Hey Northerners: What is the absolute coldest air temps your chickens have experienced happily!

[Scrambles55]

It is 0 degrees right now and I think that the temps may fall a bit more. Windy too. I checked on my 3 girls and two are out in the pen roosting, so I gave them some warm oatmeal. My BSL is in the nesting nox. All is well.... ~:>

 

[KathyTingler]

I did heat to get them to lay ... but maybe is better they be more natural .....

 

[Cluckincanadian]

We were down to -30 C last night & birds are fine. They have their heat lamp to climb under to watm up but doing fine. God willing they stay okay. That person with rice heated sounds good for tje birds

 

[bobbi-j]

We have 2 hens in a 4x4 coop in MN... Its my first winter, so we're trusting that they will be fine in this -20 weather without lights. But should we close the door of the coop at night? If so, should we be moving the water in the coop every night as well? Currently the run is covered to keep the weather out and the water has been staying out there.

You can shut the door. I shut my pop door last night. It's not necessary to put the water inside at night - they're sleeping and won't be drinking anyway.

 

[barbaraj]

Your set up is beautiful!

 

[RedPonyAcres]

It's been -24 the last 2 nights here in Montana. Our birds looked really miserable this morning. I really wonder if I should add a heat lamp until this cold snap is over.

I've been worried about fire, but I guess if I make sure the heat lamp is very secure it will be all right?

I wonder if the homemade water warmer would add a little bit of heat to the coop? We bring the waterer in at night so it doesn't freeze. And we have an extra one we can put out if the main one freezes during the day.

We have 16 chickens. Coop has pretty thick walls and an insulated roof with plenty of ventilation. Maybe too much ventilation, though. We just started doing the deep litter method a couple of weeks ago.

 

[MaddBaggins]

32˚ in the run this morning. Brrr

I cleaned out the coop and let the girls run the yard. They're pecking at the newly sprouted grass/weeds that have come up from recent rains. That, and dusting themselves.

 

[Lizard Lady]

We live in Montana and are in the midst of a serious cold snap. Temperatures are projected of highs of single digits and lows below zero with a 5-15 mph wind. Our rule of thumb is turning on the heat lamp when it dips below 10 degrees. Our coop is fairly draft free but with plenty of ventilation. This morning the outside temperature was 3 degrees and the coop thermometer read 30 degrees at the floor level.

Of course the hens will survive cold temps as long as there isn't any wind. But I feel they will be much happier (ie more prodcutive) with a little heat when it's super cold. We have six hens and got five eggs yesterday. We do have a regular lamp that extends the day for us to keep up production.

Hope this helps!

I haven't gotten an egg in a couple weeks now. I was thinking it was from the cold and lack of sunlight. An old farmer told me to give them cat foot. Ever hear of that one before?

 

[Lizard Lady]

32˚ in the run this morning. Brrr

I cleaned out the coop and let the girls run the yard. They're pecking at the newly sprouted grass/weeds that have come up from recent rains. That, and dusting themselves.

We were in the single digits this morning with snow and ice on the ground. The coop is draft free with ventilation at the top. Haven't seen them come out yet today, but it's still fairly early.

 

[ozexpat]

I haven't gotten an egg in a couple weeks now. I was thinking it was from the cold and lack of sunlight. An old farmer told me to give them cat foot. Ever hear of that one before?

Cat food will help them get over molting as its higher in protein. Extra light hours with a bulb and timer could get them laying