Four bantams in winter, are they enough to keep warm?

[thecatumbrella]

I don't have the breeds you do, but have a flock of Silkies. The feathered coats they wear keep them plenty warm. (Live in zone 5)

Silkies are shockingly tough birds! I'm mostly worried about the d'Uccle. She's not as small as a Serama, but she's pretty svelte compared to the Pekins (or even a Silkie).

 

[ValkerieGunn]

My D'uccle did fine in zone 7 with an open air coop. As long as the feet stay dry they can cuddle if they are cold. As the lone bantam in a full size flock for 2 years he did pretty good.

 

[thecatumbrella]

My D'uccle did fine in zone 7 with an open air coop. As long as the feet stay dry they can cuddle if they are cold. As the lone bantam in a full size flock for 2 years he did pretty good.

Good to know. Mine definitely makes herself the filling in a Pekin sandwich every night!

 

[SkyAJK]

I have 2 Pekin bantam hens, they are feathered from face to toes. We are in winter at the moment and I have them in my dog travel box when the night fall into a single digit.

When I let them out in the morning, that is about 6am, they do not look comfortable.

Most night the temperature is minimum is 10C = 50F, they stay in their coop and I insulate it with cardboard inside so their space is actually smaller than the coop. Outside the coop I cover it also. I found that it keeps them warm.

I also housed my 2 Japanese bantam with my 2 Pekins and I found that my Japanese bantam do not cope well with the cold. However 4 of them being together keep them all warm.

This is their 2nd winter. I make sure they get extra feed and vitamin to take them through winter. I am learning how to care for these little birds as I go.

Edit from 2 to 4 of them housing together.

 

[thecatumbrella]

We are in winter at the moment and I have them in my dog travel box when the night fall into a single digit.

Do you bring the dog travel box inside for the night?

Thank you for sharing your experience. Mine have such heavy feathering, but they're still a very small bird underneath!

 

[SkyAJK]

Do you bring the dog travel box inside for the night?

Thank you for sharing your experience. Mine have such heavy feathering, but they're still a very small bird underneath!

I forgot the details, yes my dog travel box is inside the garage at night and it also has cardboard cover in 4 directions.

 

[Clucktown]

My bantam flock recently dropped from 7 to 4. This is my first year with them, and I want to make sure they'll be able to endure the winter as a small group in my setup. If not, I'll start making other arrangements.

-The Flock-
3 are Cochin (Pekin) Bantams. They'll weigh about 2 lbs, are almost pure feathers from head to toe, and have a smaller single comb. 1 is a d'Uccle. She weighs about 20 ounces, has a beards, muffs, and boots, but also a larger single comb that could be subject to frostbite.

-The Weather-
I'm in Zone 5 and winters can get into the single digits overnight. Coldest I've seen here is -20F.

-My Primary Setup-
I put polycarbonate panels around my covered run with 12" ventilation gaps at the top. My coop is inside the run. I have an Eglu Cube with wooden roost inserts for them to cover their feet and extra bedding. The Cube is surprisingly well ventilated in winter if you keep the number of chickens down. It keeps the drafts off them, and the smaller footprint (roosting side is about 2'x3') lets the birds raise the internal temp a degree or two. I've seen people mount a heated chick pad to the side wall for a little extra coziness, but I've never tested this myself. I know people will want to comment on the size of the coop, and I hear you (believe me), but it's a long story and this is what they're using right at this moment.

-Basement Setup-
I have a basement "coop" (it's a 3x8 stock tank). These birds aren't faring well on 95+ degree days, so they'll hang out in the basement setup for an afternoon and I'll put them out in the morning. I could obviously use it in the same way for winter during really cold snaps, if needed. I prefer not to, but I foolishly bought a small number of sensitive birds, so it's there for their use. I also see the irony of their basement coop being larger than their actual coop. It's a mess, I know.

-Potential Changes-
We might be able to build something for them before winter. I can't make any promises, but it would be a walk-in 5x6 that would allow for a sweeter heater above the roost bar.

Thoughts? I'm worried there's not enough bodies to keep warm. I also have zero experience overwintering bantams, so maybe they'll be fine. Let me know. And is there a minimum number of birds you would not go below?

Thanks for your help.

My bantams always came inside on cold nights and on hot days. We set up roosts in a dog crate. They were spoiled, especially since we are in SC and hardly see temps below freezing. Over the years I tried heating the coop with a Cozy Coop heater, but it was just easier to bring them inside and not worry about it.