Regarding cold weather flock maintenance, Jim the farmer says:

[abhaya]

unless you have young chicks that are not feathered out get rid of the heat in the coop they dont ajust to the cold if you power goes out the chickens die!!!!!!!

 

[wildeflowers]

Go, Jim!

 

[Beekissed]

I agree with everything except the roosts. If it's reasonable to expect that chickens are much like wild birds in the fact they can fluff up their down and keep themselves warm, then, much like wild birds they can roost on a round roost and still keep their feet warm.

Been using round roosts for many years without cold feet being an issue. My birds prefer round roosts as this is more comfortable for their feet. If you will notice the natural action of a bird's feet when you bend their legs is for the toes to bend also. This is a built in feature in birds to help them sleep as they roost without falling off a limb. Their feet sort of lock into place when they are in this position so they won't have to keep gripping that limb all night. It's comfortable for them.

Bending the knees and keeping the toes splayed is not necessarily an easy stance and they cannot grip the roost, meaning they must balance on a 4 in. wide beam all night. If it is a bantam breed, this presents no problem. If a standard breed, this means they have to balance their bulk/length of approx. 12-14 in. on a space that is 1/3 that big. This is not conducive to relaxing enough to actually get good rest, IMO.

All my roosts are designed to follow the natural curve of my chicken's talons...not broomstick width, but tree limb width.

 

[MKBarr]

So do the ladies go out in the run in all weather and temperatures? We are in MO, and it is hoovering right around freezing right now. We've got a good, solid coop with plenty of room for the girls. Our run is about 35x35' if I am remembering correctly, and it is completely enclosed with hardware cloth on the outside and garden netting over the top. We are in the city and don't have a predator problem. But, there is no cover in the run. I had worried that opening the chicken door in the rain/snow would just open them up to getting wet bedding or feathers, but I also hate to leave them enclosed all day if it is safe for them to be out playing and pecking.

Also, this is our first year with chickens, and we got them in the spring, when all of the weather was past!

We have 4 Americaunas (or Easter Eggers - is there any way to tell?).

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Welcome to BYC, MKBarr. Perhaps you could throw a tarp over part of the run so that they have some dry outside area?

 

[MKBarr]

Well now that is a great idea!

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Mine are free to come in and out of their coops all day, no matter the weather. None of my pens have any type of roof on them other than flight netting and or wire. I'm in central Kansas and they were all out at first light this morning when the temps were in the mid 20's. About the only time I don't find any of them out scratching around is in the midst of a roaring blizzard. Cold is not as big of an issue for chickens as are heat and humidity.

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
Absolutely agreed!

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Which side do they roost on - the 1 inch or 3 inch? A 2x4 is really 1.5 x 3.5 and the 1x3 is .75" x 2.5" so I'm guessing you have the 2 1/2 inch flat side up.

Yes, I have the 2.5" side up. Is this ok? Should I replace it with a 2x4? Here is a picture. Not sure if you can tell.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62579_100_7234.jpg

The 4" side is best up rather than the 2" side, especially for larger birds. My Suede has a 5" foot from front to back toe and no way he could roost on a 2" anything comfortably.

 

[joebryant]

Jim the farmer is a very learned and observant man.