How much room do they need???

[CKfarm22]

I guess what I've been told is all wrong, the old people up here told me I needed a small coop so the body heat would keep them warm, and to just give them snow mixed with cayenne pepper to keep em warm

If they’re cold, they have ways on warming themselves. Including huddling together, tucking their feet in and also tucking their head into their wings. Small coop = not any better for “body heat”.

Cayenne pepper is used for slow laying birds not frostbite or to “warm them up”

 

[Tundrawooky]

It's funny the local chicken keepers around here all say "cayenne pepper" like it's a magic chicken warmer.

 

[CKfarm22]

It's funny the local chicken keepers around here all say "cayenne pepper" like it's a magic chicken warmer.

Nope not at all.

 

[Goingone]

To remain in the positive, that’s a cute little chicken wagon It is too small, though, for 3 hens. Imagine 3 girls or women that you know sharing a House that’s the size of your bathroom. Yes, those women can spend time in their yard once a day, but the rest of the time they’re cooped up together in that ‘bathroom sized room’ together. Those women in that imagining, along with those real life hens, need & deserve more out of life when it comes to the size of their home.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Eating snow will lower their body temperature, chill them and possibly lead to death. In cold temps they need warm water. Room to move around and exercise will keep them warm. One square foot of space is not enough. You can pack people into space like that, too, all day, every day, but it is not healthy or good. Like people, chickens need exercise, fresh air, and physical and mental stimulation. Crowded conditions can lead to frustration, anxiety and cannibalism in chickens. Think about what wild birds need and endure when planning your coop. Fresh air won't hurt them even if it's cold, as long as they don't get wet. Nature knows best.

 

[3KillerBs]

It's funny the local chicken keepers around here all say "cayenne pepper" like it's a magic chicken warmer.

Chickens don't even have the necessary chemical receptors to detect the heat from hot peppers. That's why people can put hot peppers into their bird feeders to keep the squirrels out.

IIRC, some people have tried it in chicken feeders to keep rats and mice out too. But the chickens can't tell it's there.

 

[Tundrawooky]

I will be building a larger home for them before winter, right now they just sleep in that space and they free range during the day so it's not an issue. As I said earlier "these aren't people"...... Try to take the emotion out of it.

 

[saysfaa]

No, they are not people. They are social beings, though, who react to each others social cues. If people take all frustration, irritation, anger, or any other emotion out of interpreting what they do; the chickens still consistently do the same patterns of behavior. How quickly it escalates from eye contact and light pecking to overt posturing to actively chasing, yanking feathers out, and damaging pecking depends on one side and avoiding movement, food, and water on the other side depends on the individuals' reactiveness and circumstances.

I hope you have success with your chickens.

 

[MeanCheek]

As I said earlier "these aren't people"...... Try to take the emotion out of it.

Just my worthless opinion, but I don't the emotion should be taken out of anything that has to do with live creatures. They aren't people but they are alive

 

[Alaskan]

Good advice thanks! We do get routing cold snaps of-40 and -50 that last for weeks. My garage is +50 during the winter. Would the birds get sick if I kick them out to peck sunflower seeds out of the snow?

Huh... going from +50 to -50 is maybe too much of a swing???

I have never had that big of a temperature difference at my place...

My chickens have a big coop connected to an outside run as well as a greenhouse.

The colder it gets the less they choose to go out. By the time we get to -20F I don't think they ever enter the run, unless there is ZERO wind. And even then, they do not go into the run for long.

So.... I guess I am saying that at -30F and colder, they will want to have zero wind, which means no, they will NOT want to go outside and scratch about in the snow.

If you can make a run and wall it with clear or clear-ish plastic, that will give them a wind free area that they are much more likely to want to use. It is best if you wall up all sides, and roof, but then have a single side that is mostly open. This way, even with a huge open end, since it is the only opening, there is zero draft, but still good ventilation.

As to giving them snow to drink, MANY people do that! It can be fully successful. However, drinking snow is more taxing on their bodies since their body then has to warm up the snow. So, giving them only snow to drink will increase how much feed they need to eat.

Talking of feed, I do think, especially at your latitude, that you should put a light on a timer for them, so they have 10 hours of light. They will not eat in the dark. The colder it gets the more they will eat.

But really.... at your temps, and with only 3 hens.... I think I would figure out a way to keep them in the garage 24/7 as soon as it starts to stay below -20F for long periods. You could even set up a cool series of cages in the garage, each cage connected to the next by a tunnel. Like a hamster cage. Might help utilize the garage space more effectively, and give them the space they need to stay healthy.

As to ventilation.... if you are having issues figuring that out... I would suggest opening up the garage door for an hour every morning... that will help, might kill you on the electric bill though. .. unless you heat with wood or coal???