventilation on the top.. then you may not get as much snow in there either with drifts and such! You still may end up out there shoveling them a path in winter to enjoy that run! I do it and my girls quite enjoy themselves in the snow! The only thing I have that is heated is my waterer. I’m not a fan of heating anything in a coop/run as it can be a fire hazard and if the electricity goes out your girls would struggle very much. Letting them acclimate seems to be best advice I’ve received here on BYC. As far as adding 4 more they will stay warmer that way but make sure to read up on intoducing new hens to your current flock. If you’re thinking babies they wouldn’t be ready for the coop this winter needing extra heat. Chickens should absolutely roost and they may prefer something higher than touching shavings but I had two girls that never roosted and preferred to sleep on floor of coop! They do what they want! Ha! Winter can be scary and tricky with chickens but so much help here on BYC! Here are my girls enjoying the snow!

 

[Happy hen lover]

I like the idea of covering run sides up to 18"down from top with plastic.
Chicken do well on cold but hate wind and wet! Mine hate snow so will only go out if walkway is scooped. Heating waterer is a good thing. Ventilation I'll refer to @3KillerBs for that one .
Heat I'd stay away from that one NO HEAT LAMPS! Way too many fires. Lots of folks don't use heat because it interferes with the chickens acclimating to winter then if power outage they're ready. Some use heat plates for small birds.

 

[NJisBearCountry]

I like the idea of covering run sides up to 18"down from top with plastic.
Chicken do well on cold but hate wind and wet! Mine hate snow so will only go out if walkway is scooped. Heating waterer is a good thing. Ventilation I'll refer to @3KillerBs for that one .
Heat I'd stay away from that one NO HEAT LAMPS! Way too many fires. Lots of folks don't use heat because it interferes with the chickens acclimating to winter then if power outage they're ready. Some use heat plates for small birds.

I was planning on getting one of these guys and only using it when the temps are super super low (single digits, maybe low teens with bad wind): K&H PET PRODUCTS 100539711 Thermo-Chicken Heated Perch, 36 Inches, Black https://a.co/d/h3lLXGd
No heat lamps here! I want them to be generally acclimated to the cold but also don't want them to be hypothermic on those few absolutely bitter days. We typically don't lose power on those days, we'd be more likely to lose power in a big snowstorm which is usually slightly less cold (20s-low 30s) so I'd feel better about them being able to huddle together and keep themselves warm.

How much time do chickens spend in the actual coop in the winter besides roosting and laying? Do I need to accommodate for floor space for *activities* or will they still be waddling out into the run to goof off during daylight if they like snow or the snow is cleared and I do a good job blocking the wind? If we happen to get a year with minimal snow, I'd love to still let them free range to their level of comfort to keep them busy if that isn't ill-advised.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Ventilation I'll refer to @3KillerBs for that one .

I'm headed for work in a few minutes, but it looks like you're going to need to open some ventilation in the gables at the roof peak.

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

And here's another article you'll find helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/

 

[ANiceKaren]

I was planning on getting one of these guys and only using it when the temps are super super low (single digits, maybe low teens with bad wind): K&H PET PRODUCTS 100539711 Thermo-Chicken Heated Perch, 36 Inches, Black https://a.co/d/h3lLXGd
No heat lamps here! I want them to be generally acclimated to the cold but also don't want them to be hypothermic on those few absolutely bitter days. We typically don't lose power on those days, we'd be more likely to lose power in a big snowstorm which is usually slightly less cold (20s-low 30s) so I'd feel better about them being able to huddle together and keep themselves warm.

How much time do chickens spend in the actual coop in the winter besides roosting and laying? Do I need to accommodate for floor space for *activities* or will they still be waddling out into the run to goof off during daylight if they like snow or the snow is cleared and I do a good job blocking the wind? If we happen to get a year with minimal snow, I'd love to still let them free range to their level of comfort to keep them busy if that isn't ill-advised.

Depending on your circumstances chickens spend more time in coop in winter. If your run isn’t full of snow they will venture out there for sure! On cold, wet days they may spend more time inside but if you can shovel a few paths for them they will enjoy the cold grass that pops up and free ranging. However, keep a special eye out if they free range in winter. There are less places for the girls to hide as trees are not green and bushes gone so predators are able to see them easily. There are some great ideas out there as well for boredom busters for hens during winter months like hanging cabbage etc… personally mine were terrified but worth a shot!

 

[aart]

Do not put more birds in that set up.
Do cover the sides of run leaving a gap at tops for ventilation.
Is the run roof solid?
If not, cover it to keep snow out.

 

[NJisBearCountry]

Do not put more birds in that set up.
Do cover the sides of run leaving a gap at tops for ventilation.
Is the run roof solid?
If not, cover it to keep snow out.

Currently, 3/4 of the run roof is covered with a piece thick plywood we had available just to keep food dry but I can definitely cover the entire run roof as part of winterization and long term coop improvements.

It sounds like covering the sides of the run aside from a bit at the top for proper ventilation is going to be the way to go so I'll start looking at my covering options and making a plan.

We have an auto-door on the coop so they currently make their way to the run around 7am, returning around sundown, and food and water are normally in the run and I plan to offer some enrichment activities to keep the chooks entertained.

Is there any world in which my existing coop could be modified to be comfortable for 7 hens by using a couple of the nesting boxes as extra floor space (there are currently 6 boxes, that seems excessive, I can easily remove a divider or two) and mounting the 3 floor roosts so they're above the diagonal roost? What modifications should I consider if I'm planning to add 4 more birds to the flock or should I just plan to add a second coop to accommodate them that opens on the run, extend the run, and let them decide which hen house they want to sleep in for the night?

 

[AnnPann]

How much time do chickens spend in the actual coop in the winter besides roosting and laying? Do I need to accommodate for floor space for *activities* or will they still be waddling out into the run to goof off during daylight if they like snow or the snow is cleared and I do a good job blocking the wind? If we happen to get a year with minimal snow, I'd love to still let them free range to their level of comfort to keep them busy if that isn't ill-advised.

I have a coop that is too small for the # of hens the manufacturer advertises for (an Omlet Cube). However, I treat their run like an extension of their coop - it's covered in HWC, and well-protected from rain/sun in the summer and wind/snow in the winter. So when the weather is bad, they are actually able to spend most of the day in the run too (which was mostly tarped - some higher up areas left open for ventilation).

Last winter was pretty miserable, and there were only 2 or 3 days that they spent the majority of the day in the Cube (and it was during a howling snow storm). They hate walking in snow, so if any does blow into the run, I just kick it around until it's covered in mulch so they have a decent path/area to be in. The actual Cube is only used for roosting at night (or hiding out during a storm). So it's doable, but not ideal, and you need to think about turning your run area into a "coop" area to maximize your available space.

I think you're on the right path with decommissioning some of those extra nesting boxes and reconfiguring the roosting bars though!