Well written article. Dealing with harsh winters caused a lot of concern the first year I had chickens. The article nicely explains how to manage your flock and adjust accordingly depending on breeds, climate and housing
I am glad I read this. I have ducks. I am a first timer. It is May and I was already worrying about the Indiana winters on these guys. You have put me at ease. thank you.
As a newbie to chickens and someone who lives in a cold climate/variable climate, this is very helpful. I'm quite concerned about humidity causing frostbite, so I'll have to see what kind of design will help minimize this for me.
As winter is coming, this was a really good winter review checklist. Up here, it's generally not that cold (10-20*F) but snows a lot very frequently.
This was a very enjoyable article!
Loved this article! This is my first winter with chickens in New England and I've been doing my best to make sure my Rhode Island Reds are comfortable. I have a large coop and am totally against having any electricity near my chickens. I insulated the coop walls and created a drop ceiling below the vents. I did leave gaps for air circulation. This article made me feel less crazy about doing this. Thank you. We've already had a little taste of mild winter temps with frost every morning for the past two weeks and daytime temps in high 30's to low 40's. The gang was out their in the run acting normal, even during the Nor'easter we just had. The insulated coop has not dropped below 35 degrees at night, it's usually between 40 and 45 degrees. So I'm guessing once the real winter temps settle in I'll be hanging heavy duty clear vinyl sheets on their run to keep it warm. (quick note: their run is covered with corrugated metal roofing)
I really enjoyed reading this interesting, informative article! I have heard how heat lamps can be a cause of fire and I definitely wouldn't use it. As long as my coop is well insulated with my 10 chickens, things should turn out fine!
I live in north Alabama and unless we have an exceptionally cold winter will probably not need to heat my coops, I hope. I have silkies, jersey giants and americanas. Can you give me an idea of the temp when heat becomes needed for each of these breeds? I am fairly new to this and don't want my babies to be uncomfortable.