Winterizing

[653001]

I live in Canada and our winters get cold -30C , I put plastic over the doors of where the chickens sleep the sides are hardware mesh , is this enough ventilation . They’re locked up tight at night so nothing gets them and let out first thing to free range and hang out in their barn

 

[Tookie]

Is that a coop? It looks too small to me. How many square ft is it and how many chickens do you have? So the coop is inside the barn?

 

[653001]

That’s just where they sleep, they have an 8x10 barn but we have predator issues so they’re locked up tight at night with two levels to do with as they please and are out free ranging on 10 acres all day. There is 7 chickens also

 

[Auntiejessi3]

As long as there are no direct drafts on them, they will be fine. I'd take that plastic down, those are tight enough quarters without them having zero fresh air

 

[653001]

As long as there are no direct drafts on them, they will be fine. I'd take that plastic down, those are tight enough quarters without them having zero fresh air

 

[653001]

They have fresh air , the sides aren’t one bit covered . There’s a drafty window in front of them & im trying to keep drafts off of them

 

[3KillerBs]

Here's the article you need to read: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

And my article on coop ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

 

[aart]

That’s just where they sleep, they have an 8x10 barn but we have predator issues so they’re locked up tight at night with two levels to do with as they please and are out free ranging on 10 acres all day. There is 7 chickens also

That does look small.
Would help to see more of the enclosure as well as the rest of the 'barn'.

 

[Debnsync]

As long as there are no direct drafts on them, they will be fine. I'd take that plastic down, those are tight enough quarters without them having zero fresh air

Attaching cardboard inside to any drafty areas of the wood walls during cold weather,( Piedmont of N. C. where temperatures have already dropped early Nov. to low twenties F), in our 10’ x 13’ coop has worked well for us. I’ve read that people even use feed bags for same purpose. There is good ventilation around and above their roosting areas, as it’s an old building that we renovated, covering any open spaces with hardware mesh.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would expect this to detrimental to their health. Unless they are bantam birds? The problem is that with the long nights, they spend a long time cooped up, in rather tight space.

I think instead of applying the plastic to the cage, I would apply the plastic to the barn walls to keep the draft off of them.

Mrs K