Keeping chickens warm in Minnesota winters

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spiritpots said:
Thank you everyone for your comments! I have not wanted to add any heat and your insights give me the assurance that my small flock will be fine without it. I have at least 3 sq. ft. of venting that is always open (not viewable in the photos) but I will open the windows to add more. The coop and run are very predator-proof with double locks on all doors and hardware cloth everywhere (if I never have to attach or bury hardware cloth again I will be a happy woman!) so leaving the pop door open unless it's really cold sounds like a great idea and is an easy way to add ventilation. The girls are very active and I check for eggs regularly during the day so will definitely be able to address any health issues that may come up right away.

Now if I could just convince them that free ranging in winter is fun and that it really is OK for them to walk on the snow if they'd like!
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Mine will go out where there's hay on the ground mostly. The older hens generally stick to the shed most of the winter where my younger ones are more adventurous, and go outside daily.
 
They are all 7-8 months old and fully feathered. The brown leghorn began laying about two weeks ago and I expect the others will start once our days get longer. We have 9 hours of daylight now so I'm looking forward to longer days as well!
 
spiritpots said:
They are all 7-8 months old and fully feathered. The brown leghorn began laying about two weeks ago and I expect the others will start once our days get longer. We have 9 hours of daylight now so I'm looking forward to longer days as well!
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It is crazy this time of year. My chickens all go to roost at 3:30 to 4. I'm looking forward to more light too.
 
I live in Northern Montana. Last year it got down to -22. At that temperature the chickens are outside in their run. They are eating and drinking and pecking just like chickens are supposed to do. They show no signs of being miserable or cold. The coop they are in is not insulated and not heated. Have 10 square feet of ventilation that is open year round. Windows are closed in winter.

People should worry more about their birds in the summer. Cold weather is easier for them to handle than heat. Just imagine wearing a down coat when it is 90 degrees outside. Watch those sparrows flitting around in the trees during the winter. They seem perfectly happy being birds.
 
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on the side note, getting them to walk on snow. I bed my run with old waste hay. If a storm is coming, I will spend just a few minutes and make mini hay stacks, then after the snow, I just flip it from the stack on top of the snow, and right out my girls will come. And before long, they accept snow.
 
I truly appreciate all of your comments! I put some straw out this morning and they ventured out. Finally!
snow birds.JPG
 
DoeAndGander said:
Beautiful ladies!! Love the coop. How are they doing so far? I’ll be putting my 4 in their non-insulated coop hopefully tomorrow. I’m about half hour south of Twin Cities.
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They are doing great. I've been leaving the pop door open at night and will continue to do so unless it gets below zero like @bobbi-j mentioned. The coop is very dry so I'm pretty sure my ventilation is good. I've been propping the windows open a bit on mild days. I'll keep you posted!
 

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