Winterizing coop

...The eggs were unusually cold to the touch like they had been refrigerated. We had a cold rainy day today, 50 degrees. Is that an indication it might be too cold for them?

How do I check for drafts and make sure they are warm enough for the winter.
No, hens generate heat and have very effective insulation, eggs have neither. Unless you meant too cold for the eggs rather than too cold for the chickens. Still no, it isn't too cold for eggs until it is cold enough that they freeze. That is somewhere much less than 32F (0C) if you gather your eggs at least every late afternoon or evening because it takes a while for them to cool. Especially if hens set on them periodically as they are in and out of the nest to lay eggs. Freezing still isn't necessarily too cold. I had one frozen egg last year. I peeled the shell right away, enjoyed looking at it for a few min, let it thaw in a bowl, and fried it.

You can check for drafts with your fingers or face. Or sifting something fine (sand or flour, etc) down where you are checking, or a strip of something light and flexible that will flutter. All, except maybe the fingers, are pretty much overkill. If it the air movement is so slow that your fingers can't detect it pretty easily then it isn't a draft. Peace of mind is nice to have, of course, this kind of overkill doesn't hurt anything.

Making sure they are warm enough has much more to do with making sure they have all the feed they want. Especially, full crops at night. That is where the body heat comes - both fuel for generating heat and digestion itself producing heat. Edit to add, all day is even more important when the days are short because they can't eat in the dark.

And enough water because good blood volume and circulation does a lot to keep all parts of the body warm (like combs and feet too).
 
Ok​
Pics are better to show coops/runs anyway.
This is the inside of the coop. The permanent ventilation sits 18 inches above the roost bar. They seem fine every morning but it’s only dropped down to the 40s. And I’ve been closing the square pop window you see below at night that sits 10” above the roost bar. In the summer they really appreciated the cross breeze, thats why I built it his way. Sorry for the late response. Ali going on
 

Attachments

  • BFEB7C3F-C027-44C3-B954-CC8A19A61937.jpeg
    BFEB7C3F-C027-44C3-B954-CC8A19A61937.jpeg
    550.2 KB · Views: 5
  • 9F820099-1F7C-4E40-BB0D-B04834A509A8.jpeg
    9F820099-1F7C-4E40-BB0D-B04834A509A8.jpeg
    550.8 KB · Views: 5
You can check for drafts with your fingers or face. Or sifting something fine (sand or flour, etc) down where you are checking, or a strip of something light and flexible that will flutter.

I have long hair so my test is whether or not I can walk around the roosting area without my hair blowing across my face. :D

I figure that if it's not disturbing my hair then it's not disturbing their feathers.
 
Depending on the number of birds you have and the size of all your venting, I would cover that window right next to them if possible without decreasing the ventilation too much.

My views on drafts differ from many people here. I have huge open ventilation areas, but I don't want any drafts on my birds. The best insulation in the world allows some heat to escape, and any draft carries that heat away more quickly, so I keep my birds in an area that is as draft free as possible. Keep in mind that I am in a climate that is truly frigid in the winter with temperatures down to -40F. It's hard to imagine how cold that is if you haven't been in it. At those temperatures, it doesn't take much wind to chill you quickly. Other areas with more "normal" winter temperatures don't need to be as concerned about it.
 
... Keep in mind that I am in a climate that is truly frigid in the winter with temperatures down to -40F. It's hard to imagine how cold that is if you haven't been in it. At those temperatures, it doesn't take much wind to chill you quickly. Other areas with more "normal" winter temperatures don't need to be as concerned about it.

Yes. If I had to cope with temperatures like that, instead of 20F being bitter cold by relative standards, I'd have built a Woods Coop for sure and never given an Open Air coop a serious thought.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom