At what temperature should I start shutting their window at night?

[kmlmgm]

Hi! This is my first go at chicken keeping, I live in upstate NY where the nights are starting to get chilly. Currently, my ladies have a big front wire-encased window on the front of their house. I keep it open at night for ventilation. It was 38 degrees here last night, tonight there is a frost warning. How cold does it get before I start shutting the window? No insulation otherwise on the shed and it is raised 3 feet off the ground.

 

[aart]

When the snow flies They have down coats and need to acclimate to colder temps by being exposed to them.

Just close windows to reduce any strong drafts, especially near roosts...but remember ventilation is just as (or more) important in cold temps as warm ones.

 

[jaj121159]

I would only shut the window if snow, freezing rain, strong winds etc. is going to be coming through the window. Maybe if it gets 15 or more degrees below zero. I second aart's statement on ventilation.

 

[CedarAcres]

I would only shut the window to prevent drafts or weather from getting inside, as others have said. Their feathers are amazing insulators!

 

[donrae]

What they said. The temperature really doesn't matter to chickens. Remember, folks raised birds in your area long before there was electricity! Dry is more important, and not having wind blowing on the birds.

 

[Messipaw]

I was just going to ask the same question. I have a coop with two front windows and a flip down vent window of the the back wall of the coop. The two front windows are across from the back vent. When should I start closing my windows?

 

[aart]

I was just going to ask the same question. I have a coop with two front windows and a flip down vent window of the the back wall of the coop. The two front windows are across from the back vent. When should I start closing my windows?

Well, so then, question already answered, right?

 

[JackE]

I'd say, it depends on the size of the window, and the design of your coop. My coop has two front, I guess you could call them windows. They are open year round. But, my coop is sixteen foot deep, and the roost area is in the back. So how big is your "Big window"? How far back is the roost area from them? Optimally, you would want the window as open as possible, for good ventilation. But, due to the coop's design, you may have to shutter it down a bit.

 

[Messipaw]

I have the Lancaster Chicken Coop with Nesting Boxes 72" x 54" x 74" Red. This is the pic below. What do you think?

 

[JackE]

I have the Lancaster Chicken Coop with Nesting Boxes 72" x 54" x 74" Red. This is the pic below. What do you think?

I would guess that the roosts are placed at the back of the coop. Seeing that those are not huge windows as they can only be opened half way, due to the top pane of glass, I would leave them open year round. The back vent you have, what are the dimensions of that? You may have to throttle that closed a bit, so you don't have cold air blasting through the coop. But, you do not want to close off everything. As you have read on the forum, you HAVE to maintain good ventilation. You don't want the chickens living in a wind tunnel, but you REALLY don't want them closed up in a sealed box in the winter. Nothing good comes from that.