Winterizing coop in TX, doesn't snow much or get super cold but want to ensure my girls are comforta

[007Sean]

Hi y'all! I am pretty new to chickens, I just started with chicks this last March and now have 5 New Hampshire Reds and 3 Americaunas. This will be my first winter with them, and I have seen many articles about winterizing your coop, but they are all for climates that get a lot colder than it does here. I live in East Texas and it rarely snows here in the winter and doesn't even get below freezing that much. Just wondered if I could get some input from some other people who live in warmer areas as well. Just not sure what to do to winterize or what temperatures they can withstand. I just don't feel like it's necessary here to do as much in areas where it snows all winter and is below freezing. I would appreciate any and all help, just want my girls to be cozy and happy this winter! They live in a coop that is attached to a covered run and free range several hours daily. 

Don't know where in Texas your located? Im in South Central Texas, my pens are sheltered from the North winds and rain we get but other than that not much else to do. I use to live in North Texas, it got pretty cold there and had snow and ice storms in winter. I just made sure they had a totally enclosed structure to get out of the bad weather. Unless they are from a warm climate, no need to provide heat. Just keep wind and drafts off of them and they will be fine.

 

[mamahenjess]

The coop is 5 x 5 and the run area is 5 x 15. They get to free range during the day so have plenty of room and I clean the run and the coop daily. They only go inside to lay, there are 4 nesting boxes inside and high roosts on the other side of the coop. Most sleep outside, there is a roosting tree now and it's been so hot I think they enjoy the breeze. The pic I posted was right after it was built and then primed and several things have been changed since then. Will definitely look into more ventilation for the actual coop structure. The run is covered and protected from north winds by a fence behind it and I also thought I would put plastic around the back of it for winter. They hate being inside and the Rhode Island Reds are definitely from a colder climate, I thought that they would still stay in the run and want to be outside most of the day in winter since it doesn't get that cold except at night. I'm in east Texas, about an hr from Louisiana and it just really doesn't get that cold except at night. It doesn't freeze a ton and we have winter grass that grows that they will still be able to enjoy. I thought we had accounted for the square footage of all the birds when we built the coop and run, they are outside most of the time during the day however, it's their favorite place to be. I hope the cold doesn't slow them down too much, but this is my first time with chickens in the winter. It's generally in the 40s during the day here in the winter. We didn't get any slow last winter and had maybe 2 days of ice and things freezing.

 

[mamahenjess]

I just double checked and the minimum square footage per recommended bird in the coop is 2 to 3 square feet per bird so we have more than enough. More space is required in the run but we meet that requirement as well. They do free range daily so sanitation has never been an issue. @aart don't know how to respond to specific people in posts yet!

 

[mamahenjess]

And we have had no predator problems so far. We have a layer of chicken wire and welded wire around the whole structure. We also have wire buried into the ground around the whole structure and motion detector lights at night. We have woods right behind our house with coyotes, fox, and raccoons and haven't experienced a problem in the 5 months they have been living out there. I have seen the motion lights go off and check it out but haven't ever seen anything trying to get in. Our cat and dog love the chickens and are out with them while the free range and I think this helps deter predators during the day.

 

[aart]

I just double checked and the minimum square footage per recommended bird in the coop is 2 to 3 square feet per bird so we have more than enough. More space is required in the run but we meet that requirement as well. They do free range daily so sanitation has never been an issue. @aart don't know how to respond to specific people in posts yet!

There are several 'minimum' space requirements out there.
1-2 for 'factory farms'....it's increased in backyarder books and forums.
Typical around here is 4 and 10, which is bare minimum, IMO....but it can differ depending on climate, population, and predator load.

Crowding can cause a lot of unpleasant problems.
Free ranging can help you get away with a crowded coop/run,
until a predator threat necessitates the need to keep birds confined for a period that could last for weeks.
Integration of new birds, or returning injured birds to flock, takes extra and separate space.

Good article on Space linked in my signature that takes into account the variables quite well.



On a laptop you just hit the 'quote' button to reply to a certain post/person.