If you don't insulate...how do you prepare for winter?

[Penny spender]

I have a small coop (4x6 interior, with 6x10 attached run) and plan to be up to 6 hens by winter (wyandotte/easter egger types). I live in Ontario and average Jan/Feb temps are -10C to -15C but -30C isn't unheard of and windchill can be horrid! I'm on the fence about insulating. My plan is to move the coop to the east side of the barn where it would be fairly sheltered from the nasty winter west wind. I also plan to get rolls of clear plastic and cover the entire run so that they have light but are still protected from the worst of the winter wind and snow. What else could I do to prepare the coop if I don't want to insulate??

 

[Tlmcq]

Make sure you leave ventilation if you cover in plastic. What breeds are your hens?

 

[Penny spender]

Make sure you leave ventilation if you cover in plastic. What breeds are your hens?

Wyandotte/easter egger types as far as I can tell. They came from a backyard dual purpose mixed flock.

The coop part itself has good ventilation and I will leave lots of ventilation when I cover the run in plastic, I'm just worried about keeping the worst of the wind at bay.

 

[Tlmcq]

I live in Ohio. We have about the same weather as you do there. Both of those breeds are cold Hardy birds. You won't need to insulate as long as your coop allows for them to not be in direct contact of wind. They will huddle together outta the wind to stay warm. Is your coop wood? If so, your ladies will be fine. Wood stays much warmer than metal in winter. If you're super worried about it you can stack bales of straw along outside wall of the coop to block to block wind

 

[aart]

plan to be up to 6 hens by winter (wyandotte/easter egger types).

How many do you have now?
Is this your first winter with chickens?
I'd not add any until spring, 6 would be tight.

Moving the coop to block west wind is a great idea.

I assume your run has a solid cover?
Oh, I guess not...https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/age-old-question-how-many.1199297/
Yeah, don't add any more......stick with the 4 you have.

 

[Penny spender]

Yes, my first winter with chickens.
I was thinking that 4 wouldn't generate enough body heat to keep them warm on those crappy days.

 

[biophiliac]

Yes, my first winter with chickens.
I was thinking that 4 wouldn't generate enough body heat to keep them warm on those crappy days.

Hens generate enough heat to keep themselves warm underneath their heat trapping feathers. They don't generate heat for the coop. You have taken the right steps to keep them out of the wind.

 

[biophiliac]

Wyandotte/easter egger types as far as I can tell. They came from a backyard dual purpose mixed flock.

The coop part itself has good ventilation and I will leave lots of ventilation when I cover the run in plastic, I'm just worried about keeping the worst of the wind at bay.

You can test the ventilation by hanging some lengths of yarn from the top of the coop to help you visualize the air flow .. I've seen this somewhere on this forum.
For the run I enclosed only 3 sides - leaving south open. I had no roof on the run either so had to clear some snow ... tossed down some hay for then to walk on an pick thru to keep them busy.

 

[Hokum Coco]

What else could I do to prepare the coop if I don't want to insulate??

I supply my hen's with an extra feeder of whole corn. I am subject to -40º Arctic Conditions at times.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think you have covered most of what you can do to get ready for winter. Protect them from wind. Mine hate a cold wind. A warm summer wind or even a cool wind aren’t a problem but they don’t want to be out in a strong wind when it’s freezing or below any more than you do. A gentle wind movement, like the ”draft” you can get around a window or door in your house if it’s not sealed tight, is a good thing. That air movement doesn’t bother them any more than it bothers you and it helps get moisture out of the coop. It’s when that becomes a breeze that you can have problems.

Keep snow out of the run. When chickens wake up to a white world they generally won’t go out into it, they really don’t like change. After two or three days mine will but I have a large open area with grass for them to forage on the parts sticking out of the snow. Your run doesn’t have that so they have no reason to go out.

Another option after a snow is to shovel (not me but some people will do it) or put something on top of the snow for them to walk on. Straw, hay, wood shavings, dried leaves, pallets, wood boards, something like that.

Good ventilation, preferably up high so it doesn’t allow a breeze, is important. And dry is important. Your biggest risk in freezing temperatures is not that they will freeze to death but that they will get frostbite. They can easily get frostbite in a damp coop with temperatures just below freezing. In a dry coop they can handle temperatures well below freezing. Good ventilation with slight air movement helps get the moisture from their breath, poop, and any water out of the coop.

They do not need a warm spot, they need a spot where they can keep themselves warm with their down coat. That spot needs to be dry, ventilated, and out of the wind. That’s it, they can handle the rest.

I agree you do not need to add any more chickens to help keep them warm. If you decide to add more, wait until next spring or summer when you have better weather and they can spread out more. Looking at your other thread it’s quite possible you will experience some pecking order issues as that 6-week-old matures. You may be fine, you just don’t know how these things will go, but don’t complicate it by adding even more chickens.

Good luck!