Help! Winter chicken keeping in certral Alberta Canada!

[song of joy]

It sounds like you have a very good set-up in your coop and have thought this through, right down to the important details. The best source of heat is the chickens themselves. I've put my hand between roosting chickens in mid-winter and was really surprised at how warm it was.

 

[chickens really]

I am so glad I joined BYC!
everyone is so nice! Its great !

I will leave them as they are then!

 

[DarkDoctrines]

Dearest Calgary Farmer,

I live in Edmonton and recently started a chicken co-op project in my backyard. However, with winter approaching I am slightly freaking out. Can you share some of your experiences on how to make sure the chickens will be OK in the winter?

Can they get by without heating? Does insulating the co-op make a difference? How about when it gets really cold, do they stay inside all day?

Regards,
A.

 

[Mrs. K]

Do not worry about heat, instead thing DRY. Dry chickens are warm chickens. Damp chickens are cold. Think about being in an unheated car in the winter, almost immediately they windows fog up. It is not long until everything is damp. That is what you want to avoid.

How? By opening up the ventilation, not closing it down. Chickens need to have shelter from the prevailing wind, and dry.

I have successfully kept my chickens just fine at -35 degrees F.

Mrs K