Winterization -- how extreme needed in zone 5?

[21hens-incharge]

. What I've learned on here is ventilation over insulation, but avoid drafts. Thanks

That sums it up pretty well.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Chickens as a rule will do better in a slightly drafty but dry building than they will in an insulated, tightly shuttered environment with little or no air circulation.

The operative term is "relative" humidity. As the "relative" humidity rises then you must spend more and more to heat the poultry quarters to bring the "relative" humidity down to a safe level. To much humidity is inviting frostbite because water, even water vapor is a much better conductor of warmth AWAY from your chickens than cold dry air is.

Also remember that every chicken in the hen house is a little humidifier who is pumping out moist air with every breath.

Buy the way chickens love the taste of Styrofoam, they may even like it more than they like the taste of bugs, frogs, and other assorted endangered species.

 

[amiachicknorwat]

Much thanks, Chickengeorgeto, for laying it all out here. Yeah, we had a big frog in the garden. Haven't seen him since we let the chickens in daily. But there's no way I'll let them into the creek area where hopefully a frog population exists. Re the coop, I'll just try to keep all that in balance.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Chickens as a rule will do better in a slightly drafty but dry building than they will in an insulated, tightly shuttered environment with little or no air circulation.

The operative term is "relative" humidity. As the "relative" humidity rises then you must spend more and more to heat the poultry quarters to bring the "relative" humidity down to a safe level. To much humidity is inviting frostbite because water, even water vapor is a much better conductor of warmth AWAY from your chickens than cold dry air is.

Also remember that every chicken in the hen house is a little humidifier who is pumping out moist air with every breath.

Buy the way chickens love the taste of Styrofoam, they may even like it more than they like the taste of bugs, frogs, and other assorted endangered species.

Oh, by the way. As crazy as it sounds chickens (the Red Jungle fowl don't you know) can stand much hotter temps it they are accompanied by high relative humidity than your chickens can tolerate hot bright Sunlight accompanied by dry or low relative humidity conditions. The most deadly condition for chickens is unrelieved hot, dry, direct, Sunlight which can lead to death in as little as 5 minutes.

In extreme hot Summer conditions I have watched my birds travel 100 to 200 maze like yards while keeping to the dappled shade of overhanging tree branches to reach a spring fed creek only 75 feet away. A 2 foot gap in any of the shady areas was more than enough to cause them to detour to a more shady path if one existed.

Don't forget that chickens can "see" UV light using only their third eye or pineal gland and that both roosters and hens have this important part of the brain and this part of the brain is very sensitive to UV (Sun) light. So if the people who only want the best for their birds really knew the negative effects that UV light deprivation has on their flock I predict that more folks would keep artificial light on their flock all fall and winter long.