Freezing temps - should I keep chickens in coop?

[wantedman66]

[COLOR=000080]Great Answers: My Girls are free range and seek the coop when necessary. Chickens are not dumb as some may believe. They can smell, taste, and when necessary fly to some degree. Although my Gals do not like walking in snow very often, they will make an attempt to go out and run around.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000080]They will seek the shelter of the coop when they decide to do so and I have not lost one to the cold temperatures as a result.[/COLOR]

Me neither "knock on wood" and I agree they are not dumb but are a very routine oriented animal.

 

[mandy123]

And to think we at 38 degrees worry about the temperatures Get some cold winds off the mountains north of us in Oregon, and lots of rain. No snow, but we worry as it gets windy and temps lower. Biggest problems is light and laying season.. Many people have the problem. Its like a three month molt. Guess only thing left is to increase time amd size of bulb. then maybe some eggs. Maybe to much pampering! Mandy123

 

[dcloen]

Thank you very much for the replies. I appreciate how kind and helpful you all are. I love reading all the great posts. I think I definitely have been keeping it too warm in the coop.

 

[darina]

Thank you very much for the replies. I appreciate how kind and helpful you all are. I love reading all the great posts. I think I definitely have been keeping it too warm in the coop.

Welcome, dcloen,New Egg!

I felt the same way when I started reading and joining the forums. It feels great to get so much information and support.

 

[Cluckies]

Thank you very much for the replies. I appreciate how kind and helpful you all are. I love reading all the great posts. I think I definitely have been keeping it too warm in the coop.

If you've been keeping the coop real warm, I would lower the temperature very slowly so they don't have issues going from warm to cold as they may not be acclimated then.

 

[AnnieE]

My pop door is also open 24/7.  You have to differentiate between "draft" and "ventilation" - took forever for me to get that through my thick skull!  In my setup the pop door into their run is contained within a "tunnel".  It's like a 3 sided box turned on it's side, with open "top" of the box facing the run and one open side leading  into the coop.  They have to step inside the covered tunnel, then take a left turn into the coop.  And since our run is covered with plastic for winter, it keeps out the wind.  Fresh air is flowing in, not blowing in.  They can stand dry cold very well....it's moist cold and feather-ruffling drafts that are dangerous to them.

I have a tunnel too! Mines a completely covered right turn out of the coop into the run (the end is open). It took me shoving them up it the first night for them to understand it, lol, but now they trot up each evening w no problem.

 

[darina]

I have a tunnel between two runs. They haven't been using it much lately because the second run is not covered, so they don't want to go tromping through the snow. I think we have less than three inches now. I think the chicken tunnel is fun!

 

[ShelbyCoral]

You need to put straw or something in that run. How did she freeze to the ground? How long was she standing still?

I put fresh straw in every week because of moisture. She is in a cage because she keeps getting picked on and is sick.

 

[ShelbyCoral]

But I did have another chicken with frostbite on his foot. His foot is not doing well at all! This is why I keep my chickens inside the coop. (But I also have a coop big enough for 2 horses and I only have 30 chickens which most of are bantams)

 

[Melinda48]

We keep our "people door" shut during cold weather but always keep the little chicken door open during the day so they can come and go as they please. The handle to Coles very well!