Winter protection for Japanese bantams

[chickens really]

Thanks! That information really helps! I will try a tarp over the run this year. Are your coop walls filled with fiberglass insulation? I was thinking about using blue board and then covering with some type of thin sheeting.

Yes fibreglass insulation in the walls and the floor and ceiling are insulated with a styrofoam board insulation.
The walls , floor and ceiling are covered with plywood. Floor has vinyl flooring also.
Absolutely no way rodents can get to my insulation inside my Coop. Built like Fort Knox..

 

[Cyprus]

Mine did not fair well at all with heat and being in the garage. No drafts, just sheer cold air temperatures.

 

[goldysgirl]

For Japanese bantams, they have a very small body, and not as much fluff compared to other bantams. I would probably try to keep them at 20F and warmer. So, for temps lower than that, yes, heat would be a good idea.

Heat lamps are not great, especially if you have gusting icy wind. I once opened my coop door, and a gust of wind from the open door made the heat lamp shatter all over.

Heat plates that hang on the wall, heating mats (like those used in dog kennels), heat tape (if covered from chicken pecking), and engine block heaters (if put between pavers or tiles), can all be safer options. All though still have to be checked regularly, kept clean, and watch the plugs!


No to sealing up the windows. That will increase moisture and increase frostbite risk as well as increase risk of respiratory illnesses. Keep a large window open. Usually if only one side of the coop has vents, then the wind does not blow through.

Insulation is great if you have lots of wind that hits the coop. If you don't have lots of wind, it can still be good, but not as important. Roof insulation is usually more important than wall insulation since 1. Insulating the roof reduces condensation and humidity issues and 2. Less likely to get a bunch of rodents in the roof insulation and 3. More heat goes out the roof than the sides.



I have never found the vaseline thing to be useful.... I rather think it makes it worse.

If you are set on not losing ANY of those lovely comb points... maybe you need him in a closed up heated building with a great air exchanger to ensure fresh air. I am not sure there is any other way to keep the points perfect in those temps.

I do know people in interior Alaska that keep poultry in completely locked up and heated housing with quality air exchangers. So it can be done... you just have to decide if you want to.

BUT, if you close up the coop and heat it up to 35F or whatever...you NEED some kind of air exchange.



That completely depends on how much snow tends to fall where you are.

You could make a wood frame on top of the kennel, or one supported by posts that just surrounds the kennel... or whatever... to make a sloped roof...

But, if you only use a tarp flat over the top of the kennel, a big heavy snow fall that falls while you are at work or asleep, can easily bend and bust everything.

How likely that is where you live...no idea...



Yes. That would work. Just remember rodents. Either make sure that they can NOT enter the coop....or cover up the insulation in such a way that rodents can't get past. Or... screw on the insulation covering so you can pop it off to replace insulation after the rodents find it.

Thanks for the info! The windows are simply plexiglass with a wood frame that hang on 2 hinges positioned on the top edge of the windows. When it is windy, the windows flap in the wind and they are very drafty. There are gaps around the windows, too. They are pretty big relative to the coop and are on the fromt side. The back side of the coop is more protected from the weather because of a hill behind the coop. The ridge vent that is the full length of the roof won't be enough ventilation? You would still keep a window open? The rest of the coop is really tightly constructed. The windows were thrown together from scraps. Thanks so much for your advice!

 

[goldysgirl]

Mine did not fair well at all with heat and being in the garage. No drafts, just sheer cold air temperatures.

Did you lose birds and/or did they get frostbite?

 

[Cyprus]

Did you lose birds and/or did they get frostbite?

None died.
They all got frostbite. Pretty severe at that.

 

[Alaskan]

The ridge vent that is the full length of the roof won't be enough ventilation? You would still keep a window open? The rest of the coop is really tightly constructed. The windows were thrown together from scraps. Thanks so much for your advice!

Yes I would....

It is closing everything up that tends to cause more frostbite since closing it all up increases the humidity.

 

[chickens really]

I have vents open . The south side is open under the roof. East has a small vent and I have the north closed and the west ones are closed. I never have a problem with too much moisture.

 

[goldysgirl]

For Japanese bantams, they have a very small body, and not as much fluff compared to other bantams. I would probably try to keep them at 20F and warmer. So, for temps lower than that, yes, heat would be a good idea.

Heat lamps are not great, especially if you have gusting icy wind. I once opened my coop door, and a gust of wind from the open door made the heat lamp shatter all over.

Heat plates that hang on the wall, heating mats (like those used in dog kennels), heat tape (if covered from chicken pecking), and engine block heaters (if put between pavers or tiles), can all be safer options. All though still have to be checked regularly, kept clean, and watch the plugs!


No to sealing up the windows. That will increase moisture and increase frostbite risk as well as increase risk of respiratory illnesses. Keep a large window open. Usually if only one side of the coop has vents, then the wind does not blow through.

Insulation is great if you have lots of wind that hits the coop. If you don't have lots of wind, it can still be good, but not as important. Roof insulation is usually more important than wall insulation since 1. Insulating the roof reduces condensation and humidity issues and 2. Less likely to get a bunch of rodents in the roof insulation and 3. More heat goes out the roof than the sides.



I have never found the vaseline thing to be useful.... I rather think it makes it worse.

If you are set on not losing ANY of those lovely comb points... maybe you need him in a closed up heated building with a great air exchanger to ensure fresh air. I am not sure there is any other way to keep the points perfect in those temps.

I do know people in interior Alaska that keep poultry in completely locked up and heated housing with quality air exchangers. So it can be done... you just have to decide if you want to.

BUT, if you close up the coop and heat it up to 35F or whatever...you NEED some kind of air exchange.



That completely depends on how much snow tends to fall where you are.

You could make a wood frame on top of the kennel, or one supported by posts that just surrounds the kennel... or whatever... to make a sloped roof...

But, if you only use a tarp flat over the top of the kennel, a big heavy snow fall that falls while you are at work or asleep, can easily bend and bust everything.

How likely that is where you live...no idea...



Yes. That would work. Just remember rodents. Either make sure that they can NOT enter the coop....or cover up the insulation in such a way that rodents can't get past. Or... screw on the insulation covering so you can pop it off to replace insulation after the rodents find it.

Ordered a wall heat plate. I still have lamps if needed, but i wanted to try a safer option. I am still not sure about insulating the roof. The roof has black shingles which seems to warm the coop. It is an A style roof, steeply pitched, lots of sunlight contacts it, and it is probably about 1/3 of the surface area of the coop or even more. Will insulating it limit the warming effect?

 

[Alaskan]

Ordered a wall heat plate. I still have lamps if needed, but i wanted to try a safer option. I am still not sure about insulating the roof. The roof has black shingles which seems to warm the coop. It is an A style roof, steeply pitched, lots of sunlight contacts it, and it is probably about 1/3 of the surface area of the coop or even more. Will insulating it limit the warming effect?

Yes it will reduce the warmth from the roof radiating into the coop...

But the question is how much heat escapes through the roof at night.

 

[ellend]

SweeterHeater.com Plug it into a Thermocube that turns the SweeterHeater (completely enclosed infra-red flat panel) on when temperature drops below freezing, and off when it rises to 45F. I insulate the coop, double insulate the nest box because it's small and subject to wind on all sides. Make sure you have ventilation but not draft. With the SweeterHeater the birds can stay under the panel if they desire, or move to a spot in the coop that the infra-red doesn't hit them. On the subject of a thin coat of Vaseline on the comb and wattles; I use it on my face to prevent frostbite when the snow is very wet and the wind severe and temperatures bitter; from my experience it very much does prevent frostbite. Since I used the SweeterHeater and insulated and had good ventilation, I didn't use Vaseline, but didn't have frostbite. I'm in Cleveland Ohio, a mile from lake Erie, where it's very windy.