Prepping For A Temperature Plunge Next Week

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Hello! We've had a relatively mild winter here in SWVA, however, we are expecting temps to drop next week, and I'm worried about my flock:

First of all, is this an extreme enough drop that I need additional interventions like keeping them in the basement overnight (unfinished & not temp controlled but naturally milder than outdoors)? I'd prefer not to, but will absolutely if they're at risk. Their coop is not insulated, though I have a wool blanket draped over it with a heavy duty tarp on top. There's pretty deep bedding (shavings) inside, with straw bales around the outside of the coop. There is ventilation, but they should be out of wind/the elements. I'll also be putting up wind blocks around the run.

My chickens are all going on 4 y/o and their flock has dwindled from 8 to 5 since last winter, so there will be less of them to keep warm. Flock consists of 2 EEs, 1 RIR, 1 BO, and 1 GLW. Not counting the nesting boxes, our coop is 7 ft. x 3 ft. with plenty of roosting space, but not very high ceilings (it was a repurposed dog house that my husband built). Right now, since having molted, 2 of our 5 hens sleep in the nesting boxes (they got into a bad habit) and the other three roost. I worry they are too sparse to help each other out with body heat. So far they've been doing great but our overnight lows haven't gone below 20.

As a flock of 8, they'd weathered similar plunges and winter storms well, all on the roosts together, but again, I'm worried about the smaller number of hens. Any tips or advice is much appreciated!

 

[DobieLover]

is this an extreme enough drop that I need additional interventions like keeping them in the basement overnight

Absolutely unnecessary.

I have a wool blanket draped over it with a heavy duty tarp on top

Pictures? You want the coop as dry and well ventilated as possible.

with straw bales around the outside of the coop

Again, pictures please.

There is ventilation

How much?

so there will be less of them to keep warm

This is a very negligible factor. Yes, birds will roost tighter during colder weather but the key to them staying warm is the ability to fluff out their feathers and trap body heat and going to roost with a full crop to slowly digest and generate heat during the night.
I have been guilty of letting heavy molters sleep in the nest boxes but they get booted nightly once the feathers are mostly in.

 

[FloppyGirl]

Your hens should be fine in the coop with the conditions you described. As long as they are are sheltered from drafts. I know I used to worry last year when temps dropped and I turned on supplemental heat. however this year our temps got to -40C and I resisted adding heat and they are doing great. (aside from one young cockerel that ended up with frozen feet, he may have overnighted outside).

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Absolutely unnecessary.

Pictures? You want the coop as dry and well ventilated as possible.

Again, pictures please.

How much?

This is a very negligible factor. Yes, birds will roost tighter during colder weather but they key to them staying warm is the ability to fluff out their feathers and trap body heat and going to roost with a full crop to slowly digest and generate heat during the night.
I have been guilty of letting heavy molters sleep in the nest boxes but they get booted nightly once the feathers are mostly in.

There are ventilation cutouts on the east and west facing sides of the coop, near the roof's peak. The door taking up the front-facing side of the coop is entirely hardware cloth in the warmer/hot months and we replace the door with a solid wood one in the cooler/cold months (the door is currently solid wood). In very bad weather, I'll place a large particle board slanted over (but not covering or flush against) the large ventilation window in the back so air still gets out but breezes and snow do not.

Inside the coop is about 8 inches of shavings. I completely scoop out poop daily so there's no build-up/ammonia/excess moisture. The coop always stays dry even in drenching rains and storms.

Along the sides and nesting boxes I have straw bales--you can't see them because they're covered in the large tarp (underneath which is a large wool blanket draped over the entirety of the coop). The planks and such leaning on the roof is to keep the tarps secure from wind gusts--I know it looks horrible but it's worked for us multiple winters now.

Please excuse the mess. We are in the middle of transitioning the coop/run from warm to cold weather ready and I realize it looks like a junkyard! I'll be taking the shade tarp down from the run's roof and putting up heavy duty clear plastic sheeting to mostly enclose 3 sides of the run (the front side where the door is won't be covered).

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Your hens should be fine in the coop with the conditions you described. As long as they are are sheltered from drafts. I know I used to worry last year when temps dropped and I turned on supplemental heat. however this year our temps got to -40C and I resisted adding heat and they are doing great. (aside from one young cockerel that ended up with frozen feet, he may have overnighted outside).

Thanks for this. I don't want to add heat either--I like them to acclimate and stay hardy, it's just such a dramatic temp change for us. That said, knowing your chickens weathered -40C like champs makes me feel better--those are some tough gals!

 

[FloppyGirl]

Honestly I was so scared to have our first cold hardy flock over winter the first year.. If temperatures dropped under -20C Id add supplemental heat. However seeing that this year they produce a lot of heat, I haven't had to tun on any supplemental heat even at -40C. However our coop size has more than doubled in size and flock has almost tripled in size.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Honestly I was so scared to have our first cold hardy flock over winter the first year.. If temperatures dropped under -20C Id add supplemental heat. However seeing that this year they produce a lot of heat, I haven't had to tun on any supplemental heat even at -40C. However our coop size has more than doubled in size and flock has almost tripled in size.

Sounds like you've got a hardy group and a great setup! This is my flock's 4th winter and they've done well, except they are very spoiled and don't like to come out of the coop on windy or snowy days (which is tough, since their coop is for sleeping only--food and water is outside in the run). Honestly, summers have been way more dangerous for them. But I'm a bit nervous this year with a smaller group and with them getting older and all.

Thanks for your heartening two cents!

 

[The Tiny Homestead]

Here in western Ma, we've already had a few nights with a low of 0 to 5° F and some days with a high in the mid teens. I have 6 birds, 3 Australorps, 2 Buff Opringtons and an Easter Egger. My coop has a 4x6 ft floor space with a sloping roof. Windows on both sides,2x4 construction with plywood, tongue floor boards, and metal over plywood roof. There are three spaces between the rafters, front and back, that are covered with hardware cloth for ventilation. I've made a few changes, adding some plastic greenhouse panels partway up the inside ceiling to keep airflow away from the roosts.
Last week we had a 50° day, followed by a 45° drop in temperature to 5° and wind gusts up to 60 miles an hour. I partially blocked the inside space above the plastic panels with cut sections of pine flake bags to adjust airflow and the birds were fine. The Geodome Run is 5 sided, 12 + feet across, with a hatch connecting the coop, and another door going into the fenced in garden. The ouside walls have plastic sheeting. The lower area around the roof has greenfouse panels, and the upper area is covered with a tarp. On a calm, sunny winter day, the afternoon temperature in the dome will be about 15 to 20 degrees warmer than outside temps. When I'm home, I spend a fair amount of time sitting out there with the birds. The ground is dirt, with pine flake, and I just started experimenting with some wheat straw.

 

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

Here in western Ma, we've already had a few nights with a low of 0 to 5° F and some days with a high in the mid teens. I have 6 birds, 3 Australorps, 2 Buff Opringtons and an Easter Egger. My coop has a 4x6 ft floor space with a sloping roof. Windows on both sides,2x4 construction with plywood, tongue floor boards, and metal over plywood roof. There are three spaces between the rafters, front and back, that are covered with hardware cloth for ventilation. I've made a few changes, adding some plastic greenhouse panels partway up the inside ceiling to keep airflow away from the roosts.
Last week we had a 50° day, followed by a 45° drop in temperature to 5° and wind gusts up to 60 miles an hour. I partially blocked the inside space above the plastic panels with cut sections of pine flake bags to adjust airflow and the birds were fine. The Geodome Run is 5 sided, 12 + feet across, with a hatch connecting the coop, and another door going into the fenced in garden. The ouside walls have plastic sheeting. The lower area around the roof has greenfouse panels, and the upper area is covered with a tarp. On a calm, sunny winter day, the afternoon temperature in the dome will be about 15 to 20 degrees warmer than outside temps. When I'm home, I spend a fair amount of time sitting out there with the birds. The ground is dirt, with pine flake, and I just started experimenting with some wheat straw.

What a great setup! Thank you for sharing... many solid ideas for our next winter. Love the geodome run!

I have less to work with in my setup, but surrounding the coop with straw bales and draping it with wool blankets under tarps (taking care to prevent drafts without blocking ventilation) worked well in a pinch. I did end up taking mine in the basement when it dipped below zero for the night... probably didn't need to, but I could, so I did lol.

 

[Bladester]

Hi All"

The temps in SEPA (South Eastern PA) dropped into the single digits and the hens were a little cold but just fine overall. As many folks in previous posts have said that as long as the coop and run is dry and well vented at the top the ladies should be fine. My only issue my water freezes and i had to buy a waterer base heater as it became more and more difficult to go out there 2-3 times a day to bring them fresh water as it would freeze in 30 mins or so. Now that i have the waterer base heater all is great. Cheers!