Please help end an argument!

[PirateGirl]

It would do you good to look into the deep litter method.

Maybe, but it it would involve a total redesign of the coop to keep the deep litter in! and in the run it all blows away I do throw what I scoop out into my compost bin though. I need to learn more about composting however, my climate makes it a bit more challenging than I feel it should be.

 

[Welshies]

Maybe, but it it would involve a total redesign of the coop to keep the deep litter in! and in the run it all blows away I do throw what I scoop out into my compost bin though. I need to learn more about composting however, my climate makes it a bit more challenging than I feel it should be.

Deep litter can work for any coop

 

[lazy gardener]

Not so much if the pop door sits on level with the plywood floor. Not so much for the short little doll house coops. Not so much for the hardware cloth floored coops. Otherwise, most coops can be set up to work with DL, even if it means rebuilding the pop door.

 

[Welshies]

Not so much if the pop door sits on level with the plywood floor. Not so much for the short little doll house coops. Not so much for the hardware cloth floored coops. Otherwise, most coops can be set up to work with DL, even if it means rebuilding the pop door.

Ah true, wire floor would be limiting.

 

[PirateGirl]

Deep litter can work for any coop[/QUOTE

I'm pretty sure you have not seen my coop. I'm sure deep litter can work in terms of composting, but my pop door is a hole in the floor of the coop due to prevailing winds, to keep deep litter from all just getting kicked out the hole, my coop will need some work first. Also the human door is the whole wall of the coop opening outward all the way down to floor level, again, to keep several inches of litter in, I'd need to work on my coop and install some sort of lip so it all isn't spilling out every time I open the door. The coop was built with ease of sweeping out all shavings in mind, the exact opposite of deep litter. They periodically either get swept down in the run to break down further or into the compost bin with other materials, also to break down further.

 

[Welshies]

.... whatever floats your boat.
All I'm saying is it CAN work. Maybe not now, but with modifications if you're willing.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

To answer your original question, Husband is wrong. Chickens are not stupid. If I were in your shoes I would open the doors and leave heat running. It will be cold in there of course but they will be able to get next to the heater when they need to get a warm up. This is a temporary fix to winter woes. They need a bigger coop for sure By next winter a proper coop will end your need for a heater. Or much less chickens in this one with the ventilation moved as someone said. We have some really great coop builds on here you can study on til spring ! Im no expert on building or ventilation or anything for that matter. Just what I would do.

 

[Welshies]

If you decide to rebuild I suggest insulating. The extra cost is so worth it my chickens have laid longer and been able to brood and hatch out chicks longer than before.

 

[bobbi-j]

They don't need closed inside. And you don't need to oil the combs. Using heat is doing them a disservice. They don't get a chance to develop that extra down needed for cold temps. And it is a big stress on them to go from a warmed coop to no heat outside.
What you do need is some more ventilation, well above roosting level. I can't see the inside of your coop, but it seem the only ventilation you've got on that coop is the windows, and they seem to be placed right at roost level. Which means if those are open, your birds are sitting in a daft zone.
Frostbite occurs when moisture inside the coop, from both their poo and from their breath, condenses on the comb and freezes. The best way to prevent this is good ventilation to circulate air through the coop. You really need to open up that coop all the way around the roof line, as much as possible.

Agreed with above post. You need lots of ventilation. Your coop is overcrowded. General recommendation for back yard flock is 4 s.f./bird in coop. This amount of space is needed to allow adequate room to disperse the copious amounts of moisture the birds produce both from respiration and from their poo. Ventilation needs: recommended 1 s.f./bird. You can see that it's practically impossible to meet these needs when the coop is small or overcrowded.

I really can't add anything. I just quoted these two posts because I totally agree with them. What I can share is my experience. When I first got chickens, I thought I was doing them a favor by locking them up tight in the coop all winter with a heat lamp. It was "warmish" in there, but they got frostbite anyway, and by spring developed respiratory problems. My chickens are so much healthier come spring after I learned that they need fresh air and ventilation during the winter, and a chance to go outside if they want to. I always give mine a choice. Well, not always. When it's in the -20's, I shut the pop door to keep the wind out. They may not seem to bright, but chickens really can discern whether or not they're cold.

 

[Welshies]

I really can't add anything. I just quoted these two posts because I totally agree with them. What I can share is my experience. When I first got chickens, I thought I was doing them a favor by locking them up tight in the coop all winter with a heat lamp. It was "warmish" in there, but they got frostbite anyway, and by spring developed respiratory problems. My chickens are so much healthier come spring after I learned that they need fresh air and ventilation during the winter, and a chance to go outside if they want to. I always give mine a choice. Well, not always. When it's in the -20's, I shut the pop door to keep the wind out. They may not seem to bright, but chickens really can discern whether or not they're cold.

Agreed. My coop has plenty of ventilation and in -40° I have had no frostbite.