update NY winters with Welsummers

[WelSummer Mama]

So I am new to having chickens. I currently have 2 week only Welsummers, and I am in Upstate NY, so it can get pretty cold here. What is the best advice for winter time? I know they are a good breed for the cold, but do I still need to put heat out there?

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to BYC.

I, too, am in Upstate NY. No heat is required. LOTS of ventilation IS.
This is my coop. No insulation, no heat. Lots of ventilation.

You want to shoot for 1 sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird in the coop. The coop should also offer 4 sq ft of space per bird and 1 linear ft of roost space. The run should offer 15 sq ft of space per bird and will ideally have a solid roof on it and walls that can be winterized with a tarp.

 

[WelSummer Mama]

Welcome to BYC.

I, too, am in Upstate NY. No heat is required. LOTS of ventilation IS.
This is my coop. No insulation, no heat. Lots of ventilation.
View attachment 3941288
You want to shoot for 1 sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird in the coop. The coop should also offer 4 sq ft of space per bird and 1 linear ft of roost space. The run should offer 15 sq ft of space per bird and will ideally have a solid roof on it and walls that can be winterized with a tarp.
View attachment 3941289

Yea my coop, is all wires on the the bottom portion of the siding for ventilation and then the roof and the top section of the walls are metal siding. Is that going to be to much air flow?

 

[WelSummer Mama]

Welcome to BYC.

I, too, am in Upstate NY. No heat is required. LOTS of ventilation IS.
This is my coop. No insulation, no heat. Lots of ventilation.
View attachment 3941288
You want to shoot for 1 sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird in the coop. The coop should also offer 4 sq ft of space per bird and 1 linear ft of roost space. The run should offer 15 sq ft of space per bird and will ideally have a solid roof on it and walls that can be winterized with a tarp.
View attachment 3941289

Not the best pictures, but we just built our own coop and you can kinda see what we were doing.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The bottom of the coop (aka the floor) is going to be wire mesh? Or the side of the run under the coop is wire mesh? They're not the same and will yield very different results. An open floor coop is designed for very hot climates, not cold.

Do you have a drawing with measurements to show what it's going to look like when finished?

 

[KristinKH]

Welcome to BYC.

I, too, am in Upstate NY. No heat is required. LOTS of ventilation IS.
This is my coop. No insulation, no heat. Lots of ventilation.
View attachment 3941288
You want to shoot for 1 sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird in the coop. The coop should also offer 4 sq ft of space per bird and 1 linear ft of roost space. The run should offer 15 sq ft of space per bird and will ideally have a solid roof on it and walls that can be winterized with a tarp.
View attachment 3941289

I LOVE your coop. Did you build it yourself? Do you have the plans that you could share? I'd love to make my next coop be similar.

 

[DobieLover]

I LOVE your coop. Did you build it yourself? Do you have the plans that you could share? I'd love to make my next coop be similar.

I converted a shed. Click on the My Coop link under my info to get to the article.

 

[Penpal]

Your chicks should be feathered out before putting them in the cold.

 

[DobieLover]

Your chicks should be feathered out before putting them in the cold.

This thread was started 9 weeks ago. So the chicks are now pullets and they're 11 weeks old and they should be just fine being outdoors in the cold.