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Please help me! Cold climate.

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Again, try to look past the mess. There's a large window on the south side that might be nice for the chickens to get some sunshine.
 
Koiandchicks said:
I'm brand new to this. I'm sure there's discussion about this but I am having trouble finding the right answer. First I live in Ohio. This past winter we dipped down to - 20 degrees below zero. We're building a coop from scratch. I found a picture of one I like with 3 sides wood and the fourth side is all framed hardware cloth. I'm guessing it's an 8 foot by 8 foot cube with a slanted roof. We have 10 chicks now ( currently in our house) do I need to cover the 4 the side or partially cover it next winter when the hen's are outside for the winter. I'm nervous about the cold and love my little chicks so much. I need suggestions and assurance, especially from people who understand keeping chickens in the Midwest cold.
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I live in Northern NY. Farms keeping chickens year 'round here have their chicken coops built on to the farm house and share the indoor temps, like a mud room or an attached wood shed. If we get in a bitter cold spell, they can leave the door between the house and the chicken open to supplement heat.
You're right to be nervous. If you couldn't live in your chicken coop set through winter, you can expect your chickens can't either. Some colder climates still south of me get away with pilling the floor bedding extra thick to prevent frost bitten feet. But chickens live in the same temperature range as we do. If you want them comfortable, keep them about same temp as you have in your house, 65F to 70F. If you have long enough heating daylight and your winter days aren't mostly cloudy, you might be able to get away with chicken house that is heated with sun exposure. But if your nights are too long, like mine, it will get very cold at night.
A small window can let in sunlight for their circadian rhythms.
You could always install a small wood stove heater and fence it so they can't touch it for when your winters get worse than your hen house can protect them from. Be careful about heat sources. Chickens are very sensitive to toxic fumes and some can kill them quickly. Don't smoke a Teflon pan around them, for example.
 
aart said:
Oh, that's not true.
They don't need an environment as warm as humans do.
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x2. What's funny here is that I am the insulation advocate. Being from Alaska it just makes sense to me. But there is no chance I'd put a heater in my coop, even in Alaska. I was worried that my horse was cold and I installed a big heater. The moment I opened the barn door he took off for the -30 outside. Animals with coats on, whether fur or feather don't want extra heat like we do.
 
It's really hard to 'hold in heat' and let ammonia (which rises) escape at the same time.

One thing if you have freezing temps is be sure to have a plan for keeping water unfrozen. If you go with something heated you'll need electricity. Otherwise, plan on making several trips with fresh water throughout the day when it's really cold.
 

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