Another heat question

[StarLover21]

Hi,

I know people say that chickens should be fine in really cold temperatures 'as long as the coop has no drafts'. Well, in our coop, the whole front is open, and covered in hardware cloth. Well, last night it was 39 degrees...and we have six week old chicks. They are fully feathered...but they LOOKED really cold. And it was windy! So do you think they need a heat lamp or something like that? Or am I just worrying to much?
Thanks!

 

[pawsplus]

Maybe you should close the coop in! I can't imagine asking my chickens to spend cold nights in an open coop! At least put a tarp over the open parts for the winter (leaving gaps for ventilation).

 

[darin367]

i wouldnt worry about a light... but you should try and put some kind of board/plywood something to cover the front.... i use plywood with a hole cut into it so they can go in n out.... last winter we got down to 5-10 degrees for a week, i have no heat, no insulation etc... basically my coop is a plywood box....

 

[StarLover21]

Ok....hm...the coop is raised up on 'stilts' so I don't think I could just lean something against it. Do you think I could temporarily nail something on? Or would just a tarp work?

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
You will want to block the drafts/wind... use a tarp, canvas, anything that breathes but blocks the wind. They will be fine at that temp (mine have been down to 17F already without heat and are fine).

 

[StarLover21]

Ok, thanks, I will!

 

[silkiechicken]

I'd just tarp the front. All but the oldest or heavily moulting choose to sleep in the tractor part of their run under a tarp vs inside when it was in the teens.

 

[gritsar]

The south side of my larger coop is wide open, but covered in hardware cloth. To allow it to continue to get light during the day but still cut the wind we do as Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain suggested, we use the plastic like you would use to cover windows for the winter and staple it over the hardware cloth.

 

[GardenState38]

Quote:
You say last night was 39 degrees...how cold has it been on previous nights?
It's all well and good to say they don't need heat if they are given a chance to acclimate themselves, but a sudden temperature drop of 20 degrees or more doesn't exactly give them a chance to acclimate! I have no doubt they were uncomfortable if they hadn't experienced lows anywhere near that before!

Use your own common sense...

 

[GardenState38]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Quote:
You will want to block the drafts/wind... use a tarp, canvas, anything that breathes but blocks the wind. They will be fine at that temp (mine have been down to 17F already without heat and are fine).

Could we please see a picture of your coop or barn so that we can have an example of a structure that allows the chickens to comfortably survive an extended low of 17 degrees? It is 17 degrees outside, I presume--that is not the temperature in your unheated coop, certainly? I assume it is insulated?​