It's here. The arctic forecast has arrived. Never mind my chickens, I've never experienced anything this cold. It's fourteen below at 7am.
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awwww, your so alert to your chickens. I love that!Thank you! I think my roosting bars are good. I felt their feet when I closed the coop like 20 minutes ago and everyone's feet were warm. Their fingers go slightly over the bar, but they can cover that with feathers. Here's what my roosting bars are like
lmao! Azygous, you got this!It's here. The arctic forecast has arrived. Never mind my chickens, I've never experienced anything this cold. It's fourteen below at 7am.
Currently 11F/ -11C here in the GA mtns. So so cold, and suffice it to say we aren't used to this. Here's what I've done to prepare:This is horrific--- -30F from the wind chill today. I found that snow blew in through the ventilation last night (even though the coop is in an open barn) and one of my 7 yr old silkies got wet and looked half frozen this morning. I brought her and the other 7 yr old into the house to recover.
The older hens and I just moved to the midwest from Arizona and this is such a shock.
I am expecting some really cold weather - temps will be -20F/-30C. My coop is fairly well insulated and I have put down extra bedding and a fresh bale of hay in the run (which is wrapped in greenhouse plastic. Still worried about them as this is the first time it will get THAT cold.Temperature is not the issue. Chickens are well insulated from the cold. (Think how well down jackets work.) The issue is wetness in all forms.
Wet feet can turn into frostbite. Wet feathers can suck body heat out of a chicken. Humidity can cause condensation to settle on exposed tissue and cause frostbite. Cold drafts can also cause loss of body heat.
As long as chickens have a good diet with adequate calories, they will maintain normal body heat and not become cold. Having a dry coop, well ventilated so condensation can't occur, they shouldn't get frostbite. Proper winter ventilation is obtained by air flow, not drafts and breezes.
One of the most common sources of frostbite on chickens is poor winter water systems that leak onto feet or permit wattles to dip into the water and get wet and freeze.
Check em often! If signs of severe shivering, or your instincts tell you......maybe bring them somewhere like a basement. How many chickens do you have? But again, check em often. Add some warm water to feed and offer for breakfast with some BOSs or other high protein snack. Good luck from CT.I am expecting some really cold weather - temps will be -20F/-30C. My coop is fairly well insulated and I have put down extra bedding and a fresh bale of hay in the run (which is wrapped in greenhouse plastic. Still worried about them as this is the first time it will get THAT cold.
I have a snap lock large coop that is insulated well, the door is almost always open, as are both vents, rain doesn't get in because of roof, and I use the deep litter method in winter. I love this coop (purchased it before I retired! Pricey, but worth it.First off @3KillerBs what a wonderfully written and illustrated article! It's perfect! Which as soon as I was done reading, I ran down and shut the window all the way. (It was only cracked open) The temps dropped here in PA way too quickly! I just want to say thank you! The image I screenshot is exactly my roof! My flock says thank you!