Winter with Bantams vs standards. Will this be too cold for them?

[janiedoe]

1st time with bantams.
I have, I believe, 4 six week + cockerels, 5 six week pullets, and one 18 months hen.
At the moment I have two standards, 4 weeks and 6 weeks, housed with them.
I will be rehoming two to three of the cockerels soon. The standards will move out in a couple of weeks.
Climate: hot and humid summers and mild winters with a few days freezing or below
(It's in the high 90s at the moment.)
Question:
1. Will they need more winter coverage than standards?
2. Is this adequate room for the winter for 7 to 8 bantams?
(20 square foot roost area, 63 sq foot run, including a nest box and feeder/water area.)

These are temporary quarters. They'll get a new coop and run in the spring. They will have yard time, in a small, fenced (about 16 x 40 area) uncovered yard with supervision, and may also be allowed to run in the big yard with the standards, depending on how things progress.
Here is a (not to scale) diagram of their temporary coop& run
There is a summer/fair weather coop to the left of their run. A large run behind and to the left of their coop, to the right there is an 8 x 10 enclosed coop. All are secured by hardware cloth.

Side view from the standard coop

View of ladder roost from the bantam run (the window on the right is to the standard coop, not the outside)

The roost area is 4' x 5' the run is 7 x 9 and has a solid roof. Height of the run is 6.5' height of coop is 5' (storage area above)

 

[TXchickmum]

They should be fine in the winter. We had a very similar setup when we had bantams. The coop was 8 x 12, with a section screened off with hardware cloth, trim, door, and nest box for the bantams (coop within the coop). We had 3 bantams and between 7 - 9 large fowl. There were two runs that came off of the coop (basically one large run with a similarly fenced off section for the bantams). -never noticed the bantams needing any extra warmth in the winter. They did well. (Obviously, our summer weather was more concerning due to extreme heat) I think your setup should suffice just fine for the winter. Also, just see how all of your chickens do together when out in the yard with supervision. Our bantams and large fowl would get along just fine out on the yard and garden. -just didn't do well in the coop/smaller run without being separated.

 

[DobieLover]

It's in the high 90s at the moment.

Will they need more winter coverage than standards?

That has not been my experience. I've kept Sebrights and d'Uccles with my standards.

Is this adequate room for the winter for 7 to 8 bantams? (20 square foot roost area, 63 sq foot run, including a nest box and feeder/water area.)

I would think so.

P.S. - you don't have real winters. I lived in TX for 3 years. It's nothing more than long pants and long-sleeved shirt weather. Maybe socks on a colder day.

 

[janiedoe]

They should be fine in the winter. We had a very similar setup when we had bantams. The coop was 8 x 12, with a section screened off with hardware cloth, trim, door, and nest box for the bantams (coop within the coop). We had 3 bantams and between 7 - 9 large fowl. There were two runs that came off of the coop (basically one large run with a similarly fenced off section for the bantams). -never noticed the bantams needing any extra warmth in the winter. They did well. (Obviously, our summer weather was more concerning due to extreme heat) I think your setup should suffice just fine for the winter. Also, just see how all of your chickens do together when out in the yard with supervision. Our bantams and large fowl would get along just fine out on the yard and garden. -just didn't do well in the coop/smaller run without being separated.

Thank you for the reply. I appreciate it very much.
I have 4 coops now, plus a large, "fair weather" coop which is the preferred one (basically just a solid wall, a half wall, and two open to the run) so no one has to be crowded in together.

That has not been my experience. I've kept Sebrights and d'Uccles with my standards.


I would think so.

P.S. - you don't have real winters. I lived in TX for 3 years. It's nothing more than long pants and long-sleeved shirt weather. Maybe socks on a colder day.

Tell me. I lived in the Cumberland mountains for a dozen years. While it doesn't compare to your New York winters, it sure makes the winters here seem insignificant.

 

[janiedoe]

BTW, I generally wear capris and short sleeves in the winter. Occasionally I add a sweatshirt...and socks.

 

[TXchickmum]

P.S. - you don't have real winters. I lived in TX for 3 years. It's nothing more than long pants and long-sleeved shirt weather. Maybe socks on a colder day.

That is decently accurate for the most part - but.....we have very extreme changes. It can be 60 one day then it can drop into the single digits with ice on the ground the next. Our birds are not used to those temp extremes. Extra hay, pine shavings, or material like that in the coop works well with the winter changes for Texas.

 

[lori_smith99]

BTW, I generally wear capris and short sleeves in the winter. Occasionally I add a sweatshirt...and socks.

Same for me...I am in Florida

 

[janiedoe]

That is decently accurate for the most part - but.....we have very extreme changes. It can be 60 one day then it can drop into the single digits with ice on the ground the next. Our birds are not used to those temp extremes. Extra hay, pine shavings, or material like that in the coop works well with the winter changes for Texas.

This is true. Fortunately, we don't have too many hard freezes.

 

[LTAY1946]

We had 3 straight days when the temp dropped to 15° here in lower AL 25 miles from the FL line. All of our young chickens of about 4 months sailed through it like is was just a new experience.

 

[LTAY1946]

I had to stop wearing cargo shorts in the coops as the hens started treating my calf muscles like big bugs. What was worse was once or twice during hot weather I went shirtless into a coop and picked up a hen. I'll leave that one to your imagination. I wear shirts now no matter how hot it is.