Winter run / coop heating

[Stefankeyes]

So not really about heating. I have 2 hens. A welsummer and a cream legbar. We are nearing winter here in Scotland. Our winters can be quite brutal for temps. This is my first winter having my chickens outside. they have a 8x8ft Run in our back yard thats 6ft tall. Our winter temps can get down to around -5C (around 20-23F) I was looking at maybe buying large clear sheets of plastic to cover up their run area so cold winds wouldnt bother them. as it does get rather windy over here in the winter. Would it be necessary i do that? or will they be ok without that? I should say their coop is a small one. Big enough for the 2 though. But does not have a door on it. Designed without a door. I want to make sure as we are coming into winter, that they will be as comfortable as they can be. Budget is tight. although starting a new job in a couple of weeks. so i can save for improvements if anyone has suggestions.
many thanks to all

 

[NikkiChikks]

Mine have done well even in occasional -40F. As long as they are dry, well ventilated, have a place to get out of the wind and access to fresh water, they should do okay. I use transparent garden plastic around the run to block wind and allow sunlight. One roll lasted me 3 winters.

 

[wamtazlady]

Do cover your run on 3 sides. The open side should be away from the prevailing winds. You could also cover your run on 4 sides but leave the top 1/3 of a meter or 1 foot open. That will help especially as you do not have a door on your coop. To keep the birds warm you have to keep the wind off them. They trap warm air under their feathers. If wind blows on them they will loose that trapped air when the feather ruffle. I use clear shower curtains to cover 3 sides of my run.

Besides having no door you might want to add some ventilation just under the roof. A warm chicken is a dry chicken so keeping the moisture from the chickens breathing and pooping out of the coop is very important during winter. The clear vinyl curtains on the run would keep breezes out of the coop. I keep my coop door open year round and the shower curtains keep the breezes off the birds. My coop is predator proof as possible so the door is not terribly importana. The local foxes and skunks have tried to dig in but they can not due to a 3 foot apron of hardware cloth. Only a bear would be able to break in and I've never seen one around here.

I have never heated my coop. It's more important to keep the moisture out of the coop than to heat it. Chickens make their own heat. Temperatures of -20 F or colder are fairly normal here for part of the winter. My birds do fine.

 

[rosemarythyme]

should I use the automatic door and let them come in and out in the Winter or just keep them in the coop all winter?

I would always give them the option of going out, unless there's an extreme circumstance (i.e. tornado, flooding) where they aren't safe outside.

 

[HumbleAmerican]

They need still air that’s open to the elements. If you had them sealed tight from 6’ down and then had the top couple feet open, they’d do better than a cross draft from ground level to an opening at the top.

Whatever you do, leave air circulation open. Moisture is far harder on chickens than cold. If the door doesn’t create a draft it should be ok. I use down and a pair of forceps to see drafts. If the down doesn’t move you are good. If it’s wiggling about, you need to stop the draft.

Chickens pack their own coats. Wind chill is what will get to them.

 

[3KillerBs]

Our winter temps can get down to around -5C (around 20-23F)

These are really quite moderate temperatures. The main thing will be to provide water that isn't frozen. There are many kinds of heated waterer available but I can't recommend anything because I'm in the US southeast where just bringing my waterers in at night is sufficient.

Don't be tempted to close up so much that you compromise ventilation. A generous flow of fresh air is just as important in the winter as in the summer.

Insulation Foam Board.

Chickens are notorious for eating foam board. If it's installed where they can access it they will peck it to pieces and eat the bits.

 

[wamtazlady]

I live in Kingsville, OH, SNOWBELT area...this is my 1st winter with chickens...we built a nice coop for them...my question is, should I use the automatic door and let them come in and out in the Winter or just keep them in the coop all winter?

I live in NW Montana. Have never, even when it's in the minus numbers, kept the chickens inside. Their food and water is in the run. Of course, 3 sides of the run are covered in clear vinyl to keep breezes off the birds.

 

[Len Konler]

I have an 8 X 10 shed. I insulated the wall and ceiling. It has one big window and two smaller windows. The shed has an 8 × 10 attached run that is predator proof (buried hardware cloth etc). I am near lake Michigan in WI so it can get cold and chilly beginning October and then worse.

I take 4 mil and 6 mil contractor plastic and wrap the outside run. I staple plastic on and then take cheap thin pine wood lathe and secure the plastic. I use short bigger headed nails, 1 1/4 inch roofing nails are good, but any thinner nail with a good head on it works because I remove them in spring. I like the short roofing nails because when some of the lathe splits the widw head secures the split thin wood lathe. I also have some 10' and 8' green treated lengths of wood that I reuse.
It is really important to leave a small (reachable) upper section open for venting! For gas and avoiding creating a hothouse! I do this vent on the south side. I cover this at night only in weather below 0 F OR in big storms with swirling winds. I cut a triangle on a corner about two feet long and one and a half vertically and roll the cut plastic and secure it with a piece of lathe but with the nail heads sticking out a little so I can pull it loose and secure that flap. I make sure I open that flap at sunrise (especially if sunny) to avoid heat building up as this is meant to be wind and snow block. The minimumal heat generated by plastic and sun in daylight is just enough they stay out quite a bit.
I cut the plastic down slowly and starting at top. I take a month plus to finish because I leave a two foot high bottom strip as wind break. Then when nice I take all the lathe and nails out an with water, a tiny bit od animal safe soap and sponge wipe the painted wood frame free of dirt .
Some chickens are freaked out by sudden covering of their safe run but in a day they get used to it and any flapping.
I use a thinner 4 mil plastic on the side of the coop I can see from the house (120 feet away). The thinner 4 mil always me to see the chickens and for them to see me & out into the yard. The 6 mil is more opac.
Good luck.

 

[3KillerBs]

(My coop/run is kind of odd; I built a coop within an old metal corn crib that was built atop an even older stone silo. So it is about 3 feet above ground and stone and metal. Nothing can dig in...But the metal panels that held the corn in are wide enough for a raccoon to reach in, so I zip tied hardware cloth 6' up. That's where the plastic panels come in, my run is round and high up so nothing worked until I made the custom panels.)

It would be cool to see photos of this unique structure.

 

[Stefankeyes]

Mine have done well even in occasional -40F. As long as they are dry, well ventilated, have a place to get out of the wind and access to fresh water, they should do okay. I use transparent garden plastic around the run to block wind and allow sunlight. One roll lasted me 3 winters.

same stuff i was looking at. transparent greenhouse plastic. would you say 250 guage plastic enough or you think i need thicker? want them to be as comfortable as possible. i know they are cold tolerant. but hate wind. Thanks for the reply!