[webwahm]

Hiya - I'm getting some ex-batts in a few days but I'm worried about the cold weather...I've read the various posts/stickies etc.  but because these girls are coming from warm conditions into our freezing ones, do I need to do anything extra special?

The coop has arrived today and I was thinking of raising it off the floor even more by standing it on some old slatted shelving, and then putting a waste polystyrene sheet underneath the coop to stop the cold coming through from the floor...but is there any point?  Or should the polystyrene go on the roof instead?  

I know they're hardy creatures, but they've been used to warmth in that horrible place, and if they are a bit featherless...oh the worry  

oh...and do you let them out in the snow?  sorry if all this has been covered before and I've missed it.

[lightyears]

i put some polystrene on the inside of the roof with a stapple gun, it worked nicely, make sure they have got plenty of hemcore/straw to insulate the house, they are harder than you or even i thought.The heat that blew out of my house this morning was like a warm oven

[Flowerpower136]

It's a worry with ex batts, cos they don't all have feathers.  If you can, try to get some that are well covered, though you might not have a choice.

I got mine in August (which is perhaps a better time of year for ex batts!?), and Tilly still hasn't grown hers feathers back, though the others are quite well covered now.  I've knitted a chuck sweater for Tilly, and have got it on standby to put on her if she looks like she's struggling.  So far, so good, don't really want to start dressing them up!

I've lagged the coop floor a bit more with wadges of newspaper covered with a good thick layer of wood shavings.  And extra straw in the nest box.  So far they seem to be OK, out and about this morning but are sensibly sheltering from that icy wind.  Don't seem to be upset by the snow, and we've quite a covering this morning.

[dizzylizzie]

contact your co-ordinater, they would the best person to speak to as they are used to re-homing ex-batts this time of year. Also , about the snow, some do, some dont, if they dont like it they will find shelter, or go back in the coop. Also i would be reluctant to put polystirine (sp) inside the coop, if they eat it , it will kill them  . If its a good quality coop, with no draft, leaks (shouldnt have them with a new coop. ) put plent of bedding, dust extracted shavings/hempcre/cozycoop....what ever your using, and if you want to some straw in the nest boxes (not hay), with 6 chickens they will huddle together for warmth anyway :happy:

[hillfooter]

contact your co-ordinater, they would the best person to speak to as they are used to re-homing ex-batts this time of year. Also , about the snow, some do, some dont, if they dont like it they will find shelter, or go back in the coop. Also i would be reluctant to put polystirine (sp) inside the coop, if they eat it , it will kill them  . If its a good quality coop, with no draft, leaks (shouldnt have them with a new coop. ) put plent of bedding, dust extracted shavings/hempcre/cozycoop....what ever your using, and if you want to some straw in the nest boxes (not hay), with 6 chickens they will huddle together for warmth anyway :happy:

I'd agree with Dizzy on this defimitely no polystyrene in the house unless it's well out of reach.  If you have or can beg or borrow a horse NewZealand rug (an old disused one is fine) these are great for throwing over the roof. Nice and heavy so don't blow off, well insulated and keep the roof dry which reduces the chill factor.

A little science here, it's not the cold that penetrates through it's the heat which flows out.  By insulating you stop the flow of heat so the heat your chx generate will be retained better.  Though 4 hens won't generate much heat, the best strategy is provide lots of dry bedding for them to nuzzle into.  Have perching space which consists of several parallel perch bars in a grid so they can huddle up in a group rather than a single perch bar where they only have two neighbours, cut out drafts and insulate and keep the roof dry, orientate the house so it collects as much of the midday sun as possible, ie expose the largest surface area towards the sun at midday and have the house a dark colour and sweep off the snow from the roof in the day.  Keep the inside and bedding dry at all times. Insulating the walls and roof is probably the least beneficial unless it reduces drafts.

HF