New coop in Houston, TX. How cold is too cold for chickens?

[ltlchicken]

i've lived in houston since '87 and i don't ever recall it going down lower than the upper 20's and that's in the north side. i live on the south side and i can't remember ever getting in the 20's, even upper 20's. i would be more worried about the summer heat and humidity here. make sure there are lots of ventilation so if they have to go in the coop to lay, you don't want it to be hot in there.

 

[Buckeye71]

We've had the coldest Jan since they started recording temps here in northern Ohio. I'ts been well below freezing at night a few times this month and it hasn't even phased my ladies. I make sure to feed them crack corn in the evening and purchased a water heater, but other than doing that, they could care less about the cold it seems. I think you'll have to worry about heat more so than the cold where you live. My chickens seemed to show more discomfort in the hot summer months than they do in the winter.

I think you should be more concerned with ventilation than anything. The cold really doesn't seem to bother them much, and I'm not talking chilly, I mean COLD. We had a -20ish wind chill here a couple times this month with temps pretty much sub zero all month.

 

[redoak]

5 F is the magic number for me to turn on the heat lamp in my coop. The hens are fine at lower temps but my one rooster gets a touch of frostbite on his comb.

 

[MobileChickenCoops.com]

We live in the Texas Hill Country and I have open air coops because of the summer heat and have no problem with my hens in the cold. In fact they will often be out in the cold or occasional snow pecking and scratching for food. In Houston the heat will be your biggest enemy. however you build your coop build it with materials that won't absorb the heat. PVC plastic roofing is an excellent choice because it won't absorb the summer heat like shingles or tin will. Also paint it light colors. I don't use one but know several people that use a mister for their flock in the summer time.

 

[Foxhound lady]

We live just north of houston

Our coops are a 8x12 design with a hieght of 6.5 ft a tin roof, and horse wire and hardware cloth wrapped around. We have it covered on the north facing side and tarps on the east side to cut the wind.

when it get freezing at night they get a heat lamp and no problems so far

Since heat is your primary concren here the more open the better, you can always cover when it gets cold

Your going to need to bulid it like fort knox because of the racoon though

 

[patandchickens]

Make the windows closeable. Even if it's just panels that hook on, rather than 'real' sliding windows. I guarantee there will be a few days, at least, on which you need to keep a cold wind or cold rain out of the coop, and it is ever so much easier to have the arrangement ready to use than to go "oh poop, it is 8 pm and sleeting sideways, what shall I do"

Have fun,

Pat

 

[texaschick-a-dee]

I live a little south of Houston and just have a 3 sided shelter for my chickens. I only put heat lamps on if I have small chicks outdoors. Even now, I'm still getting 16 eggs a day from the 20 or so that are laying. Like others said, the summer heat will be your bigger problem.