Hot summers and cold winters

For the most part, they acclimate themselves. Just make sure your coop is well ventilated, perhaps adding a small solar fan to keep good air circulation in the summer. In the winter, just make sure they have plenty of bedding and adequate roosts, and that there are no drafts in the coop. The coldest I've ever dealt with is -15F but most northerners on here never use lamps in even colder temperatures!
Though I do give mine some frozen fruits and veggies in the summer and warm veggies in the winter, just for comfort. It's a nice treat!
 
Other than providing a clean, dry place out of the weather for winter and a clean, dry, shaded place in the summer, I don't think there is much else you need to do. Most chickens are pretty hardy and will adapt.
 
Shade will go a long ways in helping them stay cool in the summer. Make sure they have shade in the run and shading the coop along with a fan to move in the cooler air will make a big difference inside.

I acclimate my girls for winter by keeping the windows open as the night temps begin to drop in the fall. Let's them acclimate slowly and naturally. We had several spells of zero degrees and they all did just fine.
 
Even though we dont have very cold winters or very hot summers here in Holland, I build an extension to my coop for the summertime.

The origininal coop got a bit crowed with 3 hens and 6 medium chicks of 8 weeks old.
The ladies (mothers) started to lay eggs again with and left the nest. The ventilation in the old coop is not very good in warm weather. So I build a new part to it with two sides open. The south and east side with mainly warmer and dryer winds are open. The north and west side with cold and rain are closed.

A strange thing happened while I was building the coop extension. On the place where the new coop should come I had a frame with open panels (5x5 cm /2 x2 inch ) and a good size branche where they could sit on. While I made the extension coop the ladies suprised me when they stayed in the open panel part on a warm night. Now they enjoy the new part of the coop. On the warmer nights they sit close to the open east side. Now its a bit colder and they sit on the other west side of the branche.

I am curious what they will do when the weather gets nasty or cold. Will they go inside the old coop again?
 
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update: the chicks leave their nest.
Last night the 9 week old chicks slept on the branche in the half open coop too. Even thoug it was not a warm night.
 
I've seen a few recommendations in this thread about adding fans for the chickens. Where would you position it? I guess I would have thought a fan could cause a draft and would have been afraid to use it - but still coming to terms w/ the difference between "ventilation" vs. "drafts". (Newbie just trying to learn...)
For the most part, they acclimate themselves. Just make sure your coop is well ventilated, perhaps adding a small solar fan to keep good air circulation in the summer. In the winter, just make sure they have plenty of bedding and adequate roosts, and that there are no drafts in the coop. The coldest I've ever dealt with is -15F but most northerners on here never use lamps in even colder temperatures!
Though I do give mine some frozen fruits and veggies in the summer and warm veggies in the winter, just for comfort. It's a nice treat!
 
I've seen a few recommendations in this thread about adding fans for the chickens. Where would you position it? I guess I would have thought a fan could cause a draft and would have been afraid to use it - but still coming to terms w/ the difference between "ventilation" vs. "drafts". (Newbie just trying to learn...)
My vents are in the top of the coop, creating air exchange far above their heads where it will not touch the birds. The fan is facing outward, as to push hot air out, rather than having the air flow hitting the birds. Sort of like an attic fan.
 

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