How cold hardy are Rhode Island Reds?

[morelcabin]

Quote:
What greathorse is saying is very true. My coop also has more than the adequate ventelation and my birds did great right up until -32C...then one of my roos got frostbte because he has huge wattles and comb. But if not for the comb and wattles my barred rocks all did fine and we went down to -40 in an uninsulated, very well ventelated coop. My silkies I did take in the house overnight after the cold had been steady -34 to -40 for three days straight.

 

[hagarwon]

The larger coop is half of a converted horse shed. The shed is 12' x 24' with 12' ceilings. I put 8" strips of plywood midway around the inside of the coop, about 4' above the ground. They usually always roost there. I had made a 4' x 4' plywood 3 sided enclosure within the shed but they hardly ever go there. The coop has a small door that opens onto a 12' x 12' wire enclosed outdoor area. The outdoor area has no grass but does have a lot of places to perch.

The smaller coop is one of those Amish made ones that has a bench about a foot off the ground on one side and nest boxes on the other with a small walkway (for me) between the two. In the smaller one they all crowd onto the bench but there really isn't enough room for them to stretch their legs inside. The smaller coop opens up onto a 25' x 25' enclosure which currently has grass (under the snow that is).

I was thinking of leaving them in the smaller coop year round and using the bigger coop for storage, but I'm not sure.

Do you think they would be better off in the smaller or larger unit?

 

[hagarwon]

I'm sorry, I didn't see the two previous posts before I wrote the last one.

Another question, with the RIRs I have 2 Lakenvelders and a Langshan which I don't believe are as cold hardy as the RIRs.

Does anyone know if the Lakenvelders and Langshan can stand the cold also?

Thank you

 

[moduckman]

Langshans are cold hearty. Most feather-legged birds do well in the cold.

 

[wings]

I'm a little confused. What is the lowest the coop can be before I have to turn on a red lamp? Also, I have a door to their run that is about 1 ft. by 1 ft. Will it be too drafty for them if that little door is open?

I used to be overly concerned with my peeps in the winter (it was my first winter with them), and I realized that they are waaayyy more hardy than what you think they are!

 

[morelcabin]

Quote:
I keep my pop door closed all winter, don't let them out because it is the floor draft from the pop door that will get them sick if anything does...and it gets really cold here. I didn't use the lamp until my birds were showing obvious signs of distress...that was at about -32C BUT that was in a large coop where they have room to run/flap/scratch to keep themselves warm

 

[PortageGirl]

Well, it really depends on your birds. A breed like RIR or NHR that was bred for a cold climate can manage cold well, if they are well acclimated to cold weather.

They still need a dry, well ventilated but draft free, secure place as a minimum, they're depending on you for that. They might still need a heat lamp or something of the sort of course. Access to plenty of water so they can stay hydrated, and good food also keeps them able to deal with cold weather.

Also, if they are used to a very warm area or climate, it doesn't matter what breed they are, you can't dump them into icy conditions! The gradual changing of the seasons allows them to build up for the winter weather.

Watch the birds and see how they act. There's no set temperature!

 

[Chicken of the Sea]

-28F here the night before last and my RIRs did fine in a well ventilated, unheated and uninsulated coop.

 

[JoeF]

I Have 2 coops, one coop with 10 RIR's and one coop with 8 silver Wyandotte's. Both breeds are considered to be EXTREAM cold hardy birds. Either will be absolutely fine in bitter cold temps as long as their coops are not drafty. I live in West Virginia and we get three months a year where the weather is very cold. This February we had a 10 day period where the high temp was 9 degrees and the low temp got down to -6, and all my bird where fine. As I said," These breeds are EXTREAM cold hardy birds". They have been bred specifically for bitter cold winters.

Now, ALL coops need to be well ventilated, so just make sure your vents are at the top of the coop where no bitter cold breezes from outside will be blowing on your chickies. I have 2 permanent vents at the top peaks of my coups which stay open year round. Then I have four 12 inch by 5 inch vents that can be opened and closed which I installed at the same height as the roosts, and these vents I close in winter and open in warm weather. Finally, I have two 24 x 24 windows that I open only in HOT weather. I put chicken wire inside the windows, so as to keep the chickens in and other critters out when those window are open.

Just remember, as long as there is not a cold draft blowing directly on your birds, Rhode Island Reds are built to withstand extreme biter cold winters.

With RIR's AND Wyandotte's there is no need for a heater or insulation.

 

[Sanchez]

Okay, I only have 4 RRs and my hen house is pretty small, 3/5/4 feet, it's 5 feet off the ground, inside half is about 6 to 8 inches of straw the other half under there perch is pine, the entrance doesn't face wind or rain, we do have a 3in circle hole that leds into a unheated shed for venalation, would that be enough for winter? My chicken coop itself 25by 8 ft and we put a tarp 1/4 of it by the hen house and a eve to catch rain water, the rest is straw, people tell me I don't need to heat these chickens, I think the coldest it gets mostly is 10 degrees, it's my first year and I never had an outside animal, does any one have suggestions about heating or is there anything more I need to do, strange but I'm pretty attached to these silly birds.