Is cold a problem

[Jimmy]

Have been thinking of building an hen house for a while.
Not started yet but I have acrued much info on the subject and the plans are just about finilized.
However in the light of the recent cold snap are chickens OK outside without heating (it been down to below -10), in a small hen house of course.
My plans involve using re-cycled pallet slats and I was wondering if covering the coup with felt would help to keep out rain and draughts. Worried this might give a nice home for the red spider mites ?

Thanks
Jimmy

[Nicos]

Mine are kept inside a stone building (6ft cube) with no heating- and when I open the door in the mornings, there's certainly some heat been generated by the chooks.
I know that must mean they've actually lost heat to have warmed up the room- but mine have been fine.
Perhaps the peeps with wooden chook houses are better answering your thread !
( no-one has reported freeze dried chooks so far though!)

[Suechooks]

Recycled pallets sound VERY draughty and draughts and damp will definitely affect hens. Felt will give red mite a place to hide so you need to draught/rain proof it really well some other way. Chooks are pretty resilient but they do need the proper care to keep them well. They do need ventilation but not between the boards! Most wooden huts are made of T&G or marine ply with Onduline roof which allows good ventilation above their heads. Hope this helps.

[Jimmy]

Guess T&G sounds better, but perhaps if I seal slats with some sealant to exclude draughts ?

[Suechooks]

Guess T&G sounds better, but perhaps if I seal slats with some sealant to exclude draughts ?

That's an option! As far as cold goes most chooks can keep warm as long as the hut is the correct size. My hut is 6' x 4' and holds 12 normal size hens. Any bigger than that and it becomes difficult for them to keep warm and if its much smaller then they get too hot in warm weather. I have a sliding vent which is covered with small wire mesh and that is open or shut depending on weather. Most of the books say 2 sq ft of floor space per hen or 1ft of perch space.

[Jimmy]

Thanks will keep that in mind
Jimmy

[Jardiniere]

mine wont go inside...they roost on top of their box which is in a lean to - open on two sides - dry but open to the wind - its been -8 here and they seem OK- altho i do worry about them - but what can I do? Until i can build my new run in the spring - when my land is cleared ..........

[Sue]

Jardiniere
I've got three hens who sleep perched on top of the henhouse and this is their second winter.My three "babies" sleep inside the henhouse...I've got them all in a covered enclosure and I've just covered three sides with a heavy plastic to at least keep out the wind and rain.
But the other day, I was watching them get ready for bed and one of the oldies went in the henhouse, this caused a lot of anxiety in the others and one by one the other two oldies went in and all was quiet. That left my newbies, circling the henhouse in a worried fashion, their sleeping quarters having been commandered.
Eventually the smallest and most timid - Monica went in, there was a bit of clucking then silence - that left two who seemed intent on getting jammed in the doorway - at long last after much circling the henhouse the other two got up the courage to go in and all was quiet.
This is the first time the oldies have ever slept in the henhouse and I'm intrigued to know how they thought it out. Had they always known they could kip inside but decided not or had one of them been watching the younger ones go in the henhouse. Seems quite a lot of reasoning for such small brains!
The minute it gets a little bit warmer they're back on top of the henhouse again... so you never know what yours will do.
best wishes
Sue