Girls are roosting outside just when it starts getting cold? Help!

[Bantam bell Wood]

Also, definitely keep asking questions! I can't tell you how much time, energy, emotional distress, etc I would have been spared if I'd just asked questions before trying to figure things out for myself.

Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

How much did you wrap up? At least one "wall" of the run should be uncovered, with ample vents around the top of the others. I think a lot of folks overwinterize and it affects the ventilation throughout the entire area, so even if the coop hasn't been wrapped changing the airflow in the run may still affect the ventilation in the coop.

I “think” the ventilation adequate. I don’t have any pictures of the vents, but there is one on either side of the coop and they’re about 4 inches square?

Even with bantams you need to think about ventilation in square feet, not inches. Since it's on the front page today... https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/ But the reality is it's very hard to add ventilation to smaller, squatter coops due to lack of wall space.

 

[Anon112]

I’ll probably put the girls in tomorrow night if they try to roost outdoors, but keep your advice in mind for the average cold until I figure out what they’re doing.

How cold does it get where you are?

I would double check the ventilation in the coop, as per the advice above about not letting moisture build up in the coop. If they are not going in the coop, there's usually a reason.

Here temps get down to mainly the 20s, with wind chillls taking it to the single digits. Last winter there were a few -10 to -20 nights. Brutal (especially when you're not at all used to it!).

Here's another thought to consider: you want the chickens to be able to sleep with their feet fully tucked under them for warmth. I realized----for totally different reasons---that when my chickens sleep on top of their coop, the angle of the roof means that their feet/toes are more splayed out and not totally under their bodies. If they want to sleep in the open air, you might consider putting up a roost (a branch or a dowel) that they can sleep on with their feet fully tucked. You can hang this in the area of the coop where you feel they will be best protected from the wind.

 

[Bantam bell Wood]

How much did you wrap up? At least one "wall" of the run should be uncovered, with ample vents around the top of the others. I think a lot of folks overwinterize and it affects the ventilation throughout the entire area, so even if the coop hasn't been wrapped changing the airflow in the run may still affect the ventilation in the coop.

Even with bantams you need to think about ventilation in square feet, not inches. Since it's on the front page today... https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/ But the reality is it's very hard to add ventilation to smaller, squatter coops due to lack of wall space.

When it was actively snowing I left one and half walls of fenced run open and didn’t alter the coop area. When the snow finished I opened the run back up to three open walls of fencing.

I’ve blocked one wall for winter to keep the general winds at bay.

The coop is 12 feet square and the current run is 15 feet square, but only four feet high at its peak.

I’ll check the article.

I think the vents on either side of the coop are about 4x4 inches maybe (holding my fingers out) 5x5 inches.

It is frustrating that certain companies sell “chicken coops” that aren’t actually designed for chickens.

I appreciate the intel! Thank you.

 

[Bantam bell Wood]

I would double check the ventilation in the coop, as per the advice above about not letting moisture build up in the coop. If they are not going in the coop, there's usually a reason.

Here temps get down to mainly the 20s, with wind chillls taking it to the single digits. Last winter there were a few -10 to -20 nights. Brutal (especially when you're not at all used to it!).

Here's another thought to consider: you want the chickens to be able to sleep with their feet fully tucked under them for warmth. I realized----for totally different reasons---that when my chickens sleep on top of their coop, the angle of the roof means that their feet/toes are more splayed out and not totally under their bodies. If they want to sleep in the open air, you might consider putting up a roost (a branch or a dowel) that they can sleep on with their feet fully tucked. You can hang this in the area of the coop where you feel they will be best protected from the wind.

I appreciate that advice! I’ve read that chickens need a flat roost. The one in the coop is a rough cut 1x4 and the roost in the run is 2inches across flat. I will increase it to a 4 inch roost this weekend in case they really plan to sleep out there. What are your thoughts on that?

I will also inspect the coop for moisture build up in the morning, to better understand if that’s the issue. I am also curious about the deep litter I’ve been building in there. It’s clean, no odor or topical waste for any amount of time, but after reading about ventilation I’m wondering if the girls would prefer more room on the floor too.

I’m likely to break out the hack saw and do some modifying to vents/ventilation in general this weekend too.

I’m going to take the snow off the roof in the morning. Maybe that will help?

I just hope they’re not suffering because of my inexperience.

Thank you again.

 

[Anon112]

I appreciate that advice! I’ve read that chickens need a flat roost. The one in the coop is a rough cut 1x4 and the roost in the run is 2inches across flat. I will increase it to a 4 inch roost this weekend in case they really plan to sleep out there. What are your thoughts on that?

Honestly, my chickens love the branch I put up for them, and they also love this old board that has sort of a rounded off top edge.

You might want to put a post in the forum about coop construction. People much wiser and experienced than I am can give you advice on the best roost materials.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The coop is 12 feet square and the current run is 15 feet square, but only four feet high at its peak.

Is the run under/part of the coop the only run you have, or is there an additional larger one? Because if that's what's getting tarped, even partially, I can see that impacting airflow into the coop itself, as there's simply not a lot of air volume in the overall area.

Since I know it's winter it's probably impossible to address right now, but if that's the entirety of your run space, even for four bantams you're likely to run into behavioral issues as they get older. It's simply too tight. Even though bantams are smaller they can be as active as standard sized birds, so I'd still recommend sticking to the minimum of 10 sq ft per bird (or my personal recommendation is to not go smaller than 100 sq ft even with a small flock, both for the birds' well being as well as your ease of maintenance).

It is frustrating that certain companies sell “chicken coops” that aren’t actually designed for chickens.

In many cases they're designed for chicken, not chickenS. Lack of space (whether floor space or wall space for ventilation) is a big shortcoming of prefabs, unfortunately.

I will also inspect the coop for moisture build up in the morning, to better understand if that’s the issue. I am also curious about the deep litter I’ve been building in there. It’s clean, no odor or topical waste for any amount of time, but after reading about ventilation I’m wondering if the girls would prefer more room on the floor too.

12 sq ft coop (provided that does not include nest space) is probably enough for the birds you have as far as floor space, however you don't have the depth needed to do any form of deep litter (or more properly in this case, deep bedding) in there. Not sure what your clean out schedule is but provided the material is dry and not too soiled or smelly then however you're managing it is working fine.

 

[FrostRanger]

Thank you for the wisdom and advice! The pullets are bantams and when all four are on the roost they only fill it half way. I “think” the ventilation adequate. I don’t have any pictures of the vents, but there is one on either side of the coop and they’re about 4 inches square?

I took this picture of them roosting in the coop earlier this week.

Thank you for reiterating that they can stand the cold.

That's nowhere near enough ventilation. General rule of thumb is you want 4sqft of coop space, 1ft of roost space, 1-3sqft of ventilation and 10sqft of run space per bird at a bare minimum. Less than that and you're more likely to run into problems

 

[Bantam bell Wood]

Honestly, my chickens love the branch I put up for them, and they also love this old board that has sort of a rounded off top edge.

You might want to put a post in the forum about coop construction. People much wiser and experienced than I am can give you advice on the best roost materials.

Thank you! I will look for more advice. My girls clearly like the smaller (less wide) roost as it is now. I won’t be so quick to modify it yet. It makes sense that your chickens would like a branch, mine occasionally roost in trees near the coop. I have a lot to learn.

 

[Bantam bell Wood]

Is the run under/part of the coop the only run you have, or is there an additional larger one? Because if that's what's getting tarped, even partially, I can see that impacting airflow into the coop itself, as there's simply not a lot of air volume in the overall area.

Since I know it's winter it's probably impossible to address right now, but if that's the entirety of your run space, even for four bantams you're likely to run into behavioral issues as they get older. It's simply too tight. Even though bantams are smaller they can be as active as standard sized birds, so I'd still recommend sticking to the minimum of 10 sq ft per bird (or my personal recommendation is to not go smaller than 100 sq ft even with a small flock, both for the birds' well being as well as your ease of maintenance).

In many cases they're designed for chicken, not chickenS. Lack of space (whether floor space or wall space for ventilation) is a big shortcoming of prefabs, unfortunately.

12 sq ft coop (provided that does not include nest space) is probably enough for the birds you have as far as floor space, however you don't have the depth needed to do any form of deep litter (or more properly in this case, deep bedding) in there. Not sure what your clean out schedule is but provided the material is dry and not too soiled or smelly then however you're managing it is working fine.

I am in the process of finishing the larger run. The coop/run I have now does have that beneath the coop space that you’re describing. I’m confident I’ll have it finished before actual winter starts. I hope the birds can take another week, maybe two in the smaller run. So far, they are well ordered and I am not experiencing any issues with behavior. I’m concerned with getting the larger run together as soon as possible to avoid behavior or health issues.

I appreciate you pointing me in the direction of the articles yesterday. Sometimes when I log in I get an oops something went wrong message and don’t see the main page. The article helped.

Thank you again for your sound advice.