New chicken momma

[Tbshreve]

Hey everyone & thank you for adding me to the group! I’ve learned a lot from you site already!
I have 3 chicks - got them from Meyers hatchery as day old girls: a Brahma (Davina), a blue Orpington (Luna), and a salmon faverolle (Sammie). The are 7 weeks old & still in the garage in a dog kennel that is enclosed & @ 4 ft in diameter. I’ve turned off their brooder / heating plate. I’m worried because it’s fall & the temps are getting down in the 30s. My coop is a good one - the roof is metal & I have 1/4” hardware cloth under the roof for predator protection. I didn’t insulate it - any suggestions on how to insulate & keep the moisture down & also on when is a good time to move the girls to their coop? All together the roosting coop is 5x5 & the attached run is 5x6 - they will mainly be in unless I supervise them for a morning forage.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us
The key to birds staying warm in winter is draft free ventilation. At least 1 sq ft per bird. They also need to stay dry and flat 2x4 roosts help prevent frost bit toes. Nice job on your coop.

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Hi @Tbshreve Welcome to BYC!!! I'm glad you decided to join us!

 

[Melky]

Your size of space is fine. Increasing bedding thickness and adding straw for winter can help. Keeping it draft free clean and dry are essential to preventing frostbite and ammonia build up due to manure. See articles section for coop winterizing. There are other wonderful articles to read. Have Fun and Welcome!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/winter-coop-temperatures.47763/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/

 

[Tbshreve]

Hey everyone & thank you for adding me to the group! I’ve learned a lot from you site already!
I have 3 chicks - got them from Meyers hatchery as day old girls: a Brahma (Davina), a blue Orpington (Luna), and a salmon faverolle (Sammie). The are 7 weeks old & still in the garage in a dog kennel that is enclosed & @ 4 ft in diameter. I’ve turned off their brooder / heating plate. I’m worried because it’s fall & the temps are getting down in the 30s. My coop is a good one - the roof is metal & I have 1/4” hardware cloth under the roof for predator protection. I didn’t insulate it - any suggestions on how to insulate & keep the moisture down & also on when is a good time to move the girls to their coop? All together the roosting coop is 5x5 & the attached run is 5x6 - they will mainly be in unless I supervise them for a morning forage.

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us
The key to birds staying warm in winter is draft free ventilation. At least 1 sq ft per bird. They also need to stay dry and flat 2x4 roosts help prevent frost bit toes. Nice job on your coop.

i posted interior pics just a minute ago = should I sandwich a metal building insulation between the hardware cloth & metal roof?

 

[Tbshreve]

Your size of space is fine. Increasing bedding thickness and adding straw for winter can help. Keeping it draft free clean and dry are essential to preventing frostbite and ammonia build up due to manure. See articles section for coop winterizing. There are other wonderful articles to read. Have Fun and Welcome!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/winter-coop-temperatures.47763/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/

I have about 6” of pine shavings & am thinking about the deep littler method for the winter.

 

[rjohns39]

What part of the world are you in and what's your winter weather like? I'm not sure one way or the other if you'll need insulation.

 

[Tbshreve]

View attachment 1566982 View attachment 1566983 View attachment 1566984 View attachment 1566985 View attachment 1566986

 

[Melky]

While using deep litter method be careful as poop still needs to be managed and composted to remove the ammonia in the manure to prevent ammonia toxicity in chickens. Use of an odor eliminator compost assist granules like Dookashi help.

 

[Tbshreve]

What part of the world are you in and what's your winter weather like? I'm not sure one way or the other if you'll need insulation.

I’m in the southeast = Knoxville, Tennessee = we never know what the winter will be like - constantly changes here = typically cold temps for us are Jan - march & can get down below 0 at times - snow isn’t consistent & hasn’t accumulated more than 4” in years.