Biggish coop, few birds, will it stay warm enough?

[aart]

@MiaS I think many have not realized you have a...

(Woods) coops

As you have heard, consistent ventilation without making your coop drafty/breezy,

A Woods coop is the ultimate in 'ventilation without drafts'.

 

[tayjamieson]

@MiaS I think many have not realized you have a...


A Woods coop is the ultimate in 'ventilation without drafts'.

That is the type of coop I personally have, but our winters don't drop too low regularly in Washington state. Usual temps are 20-50 degrees depending on the month in Winter.

 

[Alaskan]

also I have been told that high fat foods like scratch feed for example are great to give to your chickens in the winter, high fat helps them stay warm.

High fat food yes, are good when it gets below zero F.

However, high fat would be good oils mixed with their pellets, or actual fat trimmed from food,or fatty fish like salmon, etc..

Scratch is actually mostly starch and isn't so great for cold.

 

[MiaS]

@MiaS I think many have not realized you have a...


A Woods coop is the ultimate in 'ventilation without drafts'.

I hope so. I just have to figure out which windows to close or open and when. It is definitely pretty still in the back even with a gale blowing outside.

 

[aart]

I just have to figure out which windows to close or open and when. It is definitely pretty still in the back even with a gale blowing outside.

Close everything tight but the big front windows...well, and the pop door during the day.

 

[brendave]

I have a 6 x 10 Woods open air coop and had 5 chickens. They all did the same thing as yours and slept on one end of the roost. We had -20F and -30F days last winter and besides a little frost bite on my BO combs the hens did great. I kept food and water in the scratch shed portion of the coop and used about 10" of deep litter on the floor for days that they don't want to venture out. I would say you don't need to worry if you have a Woods coop.

 

[wamtazlady]

I am so jealous. I had never heard of the Woods coop until after I had mine built. I would definitely have considered one. They look great.

 

[MiaS]

Close everything tight but the big front windows...well, and the pop door during the day.

I have a 6 x 10 Woods open air coop and had 5 chickens. They all did the same thing as yours and slept on one end of the roost. We had -20F and -30F days last winter and besides a little frost bite on my BO combs the hens did great. I kept food and water in the scratch shed portion of the coop and used about 10" of deep litter on the floor for days that they don't want to venture out. I would say you don't need to worry if you have a Woods coop.
View attachment 1887985

Working up to that 10" of litter

 

[Ebony Rose]

Could order in some bales of straw and stack it in there to compartmentalize the space, and move it later in the season to block any points of entry for draftiness that you may discover.

 

[chickens really]

Hello I'm just west of Edmonton about 30 minutes. I run heat in my Coop once it's cold enough to freeze my water. I use rubber livestock bowls with the heat lamp over the water. Definitely my Coop isn't warm on the coldest winter days although my water doesn't freeze and my birds are not frozen.
I wrap my Runs in vapour barrier plastic to block out wind and snow.
Definitely last winter was terrible cold here for about 3 weeks of -30C weather..
I don't change feed at all during the cold.
I close up my vents that are facing North and the west ones.
Definitely you will figure out what works for your Birds as winter approaches.