coop open to the run at what temperatures?

[Angiebubs]

I have a barn coverted into a coop with an outside run. I have been opening the bard door for them in the morning and leaving them out until I get home from work at night (dusk). Since its a full regular door, and it blows cold air in, I am wondering at what point do I keep them closed up and inside? They have plenty of space and many choose to not even go outside. (12 x 24 ft inside for 15 chickens) At what tempurature do you keep them inside?

 

[fiddlebanshee]

I would leave the choice to the chickens. They can tolerate pretty low temps. Can you make a chicken-sized door in the people door or in one of the walls so that you don't have to open the people door all the way, and thus keep warmth in a bit more?

I open the popdoor at 4:30 am when it's still dark and most days I am back home at 5 or 5:30 when it is already dark and I close it for the night. There are days that I don't even see my chickens as they are still/already asleep when I deal with the door. I provide feed 24/7 in a large enough feeder that I don't have to fill everyday and I provide some greens/treats in bowls in the run in the morning that are empty when I come back in the evening.

 

[teach1rusl]

I 2nd the suggestion of cutting out a chicken sized pop door for them AND of then giving them the choice to stay in or go out, no matter the temps. I would only ever NOT give the option to go outside if a severe storm was blowing through (tornado season or blizzard type storm). A pop door gives them options, but helps the indoor area stay warmer (because there aren't drafts).

 

[BWKatz]

Ditto

Quote:

 

[Beekissed]

Ditto the pop door! I leave my pop door open all winter long, night and day. We get temps to zero and below at times but I still don't close it.

 

[nurse_turtle]

I don't even have a pop door on the coop with the run.

 

[wyododge]

We have a similar situation. I have a door that goes directly outside, and one that goes into the barn (3 sided shed actually). If it is blowing really hard, we keep the direct door closed, but the wind comes into the other one essentially the same, just has to make a couple of turns. It was 18 the other day and I left it open to get sun into the coop. ( I am having ventilation problems right now). The only reason we close the door is to keep snow and rain out. Hard to explain our set up you can see it on my page, the door into the barn (shed) is behind my nest boxes. You can see from the pictures of the front of the barn, it is pretty much wide open. I for one don't care much for pop doors, not really sure why. I guess I am an anti-popite...

You could always put a cinder block or something in the opening and strap the door so it wont open all the way. Bungies are our friends...

 

[Angiebubs]

wyododge-I have been propping the door (with the treat pan) so that it give a slight wind protection.


I'm nervous about a pop door for security reasons. We have pretty much every imaginable predator. Ive tried making a fortress for protection at night, and i hate to have one more door/opening for potential critters to get in.? How secure are they? And where do you buy them? FF, TSC?

 

[flgardengirl]

I would at least take a quick peek into the coop before locking that pop door at night. I have heard many horror stories of things getting locked into the coop at night even with a supposedly secure run. I have found huge snakes in mine curled up in the nestbox.

 

[runsw/scissors]

The chicken door (I guess that's a pop door?!

) is open 24/7 365. No matter what the temp is the door is open. Very few drafts too!

They have better down coats then I do! They'll be fine.

The coop is in an enclosed predator safe (NOTHING is predator proof!) run. So far so good.

Flagardengirl, I would have a heart attack!

I used to live in Jacksonville and it was the alligators that got to me. *shudders*