Pebblypoo's Flock

Brookliner · Sep 19, 2015

First you don't want to cover those openings, you need plenty of ventilation even and especially during the winter. Judt make sure that the roosts are well below the windows so there is no draft blowing on your chickens. Please read up on ventilation in the forum section. Look at some of the coops on the coop pages to see how others have arranged things and prepare for winter and predators. Good luck.

Keeper · Sep 21, 2015

Hi Pebblypoo, how cold does it get where you are? Are you at a high elevation where it gets plenty cold? A lot of people on here are from very cold areas (like Maine) and many do not insulate or provide supplemental heat. They say the chickens adjust to the cold (unless it is very extreme) and the danger with supplemental heat (such as a heat lamp) is that one day the power may go out, and your chickens won't be used to the cold, and they'll freeze.

The important thing is ventilation without drafts. The coop needs good ventilation, but up high, so where the chickens are down below the drafts are kept to a minimum. So- cover up those openings, no cracks! But make sure there is really good ventilation above their heads.

Good ventilation is important because of chickens' delicate respiratory systems and because the danger of frostbite is higher if the indoor air is too humid from their poop and breathing. A dry indoor chicken house is important. If you are worried your chickens are showing signs of frostbite, some people swear by Vaseline. They rub a bit of it on the combs of the chickens where they are prone to it.

If you really want a heat source but don't want to use a red heat lamp, one thing to consider is an infrared, 100 watt bulb like people use for their lizards. You could find one online or at a petstore. Some people do use them for chickens but I haven't tried it yet myself. In the end it will save a lot of money from energy compared to a 250 watt red bulb, and be a lot safer. I imagine it would work better than a regular bulb, and theoretically you could have it on all night without the light bothering the chickens when they are trying to sleep. Again, though, the chickens should be fine without it as long as there are no drafts.

Some people swear by the deep litter bedding method as a source for heat, as well. The idea is that the decomposing bedding at the bottom of the pile lets off heat. This works best if the floor of your coop is dirt and you have active chickens that scratch and stir the bedding up for you, which is required for the whole thing to work properly. I started off with the deep litter method but gave it up because it was too stinky and messy. I was on plywood, though. I talked to a few people and did more reading and came to the conclusion that the dirt is important for adding the right microbes. You might find it works for you.

You could try clear sheets of hard plastic (plexiglass?) screwed up over the openings to block the wind but let in light. I saw different sizes at my local big box home hardware store that I'm going to try this winter.

You say your chickens will be cooped up this winter. Do you have an enclosed run where they can run around safely outside without supervision? Will you free range them sometimes? Just curious. They might get stressed if they never get to go out. They definitely need natural sunlight in the henhouse if they are not going to get out much. Chickens need Vitamin D too.

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Pebblypoo's Flock

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