worrywart
Chirping
I recently began using lighting to keep egg production high during the cold winter months. I live at 7,000 feet in the eastern Sierra so it's a dry, cold winter environment with lots of sun, speckled with some intense winter snowstorm that can leave anywhere between 6-36" at a time. Because we can have brutal winter storms occasionally I talked my husband into getting a coop cam, so I don't have to trek outside to check them in a blizzard. Upon installing the cam, I was shocked to find that the birds upon waking at 3:30 am go right outside. I have an aviary type run that is enclosed on all sides (underneath included) and predator proof so I have left their pop door as a clear car mat with some slits cut in it to block the drafts but allows them free access at all times to the outdoors.
Last night at 3:30 when the light came on they once again jumped up and ventured outside as our first winter system blew in and I was worried they were going to get cold in the wind. I do have wind breaks in the run on the North and West sides but still seems a little odd to me. So my concern is that tonight the temps are supposed to drop a bit more and be about 23 or so, and I'm unsure if the chickens stay inside the coop once it's cold enough or do I need to make a quick pop door to keep them inside until daybreak?
Here is a pic of their coop before it was sided, you can see the pop door with the ramp leading out of it. THe door faces east and the prevailing winds are from the N/NW. I use a soft while ecobulb (40W) equivalent that puts out 300 lumens in about the 3,000 K range)
Originally I had a 70 W incandescent and I thought it was too bright which is why the birds were going outside in the middle of the night. So I have replaced it with the more subtle light. I do not heat the coop and it's only slightly insulated. (I intalled some reflective type insulation on the roof) Coop dimensions are 3ft x 6ft, By 3-4 feet tall, their perch is 18" off the floor)
Run 8 x8. I have 5 cold hardy birds
Thanks....told you I was a worrywart!
Last night at 3:30 when the light came on they once again jumped up and ventured outside as our first winter system blew in and I was worried they were going to get cold in the wind. I do have wind breaks in the run on the North and West sides but still seems a little odd to me. So my concern is that tonight the temps are supposed to drop a bit more and be about 23 or so, and I'm unsure if the chickens stay inside the coop once it's cold enough or do I need to make a quick pop door to keep them inside until daybreak?
Here is a pic of their coop before it was sided, you can see the pop door with the ramp leading out of it. THe door faces east and the prevailing winds are from the N/NW. I use a soft while ecobulb (40W) equivalent that puts out 300 lumens in about the 3,000 K range)
Originally I had a 70 W incandescent and I thought it was too bright which is why the birds were going outside in the middle of the night. So I have replaced it with the more subtle light. I do not heat the coop and it's only slightly insulated. (I intalled some reflective type insulation on the roof) Coop dimensions are 3ft x 6ft, By 3-4 feet tall, their perch is 18" off the floor)
Run 8 x8. I have 5 cold hardy birds
Thanks....told you I was a worrywart!
