At What Temperature Do You Start Closing up the Coop?

[crittersitter]

It's starting to get quite cool here in the northeast at night. I have cold hardy breeds but was just curious, at what temp do you start locking them in for the night?

 

[bluie]

My coop is open all year in Long Island. Have had chickens for two winters and they are always fine. No added heat to the coop at all. I do put plastic over the windows and a plastic curtain over the coop door so they can still come and go, but I leave all the ventilation around the roof line of the coop totally open. They are tough.

 

[woodmort]

I've got all the casement windows open wide from the bottom now--like all summer--and we're getting into the upper 30's at night. Once we get frost every night--mid October, I'll lower the bottom/open the top to half way. When it snows I'll close the lower. When it gets to below zero I'll raise the upper to about 25% opening that'll do it--no heat except for the waterers.

 

[stonykill]

when it is below 20 every night I close off the vents ( large openings in the rafters, I'm more worried about the cold wind hitting the girls at night while on roost than the cold). Otherwise here in upstate NY near Albany, no added heat cept for the water heater. I have friends with birds who roost outside all winter long, and they handle the cold just fine. If you have a cold hardy breed, then I can't see a problem. I always look at it like this...... wild turkeys survive every winter to reproduce again in the spring. They don't have coops to get out of the cold.

 

[aprile]

Same here in mid-michigan. No heat except a bulb to keep the water from freezing. We do cover the windows to keep the wind and rain off the birds. But ventilation is a must. Some days in January or February when it is around zero or an intense cold snap we wont let the girls out. They stay in the coop with plenty of food and water and just mill about. This would only be for a day or two though, as they really enjoy sunbathing on a cold winter day!

 

[woodmort]

About the only reason my birds don't go out in the really cold weather is because I don't feel like going out to let them out and then close them up at night. Otherwise they'd spend all day outside except when the snow is really deep.

 

[elmo]

By "closing up" I assume you mean shutting windows that could let cold air blow on the chickens as they roost. I have small bantams, so I close the windows down at night when the temp starts to dip into the 40's. My birds are from a breed not known to be cold tolerant. The vents up by the top of the walls stay open or partially open all winter, though.

 

[crittersitter]

Thanks for all the replies. I should have been more specific. By "closing up" I meant do you actually close the coop door every night. I am currently closing their window at night but still leaving coop door wide open. I have proper ventilation for them but was just concerned about a constant draft on them once the temp drops if I were to leave the door open.They will not have a heated coop but will have heated water bowl.
It's going to be my first winter with them so I just wanted to check in with all the great folks on BYC.
Thanks again!

 

[elmo]

Quote:
A "constant draft on them once the temp drops" is exactly what you don't want in cold weather. Do you mean you leave the pop door (the chicken door) open all night, or do you have a larger door that you leave open?

 

[PhilErvin]

When the wind starts blowing around here I will close up the windows to keep the girls from being blown off the roost

and that is usually when the night time temps are getting pretty cool any how. I live in So Cal at about 3000 feet so our night time temps are lower than the rest of the state. But it won't get really cold until around Thanksgiving. My girls and roo stay warm during our coldest temps.