Winterizing in the South

Clc012

In the Brooder
Apr 26, 2021
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Hey yall, this is my first "winter" with my hens and I live in South Mississippi. My girls lay in a modified dog house with the opening facing the north but their roost is a lean-to with a slant roof and no sides. It has worked great for the Summer because its shaded and breezy but I'm worried about the winter. Should I board up their roost to protect them from the wind/humidity/rain/and cold weather? We might have a few 30 degree nights but I'm mainly worried about keeping the dry during the cooler weather. Any help would be great. Thanks!
 
Hey yall, this is my first "winter" with my hens and I live in South Mississippi. My girls lay in a modified dog house with the opening facing the north but their roost is a lean-to with a slant roof and no sides. It has worked great for the Summer because its shaded and breezy but I'm worried about the winter. Should I board up their roost to protect them from the wind/humidity/rain/and cold weather? We might have a few 30 degree nights but I'm mainly worried about keeping the dry during the cooler weather. Any help would be great. Thanks!
Can you please post pictures?
For an open air coop, you can cover the windward side with a clear shower curtain or poly sheeting.
 
Can you please post pictures?
For an open air coop, you can cover the windward side with a clear shower curtain or poly sheeting.
 

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Its not the greatest pic, you may have to zoom in, but the open air coop is behind the little white laying house. It just has a four poles that hold up a tin roof and a roost bar. Its pretty long so I might just divide it and enclose half of it.
 
Its not the greatest pic, you may have to zoom in, but the open air coop is behind the little white laying house. It just has a four poles that hold up a tin roof and a roost bar. Its pretty long so I might just divide it and enclose half of it.
They will need/want to be warm and dry. I would tarp/plastic off the sides for sure. You could even wrap it around the front a little so it isn't "open" all the way.
 
You would almost never get below freezing, right? You do not need to make any attempt to keep your chickens warm. It can be counterproductive if you cut off their ventilation.

All you need to do is to give them a dry place out of the wind that they can go to and sleep in and they'll keep themselves plenty warm down to about 0F, which you probably won't ever see. :)

This is my winterizing from last year here in the NC Sandhills -- at the border of climate zones 7b and 8a. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/winterizing-coop-and-pen-nc-sandhills-version.1431885/

As long as your 3-sided shelter turns its back to the winds so that the birds aren't getting wet in blowing rain you should be fine. *Maybe* stack a few straw bales across part of the opening -- but not all the way up.
 
You would almost never get below freezing, right? You do not need to make any attempt to keep your chickens warm. It can be counterproductive if you cut off their ventilation.

All you need to do is to give them a dry place out of the wind that they can go to and sleep in and they'll keep themselves plenty warm down to about 0F, which you probably won't ever see. :)

This is my winterizing from last year here in the NC Sandhills -- at the border of climate zones 7b and 8a. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/winterizing-coop-and-pen-nc-sandhills-version.1431885/

As long as your 3-sided shelter turns its back to the winds so that the birds aren't getting wet in blowing rain you should be fine. *Maybe* stack a few straw bales across part of the opening -- but not all the way up.
I don't think we've ever seen 0 degrees.... we would need FEMA, the National Guard, and Drew Brees to come out of retirement for help. I like your straw bales and I could definitely string up a shower curtain on the one side that gets rain. Thank you!
 

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