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

[Ccort]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but chickens walk around with their own down coats during the winter. All that down under their outer layer of feathers, which they fluff up when they get cold enough, to trap air, which is what keeps them warm. Their body temperatures run 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit (there's a reason why those incubators run at 99.5, remember? they're supposed to simulate a momma hen's body temp to incubate her eggs when she's laying on them). So, 32 degrees is fine for them.

The key is giving them an area where there is ventilation, but not a draft going through, where they can take shelter to stay warm. Windows, unless you've got a blizzard coming through, can remain open, just fine, because it's your ventilation source.

My coop is an uninsulated 8x12 shed, 3 windows that I don't completely close, but drop down to the 2nd to last notch before it closes, so that the air circulation is kept, but keeps out the cold drafts. They get completely closed when we have winter weather (blizzard conditions), but opened back up when the blizzard passes. I do have a radiant heater that is mounted to the wall that I use but it's only when the outside temperatures drop down into the negatives (which, here in nw North Dakota, happens) that it gets turned on, and it's on a temperature outlet... it doesn't come on until the temperature drops low enough, automatically.

The only time I suffer any loss of birds is when a blizzard lasts for 3 days or more... unsafe for me to get out to the coop, without having a rope attached, and I can't get the man door open, because the wind is blowing from the north, at 50+ mph, and the man door is on the north side of the coop... so the wind isn't going to let me open the door anyways. So, too many days without food or water, and I suffer bird loss.

So do you close the windows that are near their faces/bodies when roosting?

 

[Ccort]

To state clearly, I'm not an expert. I used to run about 40 or 50 chickens year around to go along with 20 to 30 peacocks for about 10 years or so. I live in southwest Missouri...temps down to single digits for days (not typically weeks) at a time and windchills below zero (for typically days, not weeks) during the winter. Big thing I found was making sure to provide a place they could 1) get out of the wind; 2) that the perch was either big enough (I used some logs) or wide enough that when they settled down, their feathers covered their feet entirely (didn't wrap around like a branch) to keep them from getting frostbite. Now, of course, I had a rooster or two that just never went into the shed and sat outside on one of the outdoor perches NEARLY year around, but the rest of the chickens typically got pretty close together on elevated, flat 2" x 12" x 8 foot boards I had in the sheds, which had open walkways, but the wind couldn't get to them directly. I had very few chickens die, but I suppose some chicken breeds are hardier than others. Also, I believe keeping fresh/clean water available to them was really important (winters I often broke the ice in the mornings and early evenings) to keep them from becoming dehydrated . . . I believe it's easier for a well-hydrated bird to stay warm and healthy . . . birds (and people) struggle to maintain body heat when they're dehydrated . . . which may explain why so many senior citizens are chronically cold -- they're chronically dehydrated...but I digress. : )

This was helpful, thank you. I purchased one of those waterers that won't freeze when plugged in. I haven't tried it yet but it had good reviews. My roosts are big but sounds like, from all these replies, that I'll need to cover my biggest window, as they face it.

 

[Ccort]

I had -40 F for two nights a couple years ago. We have -20 F to -30 F every winter. My chickens do fine in an uninsulated, unheated coop. I have an 8'x16' Woods style coop. In my experience, two things in winter harm chickens. Moisture, and drafts blowing on them. My coop is very tight in the roost area. Every seam is caulked. The monitor windows are open until the temperature is below freezing. The front of course stays open year-round. My birds are healthier now than they were in a more closed-up insulated coop. That coop had air quality problems, especially in the spring when the litter first thawed out. I lost a couple birds to respiratory issues. I haven't had any problems since I increased the ventilation and made the roost area very tight against drafts.

Mind sharing a pic?

 

[Ccort]

I have to admit, I'm still a bit confused on what to do here.
While I initially asked about 30 degree temps, that is not our coolest temps. Late this week, we'll have lows in the 20s but during winter, we will likely have times where we dip a few below zero.

I cannot add ventilation higher than it currently is as my chickens will still face it. However, the windows that run sideways, slightly behind the chickens when roosting, can they stay open?

Is anyone willing to share photos of their winterized coop?

I am resharing photos, in and out. The back window...the girls look out that window. What windows do you recommend covering? And how? Meaning, if using garden barrier..how to get that to stay in place? Or is there a different recommend material for this case? Also, my run is directly in FRONT of my coop, which should cut some of that draft.

Lastly, once we are in the 40s or 30s during the day, should the coop by winterized?

For reference, both of the roosts are used by my girls.

 

[3KillerBs]

It's all about the airflow pattern.

You want the air to move from low side to high side right under the roof and to not move across the roosts.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

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

I used a pneumatic stapler and attached to the run frame. It allows for air flow, yes.

 

[WI chickens]

Mind sharing a pic?

They aren't good, but here is one showing the front, open area of the coop. It's 2 layers of hardware cloth, one with 1/2" squares and one with 1/4". And a pic of the back roost area with all seams caulked and sealed. A changed the roost set up around since this picture. I didn't like how high they started or how far apart they were.

 

[Henfla]

I have to admit, I'm still a bit confused on what to do here.
While I initially asked about 30 degree temps, that is not our coolest temps. Late this week, we'll have lows in the 20s but during winter, we will likely have times where we dip a few below zero.

I cannot add ventilation higher than it currently is as my chickens will still face it. However, the windows that run sideways, slightly behind the chickens when roosting, can they stay open?

Is anyone willing to share photos of their winterized coop?

I am resharing photos, in and out. The back window...the girls look out that window. What windows do you recommend covering? And how? Meaning, if using garden barrier..how to get that to stay in place? Or is there a different recommend material for this case? Also, my run is directly in FRONT of my coop, which should cut some of that draft.

Lastly, once we are in the 40s or 30s during the day, should the coop by winterized?

For reference, both of the roosts View attachment 3314327View attachment 3314328View attachment 3314329View attachment 3314330View attachment 3314331View attachment 3314332View attachment 3314333View attachment 3314334are used by my girls.

Well.. it seems like many people in this forum think that chickens are just fine with temperatures below freezing, but there is a difference between surviving and thriving.
Personally I would be very stressed out about keeping my chickens in that coop when the temperature drops below freezing.
I live far north in Norway where temperatures now are around freezing, and it will be around -10 and -20 degrees celcius (I believe that converts to between 14 and -4 fahrenheit) for most of the winter. I have an insulated coop with IP55 tube heaters and hope to keep the temperatures inside the coop for over 5 degrees celcius (41 fahrenheit). Right now with freezing temps outside it's 10 degrees celcius over the tube heater on top of their roost, and experienced norwegian chicken owners mostly believe that the chickens should have temperatures like that for the chickens to thrive.

For you I would at least install IP55 tube heaters that are much more safe than heating lamps.

This is pictures of my coop during and after insulating it. You can see the tube heater under their roost.

 

[Ccort]

If you put insulation and then plastic over it, won't they peck at that?

Would a tube heater be fire hazard?

Won't weed barrier get wet and drip during snow?

Trying to start with how to appropriatley cover the ventilation that obviously needs covered.

 

[Ccort]

Well.. it seems like many people in this forum think that chickens are just fine with temperatures below freezing, but there is a difference between surviving and thriving.
Personally I would be very stressed out about keeping my chickens in that coop when the temperature drops below freezing.
I live far north in Norway where temperatures now are around freezing, and it will be around -10 and -20 degrees celcius (I believe that converts to between 14 and -4 fahrenheit) for most of the winter. I have an insulated coop with IP55 tube heaters and hope to keep the temperatures inside the coop for over 5 degrees celcius (41 fahrenheit). Right now with freezing temps outside it's 10 degrees celcius over the tube heater on top of their roost, and experienced norwegian chicken owners mostly believe that the chickens should have temperatures like that for the chickens to thrive.

For you I would at least install IP55 tube heaters that are much more safe than heating lamps.

This is pictures of my coop during and after insulating it. You can see the tube heater under their roost.
View attachment 3314798

View attachment 3314800

What kind of plastic is that?