Question for the cold weather people

[chick_newbie]

I am in east central South Dakota and we did opt to insulate because my DH is such a good planner and carpenter. It isn't a lot of insulation but enough for all the girls to be happy. Al lI ever really got out of asking this question is a bunch of different answers. We did what we felt was best for our friends, without moving them into the house with us.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
There are many people up here that don't insulate at all. They just don't have drafty coops.

 

[Chicken Woman]

Yea and it is coooooold in Alaska !!!!!!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Oh, I should probably add that I only add heat to keep the eggs from freezing. The birds will be fine. If it's really cold--I toss them some cracked corn.

 

[amyklebust]

Hello, I'm new to the forum. I'm a first-year chicken novice, and am looking for some cold-weather guidance (I live in SW Wisconsin). My rolling, 6'w x 9'l x 8'h coop is insulated, wrapped in tar paper, sided, has heat lamps, and a deep-litter floor. I've got a heater under the water, but it's on the same timer as the lamps, so I am finding some ice on the water each morning now that it's cold. Nighttime (when the hen door is closed) ventilation consists of 2, 4" diameter openings near the coop ceiling, on either side of the structure.

Most of the chickens seem to be dealing with the cold temperatures OK, but my Cochin rooster is often visibly shivering when I go into the coop in the morning. While the others venture out in to the cold, he stays inside. Is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable (short of bringing him in the house...)?

Should I keep offering the chickens the opportunity to go outside each day, even if it is (IMHO) pretty darn cold? Thanks for your help.

 

[LynneP]

Your rooster may be mildly dehydrated and would benefit if the water never freezes. Is his plumage in good condition? Is he eating for the cold- should be ingesting more now. Could you take the water heater off the timer and leave it on? Most water heaters come on only when the temp is approaching freezing anyway, and by delaying the start of the warm-up you may be overworking the circuits.

Another thing you can consider is baffling the air flow at your pop door with a flap made of material the birds won't destroy or by building a mini-porch either on the inside or outside to reduce drafts. Sometimes all you need is a barrier near the pop door to reduce air flow. Try to control this fast, so he doesn't become ill.

 

[simba49450]

hi there

im in michigan and i have mine insulated with the 4 x 8 sheets of 3/4 in pink foam board and attached it to the outside of the coop and the top as well with a tarp over that and my coop stays about 40-50 degres depending on the mich weather. and the girls are doing great. my coop is 4 footwide by 7 foot long and its stays warm with a 100 watt light bulb. the regular bulbs not the engery saver. it does help help alot and where you are at it would be well worth it. my coop is made from plywood also and combined with the isulation/light/wood and tarp it keeps it nice and warm. mine stay in all winter cause of the temps. i hope this helps. and aways use straw for warmth and switch to whatever you use in the spring and summer but in the cold months remember to ALWAYS use staw and in the spring dust them. i have been using straw and never had any mites etc and the girls are doing great.

 

[phalenbeck]

As a new person I should keep my mouth shut---but when I was in Northern Mn friends had barn chickens that did just fine, as did my wife in Ely Mn (read colder, but less windy than N.D.). She was a few miles from one of the cold spots of the nation. ----That said recently here in N.C. with temp from +15 to 50 about I had 2 shivvering chickens with the rest fine. I made a insulated box just big enough for my 2 non roosting Silkeys and the shivering Old English have now joined the Silkey pile. ---I have no idea why 2 of my 10 seem to be cold, unless it is because they are newer and may not have had opportunity to get used to it. ----I really think that we overthink, and overworry. They are chickens after all. I bet that it is a matter of becoming used to the climate, as a spring hatch working its way into the cold season. After living in Florida and N.C. I think I would freeze in Northern MN, but I did live there 53 years without freezing. I also knew that a snowbank, or closed car with a warm girlfriend could be quite cozy at -30F. ----Should I have to move back to the Tundra, I would think that banking my coop with snow, out of the wind, draft free would be just fine for myself in a down jacket, or my chickens. After we adapted. Assuming we were a 'hearty breed' and not some exotic. =On a further note I have one of those 3 gallon heated chicken waterers, and it is really nice for my situation. I only have to fill it every 4-5 days when it is warmer. and the hose is not froze.

 

[Mrs MIA]

New people have good things to say, too.

Welcome!
And you're right... I DO live on tundra, or close to it, and they do just fine. I have a base-heater for my 3 gallon galvanized waterer and it keeps the water from freezing. But the girls have no extra heat. My chukars are outside, with only a hay-filled box to sleep in, shelter, and fresh food and water and they've been good to -10°F already. We worry too much.

 

[chicksalot]

I chose to insulate. I have no intentions to use a heat lamp because I fear a fire (just like I won't walk back into the forests in N Minnesota because I fear bears)...I'm just crazy that way. Whatever you do, check it out & watch out for drafts & plug the holes if the wind blows on your birds. I have memories as a kid of our birds having frostbite & losing combs & legs... so I insulated my coop well.