Roosting on top of coop in cold weather?

[leahdenver]

Ok thanks. We will have to change that quickly for winter

 

[Mrs. K]

I see that many of you are worrying about keeping your chickens warm. You do not need to worry about that. They keep themselves warm. You do need to give them wind protection. Wind and wet will make them cold, and sick.

To keep them dry, you need to measure. When the bird is roosting in the coop, there needs to be 12 inches above their heads, and 12 inches from the wall. There needs to be open ventilation above their heads EVEN IN VERY COLD weather. This seems so counter intuitive, mostly I think because we equate warm with closing up the house tightly. Think of being in a car in cold weather, with several people. Quickly the windows fog up, if you stayed there all night, by morning, you would be soaked with condensation.

Your birds are actually staying dryer, and therefore warmer by staying outside of those small coops!

Mrs K

 

[leahdenver]

Thank you! When they roost on top of the coop they don't have wind protection. So I suppose we need a bigger coop with more ventilation? I understand what you're saying

 

[Mrs. K]

a bigger coop. or less birds.

 

[leahdenver]

Good point. One of the hens pecks at all the others when I put them all together inside the coop. Maybe she goes...