Preparing Your Flock & Coop for WINTER

[RedRidge]

Heat lamps, imo, are rarely a good idea. I currently have chicks and 2 litters of week old rabbits and I'm expecting 75 lambs over the next few weeks. Heat lamps prevent them from acclimating properly, encourage respiratory problems, and can be a fire hazard. Animals are simply hardier and more vigorous without heat lamps. I've raised thousands of each of these types of animals and heat lamp use had never proven a good idea.

 

[Sabz]

Hey RedRidge, I have chicks at the moment. I am waiting until they are fully feathered to transfer to the coop (and also waiting for a few mild days weather-wise).

If I put them in the coop when it's about 0 celcius and then it takes a few days before the temperature drops, you think they'll be without a lamp? I've brought them outside a few times already so they get a feeling of winter. The group together and fluff their feathers. They don't seem to be cold..

I have lamps (regular bulb though) in the coop but prefer not to use them!

 

[RedRidge]

Hey RedRidge, I have chicks at the moment. I am waiting until they are fully feathered to transfer to the coop (and also waiting for a few mild days weather-wise).

If I put them in the coop when it's about 0 celcius and then it takes a few days before the temperature drops, you think they'll be without a lamp? I've brought them outside a few times already so they get a feeling of winter. The group together and fluff their feathers. They don't seem to be cold..

I have lamps (regular bulb though) in the coop but prefer not to use them!

This totally depends on the hardiness of your genetics and how well acclimated they are. If "inside means 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit as opposed to simply "in the barn with a wind break, then it's going to take more to acclimate. If they are fluffed out then they are not warm... that is their way of bringing up their body temp. I'd do more intensive acclimating or you'll end up with em inside all winter.

 

[Sabz]

Arg! I thought "ok they are fluffed, they understand how to regulate their temperature". It's true that the mommies in the coop are not fluffed, they just lay down on their legs when they play outside and seem cold.

I'll move the chicks to the colder part of the house, where I keep the garden crops. At least if it can get down to say 5 degrees, versus outside -5, it should go better. Thanks.

As for the genetic, good point. I crossed a meat bird with a leghorn. I am going to study both breeds to understand how cold tolerant they are. I've never kept the meat birds in cold weather.

EDIT: fun fact. It's now -23C today lol. It was +7 about 6 days ago, all our snow melted. I suppose a sudden temperature drop like this is even hard for the adults. We have such a strange winter this year.

 

[bobbi-j]

Fluffing up keeps them warm. It traps their body heat in the down and feathers. Just like for us, it's better to wear several lighter layers instead of one big bulky item.

 

[Goronson Chicks]

My husband is also building a greenhouse @ our henhouse and run. We're in Maine and it's only 5 below here tonight. The enclosure is not completely finished - the doors are left to finish and then the perimeter will be done. Still have to fill in the rest of the roof. We got to it as quickly as we could. will send photos of ours when done. Hope it works.
Best,
Maureen

 

[ChickensInHugo]

We have 15 chickens in Minnesota, each is a different breed. We have an insulated coop and all of them are still healthy in their second winter. Some breeds are holding up better than others in the cold:

Our Best for the Cold
Red Star - still lays an egg almost every day
Rhode Island Red
New Hampshire Red
White Wyandotte
Golden Laced Wyandotte (rooster)
Black Cochin
Light Brahma
Black Australorp


OK in the cold
Black Jersey Giant - tiny bits of comb frostbite
White Jersey Giant - tiny bits of comb frostbite
White Rock - tiny bits of comb frostbite

Our worst in the cold
Silver Laced Polish - won't leave the coop during winter, quit laying eggs
Phoenix - Huddles with other chickens when bitter cold, quit laying eggs
Buff Rock - She has a huge comb, tips got some frostbite last winter
Red Cap - handles cold well but quit laying eggs

Overall, if we were just going to get chickens for egg production and cold tolerability, we would buy all Red Star chickens. Our Red Star from Murray McMurray hatchery tolerates the cold and lays the most eggs year round.

 

[Mrs. K]

Quote: I agree, I have one, and she is getting old and she is a laying machine, my flocks are going to have a few of these girls every year from now on......

 

[mtchickengal]

Me, too. Red star has missed about 3 days with no egg since last July. None of my other girls can compare. She is quite sociable, too. I have leghorns that are great at laying, but not cold hardy....they both have frostbite on their combs. They are kind of goof balls. They are so skittish, that they end up in the snow piles around the yard more than any of the others. They want food/treats, but are so afraid that they freak out & jump right in a snow pile! Their combs are huge. When it is 15 below, I think it is impossible to prevent frostbite completely. My black Australorps have been pretty consistent, too with laying this winter.

 

[Sabz]

Good review, ChickensInHugo. It's nice to be able to compare all these breeds!

My rooster's comb got frost bites last week We had many days around -30, -32Celcius.

I closed the coop windows because it was also very, very windy. I hope I did not cause the humidity to increase and thus, causing frost bites. My thermostat didn't work anymore at that temperature! It didn't show temp or humidity Guess I should have paid more than 3$ on ebay.

It's ok to close the windows at -30C right? I left some ventilation (not a lot) on the downside of the wind so it wouldn't cool down the coop as much. I opened them up as soon as it was sunny out.