How cold is too cold for chickens?

[Missyschix13]

Ok my BYC friends.....I have a question about the window on my coop. I've heard don't close it in the winter and I read to close it. I have one window. The roof is metal the vents to the exterior. Plus the pop door has an automatic door on it that isn't completely sealed. My concern about leaving it open is that it's at the height of the roosting bar potentially being a direct draft at night. Any thoughts?

 

[3KillerBs]

Ok my BYC friends.....I have a question about the window on my coop. I've heard don't close it in the winter and I read to close it. I have one window. The roof is metal the vents to the exterior. Plus the pop door has an automatic door on it that isn't completely sealed. My concern about leaving it open is that it's at the height of the roosting bar potentially being a direct draft at night. Any thoughts?

Have you read my article on ventilation?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

 

[Missyschix13]

Have you read my article on ventilation?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

First off @3KillerBs what a wonderfully written and illustrated article! It's perfect! Which as soon as I was done reading, I ran down and shut the window all the way. (It was only cracked open) The temps dropped here in PA way too quickly! I just want to say thank you! The image I screenshot is exactly my roof! My flock says thank you!

 

[K0k0shka]

Yeah close it if it’s at roost level (which most windows are).

 

[Missyschix13]

Yeah close it if it’s at roost level (which most windows are).

Thanks! This crazy weather is making it hard to manage. It was over 70 here two days ago....and then it snowed last night.

 

[3KillerBs]

First off @3KillerBs what a wonderfully written and illustrated article! It's perfect! Which as soon as I was done reading, I ran down and shut the window all the way. (It was only cracked open) The temps dropped here in PA way too quickly! I just want to say thank you! The image I screenshot is exactly my roof! My flock says thank you!

I'm glad it was helpful.

AirFLOW is critical, but it needs to be in the right place.

 

[K0k0shka]

Thanks! This crazy weather is making it hard to manage. It was over 70 here two days ago....and then it snowed last night.

It's been crazy over here, too. 20s at night now, but some days it goes past 70 during the day. I just closed one of my windows today, left the other one open because it tends to get stuck and really hurts my fingers trying to close it (poor design... it was a shed window from Amazon). My overhead ventilation is still open, just need to close that damn window that's right across from the chickens.

 

[Missyschix13]

It's been crazy over here, too. 20s at night now, but some days it goes past 70 during the day. I just closed one of my windows today, left the other one open because it tends to get stuck and really hurts my fingers trying to close it (poor design... it was a shed window from Amazon). My overhead ventilation is still open, just need to close that damn window that's right across from the chickens.

Gotta love north east weather! Good luck with the window. Hopefully it will warm up a bit and give you a another chance at closing the window without frozen fingers! Or maybe frozen fingers will dull the pain of trying to close it.....

 

[K0k0shka]

Gotta love north east weather! Good luck with the window. Hopefully it will warm up a bit and give you a another chance at closing the window without frozen fingers! Or maybe frozen fingers will dull the pain of trying to close it.....

Haha thanks! I was thinking a hammer might help more I'm not worried about most of my chickens, just one. She hasn't started molting yet, and it's already getting cold. Everybody else is either done or almost done (the ones old enough to molt anyway). She's my daughter's favorite, and I don't want her stripping naked at the wrong time and freezing her butt off...

 

[Missyschix13]

Haha thanks! I was thinking a hammer might help more I'm not worried about most of my chickens, just one. She hasn't started molting yet, and it's already getting cold. Everybody else is either done or almost done (the ones old enough to molt anyway). She's my daughter's favorite, and I don't want her stripping naked at the wrong time and freezing her butt off...

Hammer it is! Maybe she won't molt. That's definitely a concern though. Why is it the favorite one always causes the most trouble? My daughter's favorite is currently in the "sick bay"..... again. I've decided that this one is bottom of the pecking order and nutrition has become an issue. So we fatten her up and hopefully get her right before the temps drop too much and she becomes a house chicken