Roosting for winter with a mixed flock

[MiniFarmMama]

Hello!
I have a mixed flock of 29 chickens: 15 silkie bantam (hatched March '25), 2 white crested polish & the rest are a variety of standard size (6 of these hatched May '25 & 8 adopted ones are 1-3 years old).
My coop is 7.5x9ft and the run is 15x28.5ft.
When I adopted the 8 chickens, I added a temporary roosting area in the run (I also had temporary soccer netting as a wall in the run, until they were comfortable with each other).
I do keep the coop door open so they can get up when they want, and during the day, I also open the run door (large enough for chickens to go in & out as they please, but small enough that my goats don't help themselves to their feed).
It has been a very happy set up for all (For the most part, it's just the copper Maran's that can get a little bossy- but everyone else is pretty relaxed.)
QUESTION: Should I make the outside roost more permanent & enclosed for winter?? My intention was to bring the adopted chickens into the coop eventually, but they seem very happy with their current roost.

Thanks so much for any advice for this new chicken mom.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

Where are you located? What weather conditions will you see this winter?

 

[MiniFarmMama]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

Where are you located? What weather conditions will you see this winter?

Thank you! I have been a member for awhile & have appreciated so much I have learned already!
We are in North Georgia. (Sorry- that would be important info. to include . It's generally mild with average temperature in the 40's & 50's.

 

[Ridgerunner]

In North Georgia you should get some nights below freezing but probably not often bitter cold. The nights I'd be worried about would be the ones that have a strong wind along with cold. I think your outside roosting area is shown in that second photo on the left in the back, protected from wind on three sides. I think the chickens that sleep out there are not Silkies but eight "normal feathered" mature chickens. The rest sleep in the coop. They are all fully feathered.

You seem to have ventilation well above their heads when they sleep on the roosts. I only see a human door, no smaller chicken pop door. You leave the human door open day and night. The area has a roof so no real worries about rain. I don't think you need to worry about frostbite with that ventilation.

I think you will be OK the vast majority of the time. The only time I'd worry would be when you get temperatures down in the low teens Fahrenheit or colder with a strong wind. Usually when it gets that cold the wind is pretty calm but usually doesn't mean always.

If the wind is coming from a direction that it is blowing in that roosting area or inside the building I'd be concerned, probably move them in and shut the door until the wind is over.

Your cold doesn't really concern me. I've seen chickens sleep in trees on -10 Fahrenheit nights with no problems. But they were out of the wind.

 

[MiniFarmMama]

In North Georgia you should get some nights below freezing but probably not often bitter cold. The nights I'd be worried about would be the ones that have a strong wind along with cold. I think your outside roosting area is shown in that second photo on the left in the back, protected from wind on three sides. I think the chickens that sleep out there are not Silkies but eight "normal feathered" mature chickens. The rest sleep in the coop. They are all fully feathered.

You seem to have ventilation well above their heads when they sleep on the roosts. I only see a human door, no smaller chicken pop door. You leave the human door open day and night. The area has a roof so no real worries about rain. I don't think you need to worry about frostbite with that ventilation.

I think you will be OK the vast majority of the time. The only time I'd worry would be when you get temperatures down in the low teens Fahrenheit or colder with a strong wind. Usually when it gets that cold the wind is pretty calm but usually doesn't mean always.

If the wind is coming from a direction that it is blowing in that roosting area or inside the building I'd be concerned, probably move them in and shut the door until the wind is over.

Your cold doesn't really concern me. I've seen chickens sleep in trees on -10 Fahrenheit nights with no problems. But they were out of the wind.

This is such great information. Thank you so much for taking the time! I really appreciate it! (And I’ll get to work on more wind protection!)