Freezing temps - should I keep chickens in coop?

[Panache14]

I'm located in Fort Collins, CO and my girls always have the coop door open so they can go in and out as they please. There were a few days when it stayed bitterly cold and added snow that I thought they were about ready to give up on ever going outside again! Fortunately the sun came back out and they were happily moving around their enclosure today. As far as the heat lamp, what I actually did was hung mine above the coop (until it dipped into the Negative temps a few of mine roost on top of the coop instead of in it) which took the chill off for the ones sleeping on top and then when they all moved inside it provides a little warmth but I don't have to worry about the fire hazard with the shavings in the coop since the light isn't hitting them directly. It also might help with the person who had the chickens fighting and not sleeping because of the light, mine sleep just fine Anyway, just a suggestion for a different way to give them a little extra warmth. And I only have it on if the temp is going to be in the single digits or negative.

 

[dmbnj]

It's my first year with chickens, so I worry about them being too cold too. I have eight hens (3 orps, 2 RIR, 1 Ameracauna, 1 SL Wyandotte, 1 Marans) and one rooster (Cochin). I have a remote thermometer in their coop to keep an eye on things, but I don't plan to intervene at all. Their coop is 4wX8dx4-7' tall with two roosts (2x4 with the long side down) 4' long. I have a poop board with PDZ that I scoop out every other day or daily to keep the humidity down. Their food and waterer (5gal bucket horizontal nipple water with bird bath heater) is in the coop and does not leak at all. I have 1" rigid foam insulation in the walls of the coop and the rafters are open aside from some reflective bubble wrap insulation stapled between the rafters. Their run is 10'x24', and I wrapped both long sides with plastic sheeting to break the wind, and keep the snow out. It has clear roofing panels as well. So far I am the only one worried about the cold, except for my neighbor who called worried about the girls being cold. It seems like business as usual for the chickens. They still ask for their daily recess time, and were even venturing out for a bit in the snow today. The open rafters which are W-E facing do not seem to be introducing any significant breeze (wind chill), but are keeping humidity levels in line with the outside air. They get cracked corn before bed to keep them a bit warmer, but that is my only change in their routine care. I am trying really hard to refrain from providing any sort of electrical heat source. It's supposed to go down to 7 tomorrow nigh, so I guess we'll see how they fare. I haven't seen any drop in egg production, but they are eating more than usual.

 

[pickitfarm]

The only time ours want to stay in are when it is really windy. That they do not like. Though we are in SC it gets cold....It is going to be 16 tomorrow night. We have even seen snow and they come out in that and rain. Like someone said, chickens will do what they like. Just open the door and let them stay or run.

 

[beegirl4]

We live in Québec, Canada, and the temperature dropped to -30 celcius last night. Our coop is insulated and well ventilated but we decided to put a little heat (red heat lamp) just to maintain a nice temperature of around -10. We have a camera in the coop so we watched them with the light on and they wouldn't roost/sleep. The would wander around and just attack eachother which is unusual for them, they would chase eachother and peck eachother violently. We decided to turn off the light, but today we thought of putting a bit of aluminum foil to block out the red light if we decide to switch it on at night. Seems to do the

This makes sense. I have feathers from my EE everywhere. I think she was pecked like crazy. I think it was the light. I just turned it off- we'll see how they do.

 

[mmmeyer]

I leave it up the the hens, in out out in. the coop door is open but an extra strips of an old feed bag covers the doorway which the hens have learned to in and out of like the one in front of the nesting boxes. They were all out today( high 24). amazingly my easter egger have now started laying again. I hav'nt had an egg from the pair in over 3months. Now suddenly their laying again.
I know last year when we had all that extented cold temps there were days when the hen hung out in the coop all day long. To the point where i put food and water inside the coop.

 

[jochickenlady]

I live in Wisconsin (northern), It's been -35 windchill. We have an insulated coop, doors shut. A plexiglass chicken door (with weather stripping) to let natural light in. We also have a dimmer light to at least have a little light with a ceramic heater (fireproof).
We've left the door open a few time, they hate it, especially when there is snow on the ground. We make sure we go out there lots when it's so cold with snacks, let then walk around the shed.
If the chickens didn't have such a sweet set-up they'd be in my basement...

 

[Lepomis]

Mine don't like the wind ether. Even though they were out and about in their fenced pasture yesterday, they spent most of the time out the wind somewhere.

My coop has 3 different wood perches made from tree branches that are wide enough for them to sit on their feet and they are good about sitting in groups to keep each other warm. The attached 8x8 run is covered with 6mil clear plastic (roof and sides). The floor is coarse sand and with the plastic, most of it stays dry even with rain/snow and wind. I use a heated outdoor water bowl I got from the pet store and it's worked out well so far.

It snowed today and they were not happy about it all. I opened the door to their run this morning, but none of them ventured out to the pasture. They stayed in the run and coop. I even shuffled a path in the snow over to the horse trailer so they could walk over and peck around in the grass underneath, but nobody wanted to. Perhaps tomorrow they will get bored with staying in and decide to go back out.

 

[000]

I say let them go out, but put a heat-lamp in the nesting box area where they sleep. That way they have an option.

 

[bobbi-j]

If your chickens aren't out in the wind, "windchill" really doesn't mean anything. It's the ambient air temperature that counts. I've been out in the coops when it's been teens below, and it's really not that bad in there.

 

[amythyst myst]

Does anyone feed them differently for the colder temperatures?