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.

 

[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.

 

[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!

 

[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.

 

[NikkiChikks]

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!

Not sure if we can post links here, but I'll attach a pic of what I've used

 

[NikkiChikks]

Not sure if we can post links here, but I'll attach a pic of what I've used

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Everyone uses plastic but I have a stack of thick Purple Insulation Foam Board. Because it is weather proof, I can temporarily use it outdoors in the run for wind block as well as inside the coop. I really prefer it to plastic. It's light and easy to work with and obviously unreal effectiveness for cooling, heating, weather proofing. Just an idea for you.......

 

[Stefankeyes]

Ah you based in America as says 4mil? . Here we use guage for some reason which confuses me lol. I've heard mixed from people that 250 guage is perfect. And others say it rips too easily in high wind. Really not sure what one to get over here in the UK. I'll try post the ones I was looking at

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25264330...o4y2g83Q3u&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Any ideas?

Thanks again. And sorry for slow replies. Just starting a new job so life is a little chaotic at the moment lol

 

[Stefankeyes]

Everyone uses plastic but I have a stack of thick Purple Insulation Foam Board. Because it is weather proof, I can temporarily use it outdoors in the run for wind block as well as inside the coop. I really prefer it to plastic. It's light and easy to work with and obviously unreal effectiveness for cooling, heating, weather proofing. Just an idea for you.......

Ooh interesting. Is that the stuff they use to insulate wooden houses and sheds? Between the panel? I suppose more overall it would be rainproofing we would need the most. We all know how chickens turn all the grass to mushy mud lol. So if I can keep their run area dry for winter. I do plan on having their run on a rotation so they can get fresh grass. But that becomes tricky in Scotland winter since grass doesn't grow then. So anything to prevent it from all turning to Marsh lands