What is "cold" for a chicken and prepping the coop

[TX Chick Noob]

So at what temperature do you need to start protecting from drafts? In my climate you actually need drafts/airflow in the summer. I am working on ways to close most of that off when it is cold (while still leaving plenty of ventilation). But at what temp do I need to do that? 50F? 40F?

Our coop is open on the front, and open but more sheltered on one side. I am adding heavy duty strip curtains on the front and part of the side. (My husband got these when replacing old sets on commercial walk in freezers.) I plan to gather/ pull up the ends when it is warmer. We can get temperature swings from low 50s to high 80s in a single day.

Here are a few pics. They are all the way down in this first one (I will also be blocking the door with corrugated plastic panels). And I am adding some straps across to keep them from flapping.

The area in blue is where I still need to add curtains on the side, leaving the more sheltered area open.

Here is how they look gathered up for warmer temps.

 

[3KillerBs]

So at what temperature do you need to start protecting from drafts? In my climate you actually need drafts/airflow in the summer. I am working on ways to close most of that off when it is cold (while still leaving plenty of ventilation). But at what temp do I need to do that? 50F? 40F?

Our coop is open on the front, and open but more sheltered on one side. I am adding heavy duty strip curtains on the front and part of the side. (My husband got these when replacing old sets on commercial walk in freezers.) I plan to gather/ pull up the ends when it is warmer. We can get temperature swings from low 50s to high 80s in a single day.

Here are a few pics. They are all the way down in this first one (I will also be blocking the door with corrugated plastic panels). And I am adding some straps across to keep them from flapping.

View attachment 3312984

The area in blue is where I still need to add curtains on the side, leaving the more sheltered area open.
View attachment 3312986

Here is how they look gathered up for warmer temps.
View attachment 3312985

The only reason my little windblock, that only shelters the roosting area, is up already is that we got Hurricane Ian and I didn't want sideways rain sweeping across the coop.

Otherwise I'd have waited until nights were well below freezing -- though my coop is designed in such a way that only unusual storms can cause wind to blow from that wall. If central NC weren't subject to storm winds from any direction I wouldn't have bothered at all.

 

[TX Chick Noob]

The front is towards the East. There are trees about 20 yards away that help block that direction. So we don’t get a lot of cold wind blowing that way but a wanted to be prepared for another ice storm like the last two years. Don’t need freezing rain blowing in.

 

[saysfaa]

So at what temperature do you need to start protecting from drafts? In my climate you actually need drafts/airflow in the summer. I am working on ways to close most of that off when it is cold (while still leaving plenty of ventilation). But at what temp do I need to do that? 50F? 40F?
...

I like how your system for gathering the strips up.

I close up the summer vents (window, eave vents, and maybe ridge vent) when the highs are routinely in the low 40sF (4 to 7C) and/or the lows start getting below about 28F (-2C) routinely. That leaves just the one open side for a cold, snowy winter.

But my climate swings less drastically than the climate in parts of Texas. We might get a light frost just before dawn after a 70F (21C) day but not until the highs have been routinely half that for a few weeks.

In parts of Texas, I would probably try to make it easier to open and close so I could switch for the first biggish swings and then for the biggest swings. I'm speculating on that because I don't know if "can" and "does" happen means it happens often every season change or happens once every couple of years.

 

[saysfaa]

The front is towards the East. There are trees about 20 yards away that help block that direction. So we don’t get a lot of cold wind blowing that way but a wanted to be prepared for another ice storm like the last two years. Don’t need freezing rain blowing in.

Maybe just close it when such an ice storm is predicted?

 

[TX Chick Noob]

I just want to know if the wind is blowing in a little and it is in the 30s or 40s if they would be ok or if they need less draft in those temps.

 

[3KillerBs]

I just want to know if the wind is blowing in a little and it is in the 30s or 40s if they would be ok or if they need less draft in those temps.

The best way to determine this is to take a light ribbon or some such thing and stand in the coop next to the roost to see if it's moving enough to ruffle the birds' feathers.

 

[3KillerBs]

I just want to know if the wind is blowing in a little and it is in the 30s or 40s if they would be ok or if they need less draft in those temps.

The best way to determine this is to take a light ribbon or some such thing and stand in the coop next to the roost to see if it's moving enough to ruffle the birds' feathers.

 

[saysfaa]

I just want to know if the wind is blowing in a little and it is in the 30s or 40s if they would be ok or if they need less draft in those temps.

They will be ok - probably.
It isn't something I can say without the probably.

You don't need to answer these...
How much is "a little", it a uniform little or is it a little only in some area or only at some heights, is the rest just a little more than a little or does something funnel the wind through, if there is a more sheltered area, can they all use it at once or are lower ranked birds push out, does it have a dry area if you don't close it off, is it dry if you do close it off, adults only or some chicks, any super big combs, anyone doing a hard molt, did the temp go from never below 60 to 32 over six hours or did it have weeks of ten to 15 ranges with each a bit lower, are they well fed, are they well hydrated,...

Some of these things matter more than others, so which, and how many, and to what degree can matter.

I say this gently... I think you are overthinking it. You have a very nice setup that looks pretty easy to adjust as needed. You can change based on how your chickens are acting. If they are preening, scratching, dust bathing, and so on - they feel comfortable as they are. If they hunker down most of the time with their necks pulled in and their feathers fluffed - then, not so much. It is probably still not dangerous but why would you not adjust?

 

[Ccort]

I used a roll of garden weed barrier, the thin cheap stuff that lasts a couple years.

How do you attach it? Does that still allow some airflow?