How to keep my chickens warm and safe this winter!?

[groovy_chicken_girl]

Good Evening Y'all!
I live in the PA suburbs outside Philly, and tonight the temp is going down to 20 degree's Ferenheit! The winter night will tend to be around this chilly but I need some advice on how to keep my 5 ladies (saphire gems and this is their first winter!) Warm, Comfy, and SAFE through this uncharted territory. I am purchasing a new heated waterer for the day because with this sudden dip in temp the water tends to freeze in the morning. I've also heard of adding more bedding to help them keep warm and I close the coop door to retain heat. Our coop is not super large so their body heat should keep it a little warmer but there is so much conflicting information, its hard to know what is helpful. I do have a radiant heater that I could put in there with them at night (Producers Pride brand, that has a setting that turns it from horizontal chick heater to verticle chicken heater) however the risk of fire or danger feels too great.

I would like eventually to upgrade to a larger coop, but as off now I worry it would be too close to them if I put it in. Our coop is the Producer's Pride Sentinel Chicken Coop (we have an attached run for when they aren't free ranging so they have about 3 time of the space attached to roam during the day ) But one flaw of this coop is the lack of ventilation (which for a well known company, I was surprised by!) I also have a tarp over the coop for warmth but I am generally feeling anxious about them being too chilly! I know they are hardy though, and very tough chickens! Any idea on how I can help them out based on our situation? Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

20F isn't that cold at all for a chicken. The lack of ventilation is a bigger issue, as build up of moisture inside + cold is what leads to frostbite at higher temperature ranges.

 

[aart]

Our coop is not super large so their body heat should keep it a little warmer

This is a common misconception.
A dry coop with no direct strong wind/drafts and good ventilation will keep them healthy.

The lack of ventilation is a bigger issue, as build up of moisture inside + cold is what leads to frostbite at higher temperature ranges.

Ditto Dat!

 

[StinkyAcres]

Make sure there are no drafts where they sleep, lots of ventilation above their heads, and keep the heated waterer outside in the run to prevent moisture buildup and they will be fine down to below 0*F without a heater.

 

[3KillerBs]

We don't need to keep them warm, we just keep them dry and out of the wind and they keep themselves warm.

It's been in the mid-to-low 20's overnight here in central NC and I have 6-week-old babies in an open-air coop without heat. They're fine and waiting for me to bring the water back out.

Everything's arranged so that no wind blows on the birds.

 

[3KillerBs]

Here's my article on coop ventilation, which is just as critical in the winter as in the summer:

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

 

[Shadrach]

Good Evening Y'all!
I live in the PA suburbs outside Philly, and tonight the temp is going down to 20 degree's Ferenheit! The winter night will tend to be around this chilly but I need some advice on how to keep my 5 ladies (saphire gems and this is their first winter!) Warm, Comfy, and SAFE through this uncharted territory. I am purchasing a new heated waterer for the day because with this sudden dip in temp the water tends to freeze in the morning. I've also heard of adding more bedding to help them keep warm and I close the coop door to retain heat. Our coop is not super large so their body heat should keep it a little warmer but there is so much conflicting information, its hard to know what is helpful. I do have a radiant heater that I could put in there with them at night (Producers Pride brand, that has a setting that turns it from horizontal chick heater to verticle chicken heater) however the risk of fire or danger feels too great.

I would like eventually to upgrade to a larger coop, but as off now I worry it would be too close to them if I put it in. Our coop is the Producer's Pride Sentinel Chicken Coop (we have an attached run for when they aren't free ranging so they have about 3 time of the space attached to roam during the day ) But one flaw of this coop is the lack of ventilation (which for a well known company, I was surprised by!) I also have a tarp over the coop for warmth but I am generally feeling anxious about them being too chilly! I know they are hardy though, and very tough chickens! Any idea on how I can help them out based on our situation? Thanks!

Feed them! Food=Calories=heat.
An average chicken produces around 12 Watts.

 

[groovy_chicken_girl]

20F isn't that cold at all for a chicken. The lack of ventilation is a bigger issue, as build up of moisture inside + cold is what leads to frostbite at higher temperature ranges.

Great to know. I've had some idea's based on research on how to add more ventilation to the peak of the coop- thank you for your input!

 

[groovy_chicken_girl]

Here's my article on coop ventilation, which is just as critical in the winter as in the summer:

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

Thank you! That's a very helpful article

 

[groovy_chicken_girl]

Make sure there are no drafts where they sleep, lots of ventilation above their heads, and keep the heated waterer outside in the run to prevent moisture buildup and they will be fine down to below 0*F without a heater.

Thank you so much for the advice. I'll keep all that in mind while adding ventilation.