Can chickens stand the cold weather?

[JackE]

I guess I have a heatwave here, +14 this morning. Almost embarrassing, compared to what some of you guys are getting.
Jack

 

[aoxa]

I guess I have a heatwave here, +14 this morning. Almost embarrassing, compared to what some of you guys are getting.
Jack

That sounds nice right about now.

It's very sunny out, so I can just sit inside and pretend that it's much nicer than it actually is.

It's supposed to warm up by Sunday.

Here's hoping!!

 

[Yukonchick]

I hear you there. I used to live in Edmonton and it gets colder there than up here in the Yukon at times. I've lost quite a few eggs to freezing but i just mix it into our pig feed.

 

[Rhoise]

Now , now don't get your knickers in a twist. I personally ain't going no where. I've learned to just cool off and get back at it. No successful person ever quit.

Lets get some things straight with regards to this old bird. My advice is like dinner when I grew up. You have two choices. Take it or leave it. What works here in Syracuse may not work in Boise. Even the best "How to raise Chickens" book doesn't cover everything. I take what I can use and dump the rest. There are more ways than one to skin a cat.

Now if you feel folks are being condescending, you need to give them the benefit of the doubt. It's hard to see the physical emotion on their faces. I hold to most folks here just want to help is all.

Love ya, (well not love but like)

Rancher

Awww Rancher sorry for not responding sooner I've been flat out sick with the flu since Monday and just got back on my feet. I don't wear Knickers anymore since I left New England so no worries LOL! I love ya too( I know real yankees don't say "love" hee hee)........Sorry if I got a little testy in my post, I was mad at myself for letting my birds get frostbite, and not sticking a light bulb out there sooner, and your sound advise chapped me wrong and I took it personal even though it wasn't meant that way. I sincerely apologize! and will try and give folks the same "benefit of the doubt" I get here.

The Girls were doing great with the cold temps and no supplemental heat, no signs of frost bite and the temps had been even colder than that one night, the fog settled in down here near the river and the next morning the two RIR's I have( pullets with combs like that make me suspect the local hatchery's been slipping in a little leghorn blood to make the egg counts go up, those girls sure don't look like the picture I remember of a RIR) had frost bite on their tips.

As goofy as they look, they're pretty in their own right, and lay like champs, frost bite or not, 104 degrees or not! I chose them firstly ok don't fall off your chair laughing, because I grew up in RI and how could I not have a RIR in my flock right? well the guy I spoke to said they were good at handling the heat, and I knew from New England could take the cold(so far I've teased my husband and tell him Boise is like Miami). These birds are the flightiest of the bunch, have the biggest combs I've ever seen, if they were white I 'd swear the were leghorns.

My birds are doing good, the weather finally broke and it's been above 10 degrees two days now. They're still laying up a storm, and the heat in the coop got them through the worst of winter I hope. They don't seem to be getting any worse, the swelling has gone down, and they stopped shaking their heads, so I'm assuming the painful strange feeling has gone and the tissue is dead now and will fall off eventually. Other than they all look like somebody smeared poo on their heads from the Vaseline smearing, they're happy and active here's a picture of it today, hard to get the ding dongs to pose for a picture this one is the better of the two, the other a bit worse. The other girls had a bit on their wattles in front, and that is I suspect where they'd dip into the water and it freezes before it drips, it seems to have come back and I don't think the'll loose much if any tissue.
Julie

 

[rancher hicks]

They could very well have leghorn in them. Leghorns are flighty and not all that friendly. They do come in a dark and light brown too. While they are pretty they aren't to my liking personally wise. I did have a pair of rosecomb bantams. You might consider some Rosecomb RIR's, or Buckeyes. I'm tending to lean that way. Though once the combs fall off and are "dubbed" by the cold there not much sense. All my roosters have gotten some frost bite, except my BR and he sleeps by himself on the floor of the coop. Though I haven't had a good look at him lately.

I just go out water and toss some scratch and come back inside. We're supposed to get into the 40's. I may break out the Bermuda shorts.

Well take care, other places to go, other people to annoy,


Rancher

 

[Izzymoon]

I locked them in the coop for the day. They were showing signs of frostbite. Hopefully they can handle it for a day. They say the cold breaks tomorrow (I am praying!)

 

[Yukonchick]

OMG, we got another cold snap moving in this weekend. Gonna be in the minus 30s celsius.

Some of my eggs are gonna freeze again I think.

 

[mrsjohnston]

They could very well have leghorn in them. Leghorns are flighty and not all that friendly. They do come in a dark and light brown too. While they are pretty they aren't to my liking personally wise. I did have a pair of rosecomb bantams. You might consider some Rosecomb RIR's, or Buckeyes. I'm tending to lean that way. Though once the combs fall off and are "dubbed" by the cold there not much sense. All my roosters have gotten some frost bite, except my BR and he sleeps by himself on the floor of the coop. Though I haven't had a good look at him lately. I just go out water and toss some scratch and come back inside. We're supposed to get into the 40's. I may break out the Bermuda shorts.

Well take care, other places to go, other people to annoy, Rancher

Oh good! Here I thought it was just my leghorns that were weird. They're not mean or aggressive, they have no personality in comparison to my other birds. I find this especially in my white leghorns. My browns have more personality.

 

[rancher hicks]

I locked them in the coop for the day. They were showing signs of frostbite. Hopefully they can handle it for a day. They say the cold breaks tomorrow (I am praying!)

Locking them inside is not bad as long as they have room to move around. I'm afraid for mine that might be a little tight. Which is why I covered the runs. They do have enough sense to gravitate to the warmth of the waterer. Given the choice they will pretty much stay inside anyhow.

We can only do the best we can. Stay warm.

Rancher

 

[bruceha2000]

Sylvie my silver laced wyandotte took the center under the heat lamp nustled next to Barney my rooster! Smart girl. I did once catch a brown leghorn hen trying to nestle her head under Barney's wing feathers.

Wimpy stuff! My wife said one of our Cubalayas was burying most of her whole self under one of the bigger girls! I've seen Peep decide she wanted to be on the other side of another chicken and since she is too small to step over, she tunnels under. GOOSE!

I've also seen the "higher" girls walk right over the back of a roosting girl to get to "their" spot.

That's a wonderful idea!

Please hit the "Quote" button on a post if you are going to refer to it. Kind of hard to know WHICH wonderful idea is "the" wonderful idea. LOTS of wonderful ideas here on BYC.

I had to pump gas, and couldn't even make it to 20$ without giving up because I couldn't feel my fingers (and I had gloves on!!)

You need an electric car Justine! Not only does it take mere seconds of YOUR time on the "pump" handle, they start in ANY temperature

Yeah, I understand people need a "second car" for longer trips. And no, I do not YET have an EV myself.

These birds are the flightiest of the bunch, have the biggest combs I've ever seen,

Comb? You call THAT puny thing a comb Julie?

THIS is a comb:



And that is Zia, Uwe's comb is bigger ( and flops to her left). They are getting a touch of frost bite on the tips but not as badly as your girl. And since someone will ask, they are Ancona.

I locked them in the coop for the day. They were showing signs of frostbite. Hopefully they can handle it for a day. They say the cold breaks tomorrow (I am praying!)

They are more likely to get frostbite IN the coop since the humidity is likely higher in a (mostly) enclosed space.

Bruce