Wimpy Southern Californian

[sanyawalker]

I live in coastal Southern California. I'm a wimpy cold weather person- all of our animals come indoors about three weeks a year when our temps drop to 31 degrees at night. Do the chickens need an enclosed area in their coop to get out of the cold? Right now it's all wire with just a roof.

 

[onthespot]

I would make sure they can stay dry and draft free. No need to enclose their whole place but give them the option of a three sided place, even a dog house with a ramp leading up to it for bad weather. They get used to the warm too, and are just as wimpy as you are from being spoiled.

 

[ItsSuzzie]

Hello fellow whimpy Winter Weather, spoiled in California, but come on....cold is cold. Out here in the desert, it can get cold at night, even crack water pipes and pop freeze plugs...you know....30 or so. Good news, not so often out here. Ug, Winter.....At least you are not living in an RV in the cold. My birds, 70+ live in coupes made of wood and wire. They have cement floor, to avoid such preditors as the fox, coyote, skunk, and anything else that loves to dig holes. My roof is made of OSB boards. If winds kick up, I place a 2 x 4 up there and nail it down. Durring the winter season, I put OSB boards up around the coupes, except the doors and use those flat metal plates with holes in them, I screw it to the walls to hols up the OSB. That worked last year, but I only had two coupes. This season I am at seven coupes, so we shall see....but I think I have it down. You can come on up and see for yourself if you want. Probably a 2 1/2 hr. drive for you. I am on the back side of Big Bear. When it shows on the mountains, I get cold wind.

Last Winter's coupes. Two coupes.

This years Coupes. Seven.

Good luck to ya!!

 

[onthespot]

Wow Suzzie, way to grow!!!

 

[ItsSuzzie]

Thanks! My girlfriend designed the coupe for me. Then it built up.

 

[ole-crone]

Hey! I hear your pain. We would break out the heavy coats in Riverside when it hit 60! Now we live in Little Siberia where normal winter lows are 20 below zero. The chickens all live in unheated coops and do fine.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

sanyawalker -

Hello from another coastal Southern Californian!

My three girls are now 2 1/2 years old. Since 6 or 7 weeks of age, they've lived in a converted playhouse (see my avatar) that is not insulated. During the winter, I add a little more bedding but the cold has never been a problem. However, it rarely gets into the 30s here. My coop has shutters that can keep the wind and rain out of the coop, which also works well. I have friends who have wire coops and haven't had any problem, but I think that providing a couple of solid sides to block wind and rain wouldn't be a bad idea, especially during those months of the year.