Winterizing in Florida

[burchy]

I live near central Florida near the east coast. Do I need to winterize my coop. We do get some freeze warnings in Jan. Feb. if so, what should I do ?
burch

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't see anything you need to do. Where you are they can be outside practically all day every day. Freezing is not cold to chickens, mine go outside when it is below zero Fahrenheit as long as a cold wind isn't hitting them.

Looks like you have decent ventilation. I don't know how you water. Water isn't likely to freeze solid enough to cause a problem at freezing, it needs to get colder than that and stay cold a while for water to freeze solid. At most, you should be able to get a black rubber bowl at the feed store to put water in if it does get that cold. Set that out where the sun can hit it and the water will stay thawed colder than you are likely to see. If it freezes solid at night just bang it against the ground to knock the ice out.

 

[3KillerBs]

Nope, no winterizing necessary for you.

Here in NC, my version of winterizing is to put a tarp up on half the north-facing wall so that storm winds can't blow directly on the perches of my open-air coop and to bring the waterers in if I'm expecting it to get below freezing overnight.

I do make sure that there are places in the run where the chickens can get out of the wind regardless of how the wind is blowing.

Here's a couple threads:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/23617821
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/snow-in-the-south-check-in-here.1508690/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/open-air-coop-in-the-snow.1508695/

 

[U_Stormcrow]

NO. Decidedly NO.

FL doesn't have "Winter", at least, not as chickens recognize it. and Cocoa less "winter" than most of the State. I'm up here int he Panhandle. We had teens and 20s for weeks last year, the chickens had a blast. I hid inside. Truly, they were more active in winter than they are in Summer (which is the much greater concern for those of us w/ flocks in FL), grazing my acres.

Key is ventilation, ventilation, ventilation. You have moisture there on the coast, so there is frost bite potential (rarely), but you will never see the sorts of temps the northern part of the State does, or the interior, and none of those temps are dangerous to the birds except under moist, low ventilation conditions (frost bite).

That's a pretty build, btw. I suggest painting it a light color. I did min red, to match my barn, with white trim. I should have done white with red...

 

[SourRoses]

Hi, fellow central Floridian!
Our cold snaps are such silly, weak things you don't have to worry. The birds love it.

Humidity being so high year-round means sealing that wood with paint or sealant is really important. We've had some unpainted boards rot when we thought we could get away with it.

You've got good upper ventilation to let the heat out, but I don't see lower ventilation to let the cool air flow in. A chimney effect is the goal.

Even though you have those sea breezes, Florida is way too hot for closed in coops.
At the least I would change that access door to be HW Cloth instead of solid. Unless you have a big window not pictured on the other side, and even then...
Experience with birds during scorching summers makes me want to see every coop be an open-air coop.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I live near central Florida near the east coast. Do I need to winterize my coop. We do get some freeze warnings in Jan. Feb. if so, what should I do ?
burchView attachment 3223253View attachment 3223254

Nice coop and run! Cold won't bother chickens like you imagine it will. I live in central US and mine are out almost every day! Great looking coop keep pictures coming, esp. once you get you flock.

 

[aldarita]

Hi, fellow central Floridian!
Our cold snaps are such silly, weak things you don't have to worry. The birds love it.

Humidity being so high year-round means sealing that wood with paint or sealant is really important. We've had some unpainted boards rot when we thought we could get away with it.

You've got good upper ventilation to let the heat out, but I don't see lower ventilation to let the cool air flow in. A chimney effect is the goal.

Even though you have those sea breezes, Florida is way too hot for closed in coops.
At the least I would change that access door to be HW Cloth instead of solid. Unless you have a big window not pictured on the other side, and even then...
Experience with birds during scorching summers makes me want to see every coop be an open-air coop.

We, chicken keepers that live in hot humid places need to be more concerned with heat than cold. You need as much ventilation as possible for the long long summer months, specially cross ventilation. Totally agree with sourRoses.
For our winters, protect the flock from the north winds, give them an area where they can be protected. I place tarps on the north side of my runs every winter and take them off after the last freeze.

 

[saysfaa]

... none of those temps are dangerous to the birds except under moist, low ventilation conditions (frost bite)....

^^ This. Well, the rest too but this is what is most often missed. Near freezing can be dangerous even though well below freezing can be not an issue.

 

[burchy]

NO. Decidedly NO.

FL doesn't have "Winter", at least, not as chickens recognize it. and Cocoa less "winter" than most of the State. I'm up here int he Panhandle. We had teens and 20s for weeks last year, the chickens had a blast. I hid inside. Truly, they were more active in winter than they are in Summer (which is the much greater concern for those of us w/ flocks in FL), grazing my acres.

Key is ventilation, ventilation, ventilation. You have moisture there on the coast, so there is frost bite potential (rarely), but you will never see the sorts of temps the northern part of the State does, or the interior, and none of those temps are dangerous to the birds except under moist, low ventilation conditions (frost bite).

That's a pretty build, btw. I suggest painting it a light color. I did min red, to match my barn, with white trim. I should have done white

 

[burchy]

Well according to some of the replies I think I better update my photos.