Chickens too Cold....help.

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chickenbrit said:
This is our first winter with chickens. We're in Michigan and getting a lot of snow and wind and colder temperatures, although not below zero yet. We have three fully grown hens. Everything I read said they would be fine in cold weather, so we haven't done any supplemental heat. I went to check on them today, and our brahma doesn't seem to be doing well. She has all her feathers puffed out and her eyes closed unless I touch her then she opens them slowly but closes them again. She's still standing, but she's very still. I brought her into the garage and she's just standing in a box with food and water in front of her, but she's not touching it. Will she eventually warm up or should I do something more? Should I point a heat lamp at her or will that be too much heat all at once? She is also missing a lot of her tail feathers. A rooster from her previous home pulled her feathers out. They haven't completely grown back yet.

One of our other chickens is bleeding a little on her comb. I'm guessing it's a little bit of frost bite. These chickens are clearly not warm enough in this weather. Should we put a heat lamp in their coop? Can we just use the same one that we used with chicks? Should we leave it on at all times or just at night? Their food and water is outside in the snow. Should we bring it all inside their coop and just let them stay in there 24/7 while it's so cold outside? They are scared to walk on the snow, so they won't come out to eat and drink if there's snow on the ground.

Help, what do I do?
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If you suspect frostbite you should re-evaluate your ventilation. Only birds with the largest combs, leghorn and single comb cockerels/cock birds, should get a touch of frostbite. My birds are outside everyday. Today is 14F and high winds. I made a lean-to for shedding snow and blocking north wind and also put up a tarp 3ft high from coop to lean-to on West side. In severe days they hang out there, makes for one big coop. The key is to block the wind and if you don't like to shovel snow some sort of cover. If the ground gets icy or an area I shovel snow from I add a thin layer of hay.

Here's a pic from last week with 31F high and sun:





Shoveled path to under their favorite bush. Excepting the coldest and windy days they hang out under that all day. The sun didn't melt the thin layer of snow there but is a layer of hay under it. Same 31F day. If it wasn't so bitterly windy today they'd be there in this 14F day too.
 
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I'm sorry I'm not trying to be rude or anything but if you suspect frostbite turn the heat on.
 
pattyhen said:
I'm sorry I'm not trying to be rude or anything but if you suspect frostbite turn the heat on.
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Heat does not cure frostbite, getting rid of the moisture in coop does. This is only achieved through good ventilation. Poorly vented coops will have frostbite at 31F and that is not cold for a chicken but is cold enough for moisture in coop to freeze. Openings at top of coop to allow air from around doors and cracks in corners to draw in and rise pushing out the moisture. Classic design would be with a one slant roof to have openings at low and high end of slant (rafter ends). Air coming in low end will mix with coop air and exit the high end of roof. Roost would be 18 inches or more lower than the intake side so no draft on birds.
 
We are in the middle of winter here I don't think she would want to redo her coop now. Her chickens are freezing to death my best advice to her would be to turn the heat on.
 
Do u have ventilation chickens need it year round chickens breath has moisture in it and if u don't have enough ventilation that moisture sits on your chickens comb wattles legs and feet and put in a wider roost so that there feet sit flat on the roost and then there body's cover there legs and feet keeping the warm
 
Bi-Metal-Hole-Saw.jpg


This is a hole saw you put in a normal cordless or corded drill and cut holes with.

988120d1-5d54-45f1-be44-c75906c4fe86_400.jpg


This is an example of 1/2" hardware cloth one would secure over the holes cut by hole saw to keep weasels out. In a matter of minutes any coop can be ventilated any time of the year.
 
chickenbrit said:
Well they are heated in their coop now.  I put their food and water in there as well.  I'm hoping they don't go up in flames.  That brahma is still very weak.  I think she's dehydrated.  She probably hasn't been getting to the water because of the snow, but I thought she had since she was outside yesterday.  I don't know what's up, but her comb is really shriveled and pale.  Is that a sign of dehydration?
Click to expand...


Time to put her n a warm room in your house.

-Kathy
 

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