Wondering what to do for NC/Southern winters

[Southern28Chick]

It doesn't get that cold in the south, not all winter anyway. What do you other southern folk do with your coop in the winter. Are the chickens supposed to stay indoors the whole time?

This'll be my first winter with chickens so I want to be ready when it starts to get cold. The chicken house is not insulated.

 

[arlee453]

Great question - I was wondering the same thing. We usually don't have too many days with the temp dips below freezing, even at night, and then usually not much below.

My winter plans were to put the brooder lamp in the coop if the temps are supposed to get below 30 at night, and keep on during the day if temps are to stay below freezing on those rare January/Feb days.

Oh, and put the solid doors in place of the wired ones.

Does that sound right???

 

[speckledhen]

Open the doors and let them go outside. They do better in cold than in extreme heat. They need the fresh air and exercise, even in winter. I don't have heat on anyone, just a heatlamp hanging over the waterer that comes on in the morning if I think the water may be frozen. Definitely they need to be out of drafts, but as long as they're dry, they'll be fine. If you have a rooster with a large comb, you should put vaseline on it in freezing temps to keep away frostbite.
Here is sometimes gets in the single digits a few nights since I'm in the mountains. I just have to make sure their water doesn't freeze and the nests have plenty of straw for them to snuggle down in. On really cold mornings when I let them out, I sometimes feed them warm oatmeal with wheatgerm and scrambled or boiled eggs.