Temperature of coop vs outside

[goodwiab]

I have five chickens in my coop (2 bantams 2 leghorns and 1 ISA brown). I have a thermometer in there, but I see that it's usually the same temperature inside as outside more recently as it gets cold (was not this way in warmer months it was cooler). Is this ok? I have a few 1.5-2.5 cut outs for ventilation near the top of the coop that I was thinking of plugging to get temps inside warmer. Thoughts? Chickens seem fine I just worry as it gets colder and colder.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Where are you located? The state or country is just fine for us to help.

 

[goodwiab]

Located in Richmond, Virginia (USA). Temps are getting down to 30 degrees and just below-fahrenheit. Thank you!

 

[DobieLover]

I have five chickens in my coop (2 bantams 2 leghorns and 1 ISA brown). I have a thermometer in there, but I see that it's usually the same temperature inside as outside more recently as it gets cold (was not this way in warmer months it was cooler). Is this ok? I have a few 1.5-2.5 cut outs for ventilation near the top of the coop that I was thinking of plugging to get temps inside warmer. Thoughts? Chickens seem fine I just worry as it gets colder and colder.

Absolutely do NOT close off the ventilation! You want lots of ventilation to keep the coop dry. The birds will keep themselves warm.

 

[3KillerBs]

Having the temps equal in and out is a sign of good ventilation. If it were warmer in than out it would show that you have inadequate ventilation.

A dry chicken is a warm chicken as long as they don't have any wind ruffling their feathers.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I also say do NOT block the vents.
Those birds have a down coat that keeps them warm as long as there is not a strong draft (one that ruffles the feathers) on them and they are dry.

My goals are to have the temp inside as well as the humidity as close to the outside as possible.

 

[jreardon1918]

We have a temperature sensor in the coop and an old thermometer in the covered run. This morning at 7am they were both reading 20F at 7am. The key indicator is humidity. I occasionally move the sensor from inside the coop to outside to show myself the humidity is within a few degrees.

 

[RubelliteRose]

I live a couple of hours south of you (Hello ) and our temps also dropped to about 30 last night. I left the lower windows open last night and mostly closed the window that is even with the roost due to the wind. My chickens started out huddled together on the short leg of our L shaped roost - 8 birds on 3 feet of roost. By morning, it was still only 31 degrees, but they were warm enough to spread out to 6 or 7 feet of roost. We plan to monitor the temperatures and the wind speeds this winter while raising or partially lowering the window covers to block the winds, but plan to always leave the top vents open.

 

[aart]

Having the temps equal in and out is a sign of good ventilation.

Yes, this^^^
Humidity should also be about the same inside and outside.

 

[drinkoj]

Agree with @aart and will add to it, don't worry about having a thermometer in the coop, you want something that will measure the Humidity as it is more important inside.

Humidity KILLS via respiratory illness, this is why everyone is saying not block vents. Also the ammonia from the poop rises naturally and you want those vents above your coop roosts to be open to allow air flow, which again helps reduce the humidity levels inside the coop. These chickens can survive cold weather with no problems to about 0 to 10 degree F, as they fluff their feathers like insulation to allow their body heat to be trapped between layers of fluff. Thus why those Canadian Goose type jackets are so darn warm, heat is trapped in the layers.