Cold and Snowy in Seattle: Chickens acting a bit strange...not going into coop tonight.

[littleandlewis]

It is cold and snowy here in Seattle. About a week ago we put in a small infared heat bulb in the coop to keep the temperature from freezing inside. Tonight well after dark we found 5 of the 6 hens on their outside roost. This is the first time we have found them outside after dark.... we hand carried them into the coop.

Are they confused by the weather? The infared light in the coop? Thoughts?

 

[mikeinri]

They don't need heat. As long as they have a dry place and no draft they are fine. If it goes below 20 I close up my coop doors just to keep the drafts out. Mid winter and my ladies are still cranking out eggs.
I do have a couple of 60w lights in the coop but that is more for a little light then to heat the place up.

 

[poultrypalacewhidbey]

Hi, I live a few hours away from you and have been experiencing the same snow and cold weather and my hens are fine without any heat (even the bantams). I would take the heat bulb out as this may be causing their strange behavior. As mikeinri said chickens are quite capable of staying warm in weather that is in the 20's as long as they have somewhere dry and out of the wind. If your birds show signs of stress from the cold (lethargic, stop laying suddenly, suddenly very hungry) then you should actually remove the perches and put lots of extra bedding down. The chickens will then huddle together and hunker down into the bedding (this works particularly well if you are using the deep litter method for bedding in your coop. Many chicken breeders from very cold climates dont put any roosts in their pens because then the birds have airflow around their entire bodies instead of just over top of them when they are sitting on the ground.

 

[Imp]

It is cold and snowy here in Seattle. About a week ago we put in a small infared heat bulb in the coop to keep the temperature from freezing inside. Tonight well after dark we found 5 of the 6 hens on their outside roost. This is the first time we have found them outside after dark.... we hand carried them into the coop.

Are they confused by the weather? The infared light in the coop? Thoughts?

I'm also in the Seattle area. I've got to ask:
Are you The "littleandlewis" with the beautiful gardens often featured on TV?

I have never heard of weather, light or heat confusing chickens. There should be no problems having light and heat in the coop if you choose to use it. Be very careful using bulbs.
It is often suggested that adding a light will assist in getting chickens to go into a dark coop.
I'm thinking it is probably either a "monkey see monkey do" situation. Where one roosted outside and the others followed suit.
Or there is something in or getting in the coop and spooking the chickens. Check very closely for any unwanted guests.

Good luck,

Imp

 

[littleandlewis]

I'm also in the Seattle area. I've got to ask:
Are you The "littleandlewis" with the beautiful gardens often featured on TV?



Imp

Yes...we are the littleandlewis with the beautiful gardens....and now chickens! ( who seem to be as confused as we are)...

okay we doused the infared light for now....it was so low wattage it wasn't creating that much heat anyway.

 

[cellodog]

We're in the north end of Seattle and our girls have been just fine in the snow. I do have a string of christmas rope lights in the coop on a timer to "extend their day" so we're getting 3 or 4 eggs a day from 4 chickens! My only concern is that I haven't figured out how to keep their water from freezing! Any suggestions for that?

 

[Imp]

Welcome to both of you.

cellodog,
Since you have electricity to your coop, maybe the easiest way to keep the water thawed is using a heated dog watering bowl.

Here's another option, for a make it yourself water heater.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/107951/cookie-tin-water-heater

Good luck

Imp

 

[lorain's fids]

Maybe they prefer the cold and with the heat bulb inside it is to warm for them.

It is cold and snowy here in Seattle. About a week ago we put in a small infared heat bulb in the coop to keep the temperature from freezing inside. Tonight well after dark we found 5 of the 6 hens on their outside roost. This is the first time we have found them outside after dark.... we hand carried them into the coop.

Are they confused by the weather? The infared light in the coop? Thoughts?