Winterizing the hoop coop

[whudson]

The old barn had to come down, so I built an 8x12 hoop coop for my 17 chickens.
The rear is fully enclosed with the top and sides covered with hardware cloth and a tarp.

The front is just hardware cloth and the door, with a small solar fan to blow fresh air toward the rear of the coop.

With winter coming, I'm curious if I should partially seal the front, or leave it open.
Temperatures usually don't drop below the twenties at night.

They will of course have plenty of bedding, I'm just concerned the wide open front may be too large an opening.

 

[DobieLover]

I would face it away from the prevailing winds and not worry about it unless you get very strong winds blowing through it. Then I would just cover the bottom 2/3 with a clear poly tarp.

 

[Poultry Showman]

I would face it away from the prevailing winds and not worry about it unless you get very strong winds blowing through it. Then I would just cover the bottom 2/3 with a clear poly tarp.

Agreed. Is it insulated? That would be good even if you don't conceal the front. Also this is only slightly relevant. But if you are having problems with frostbite use coconut oil on their combs and feet.

 

[aart]

But if you are having problems with frostbite use coconut oil on their combs and feet.

No, not a good idea...it can actually increase the chances of frostbite.
Humidity is the main culprit of frostbite.
Do you live in a freezing climate?

Temperatures usually don't drop below the twenties at night.

I assume you mean Fahrenheit?
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Poultry Showman]

Yeah. Sorry it didn't help. Just sharing what worked for my chickens.

 

[Poultry Showman]

Yeah. Sorry it didn't help. Just sharing what worked for my chickens.

It got to about fifty below in my area.

 

[TooCheep]

It got to about fifty below in my area.

Understandable. That's why @aart is asking for location in the user profile. The recommendations for Tennessee can be very different from Minnesota. Please add your location to your profile as well.