Winter questions

[Jwebb35]

Hello chicken friends!

This is my first winter with my chickens and I have a few questions. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with me and helping me keep my chickens safe this winter!

1. I have 2 barred rocks and 1 Easter egger..I let them free range and was wondering how cold is too cold for this? When should I keep them in their tiny coop and run?

2. I have put plastic over all the run and I've been laying straw down having it go up the tiny coops walls and a little up the walls of the run.. What else can I do to help keep them warm as their Coop is so tiny and we're already heading into the low 20s tonight

Thanks again!

 

[3KillerBs]

Where, in general, are you? Climate matters.

We don't have to keep chickens warm. We need to keep them dry and out of the wind and they will keep themselves warm with their built-in down parkas.

Here are some helpful articles for you:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/

One of the most important aspects of keeping chickens dry is keeping the coop well-ventilated. Here is my article on ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

 

[DobieLover]

They should be allowed out whenever they want.
What are your upgrade plans to get them out of the tiny coop and run?
You need to provide them with a winter run that offers 45 sq ft and increase their coop size to at least 12 sq ft.
You also only want to block the lower portion of the run walls and leave the upper 6" or so open for ventilation.
Can you please post pictures of you tiny coop/run? I think I have a pretty good idea of what it is.

 

[Jwebb35]

Thank you for your quick replies! I live in central IN and I will take pics of their Coop and run when the sun is out in an hour or so

 

[WIchickMama]

They should be allowed out whenever they want.
What are your upgrade plans to get them out of the tiny coop and run?
You need to provide them with a winter run that offers 45 sq ft and increase their coop size to at least 12 sq ft.
You also only want to block the lower portion of the run walls and leave the upper 6" or so open for ventilation.
Can you please post pictures of you tiny coop/run? I think I have a pretty good idea of what it is.

Yep, don't wrap the run all the way to the top, leave some open, this is what we do--helps with ventilation (and it can get super dusty) Offering some extra bedding on the floor of the run will be helpful, though you don't necessarily need it to go up the wall sides. We get some weather in the negative 30s and 40s throughout the winter and we don't offer any heat. The biggest thing is making sure they can't get hit by a draft overnight or even during the day so they can stay warm.

 

[Acre4Me]

In addition to the above, is the coop fairly protected from the prevailing winter winds? Where I am located, They just rip across the hundreds of acres of bare farmland to my west and hit us full force. My coop is on the east side of the barn, so protected from the western winds, but not so much from the northern winds. We let them out all winter, and keep upper ventilation open in the coop. We only cover up the north facing ventilation area if it’s a deep deep cold or fierce winter storm, although both north and south upper ventilation openings are well covered with a roof overhang and protected from any precipitation. The goal in the coop is draft free where they roost, but well ventilated. Protect from precipitation too. Also, my chickens really hate windy days and I swear cross their legs and refuse to lay, so having some wind protection is also helpful.

 

[SmiYa0126]

A small coop could be a better option in the winter since there's less dead space even three hens will generate enough heat. I would stay away from straw, it gets damp and then could contribute to frostbite. I wrap my run leaving a small gap on the bottom and top, plus a panel I can move aside to allow more airflow on the "nice" days.

 

[aart]

A small coop could be a better option in the winter since there's less dead space even three hens will generate enough heat.

No, this is not true.
Adequate ventilation makes a coop 'holding heat' moot,
and most the heat generated by the birds is held to their bodies by the feathers.

 

[SmiYa0126]

No, this is not true.
Adequate ventilation makes a coop 'holding heat' moot,
and most the heat generated by the birds is held to their bodies by the feathers.

This is what I observed for my ladies, I have three roosting on the coop, the rest roost in the run. Even with the door open, and the window cracked, it's warm in the coop when I clean the poop out in the morning.

My run and coop are fort Knox.

 

[Coops Dad]

Even during the big freeze in 2020, with temps down below 0*F, our chickens free ranged and would go out to scratch down through the snow looking for seed heads and grass. They'd cluster together at night on their roosts but the morning always found them exploring bare spots in the yard.

As long as they're out of any drafts and adequate ventilation keeps the humidity down, they'll be fine.

We had about 50 birds at the time.