I know it's summer, but... Winterizing question inside.

bowen012

Chirping
7 Years
Jan 13, 2013
181
5
91
North Carolina
I'm currently building another coop based on this pallet coop design. While this coop seems to have a lot of ventilation, I wonder what steps should be taken during cold weather months to keep the chickens from getting chilled and/or freezing. Anything need done? Should I place my roosts and nesting boxes relatively low? Maybe plan on creating some cutouts that would partially block the wired space?

Suggestions are appreciated.
 
As long as there is good ventilation at a high place in the coop, you shouldn't have to worry about cold temps. What causes problems for them is lack of ventilation, which causes moist air and ammonia to build up in the coop. Chicken that get frostbite basically get it because of the humidity in the coop, not low temps, unless it gets way below zero. The other concern is no draft on the roost.

Here are some very good articles, written by a Canadian

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop
 
IDK.

The design is cute...and would work for some locations..... But.....

I have wind, those vents are large, and the roof overhang is small... The result is that, the bottom foot *inside* the coop would be snow.

Now, if it is in a sheltered location, and your rain doesn't come down sideways, it would be fine.

I can't remember, Virginia doesn't get that cold, does it? Totally blanking, sorry. But, in cold weather, with that coop, you would have to have to perches low enough so that there is no wind where the hens are standing.

I am not that worried about the amount of venting....I am worried that the way it is built, all of the weather will go in the coop.
 
I'm planning on making the overhang considerably larger and the pitch on the roof considerably less. Maybe I'll just do large rectangular vent areas and keep the cutout wood to make a weather shield of sorts.

Virginia has a relatively wide scope of temperatures. Up to 100 occasionally in the winter, but highs are usually 80s or low 90s. Cold can get to single digits. Rarely, but not unheard of, to get to 0 but never below. I think the lowest temp for the past several years has been high single digits. I'll allow for some sort of heat in the design of the coop as I finish up over the next few days (just in case). A little help with the elements is my coop placement on my property as it's almost under complete tree cover.

Thanks for the input as it's helped with some design changes in the finishing days.
 

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