Its gets 3 degrees fahrenheit tonight. Will my chickens be okay?

[Chickies11]

Hi, the low tonight is 3 degrees and it has been getting pretty cold recently. I have wind protection in my run. In my henhouse, I have put blankets on top for insulation which has blocked off some ventilation but I still have some air flow. I'm a new chicken owner so this is my first winter with chickens. I have a water heater so the water won't freeze. Is there anything else I need to do to keep my chickens warm? It gets about 20-24 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. I know I shouldn't use a heat lamp, but should I provide some other sort of heat? My chickens seem do be doing fine so far this winter, but I don't know if there is something else I should be doing. I have been keeping them entertained with fun treats and such and letting them out for supervised free ranging. Thank you in advance, any advise will be appreciated.

 

[Chickies11]

Also, I don't know if this helps, but I have three chickens who are all 7 months old. They are a black australorp, buff Orpington, and speckled Sussex.

 

[kat_and_hens]

We are having the same debate right now. My girls are 3 months and we need to move them to the outdoor coop because they’re getting cramped in our garage. We have decided to try the Deep Litter Method (there is a great article here on BYC about it!) and we also have hung a heat plate called the Cozy Coop near the roosts. We have used this in our garage so are pretty confident it won’t start a fire...the heat plates are supposed to be safer.

this is also my first winter with chickens, but from what I have read, a big concern with heat (besides the fire risk which is of course important to consider) is that if you lose power and your chickens are used to heat, they could get cold and die quickly if they lose the heat source. We have a whole house generator so for us this isn’t a worry.

I think ensuring enough ventilation is your #1 in keeping the chickens warm. Again that is mostly from my research and reading here!

 

[Chickies11]

Thank you, this makes sense. I know chickens need some ventilation so they don't get frostbite. Like you said, a concern for putting in some kind of heat is that my chickens will become reliant on it and I won't be able to use it if I lose power. I just don't know if 3 degrees is too cold.

 

[Myrshine]

They should be just fine as long as their coop is insulated and has proper ventilation. They’ll huddle up and use each other for warmth. Chickens have a normal body temperature between 104F - 107F.

 

[tripletfeb]

Your chickens will be fine. They are wearing their own down coat after all. Make sure they have access to food and water at all times and have good ventilation. They will be fine

 

[Chickies11]

Ok thanks everybody! This is very reassuring. Although, my chickens don't have access to food and water at night. Should I put some food and water in a night? Why should I do this?

 

[tripletfeb]

As long as they can get to the food and water right when the sun comes up, they will be fine. And right before they roost at night. You want them to go to roost with nice full crops

 

[mamajos]

Yep. They will be just fine....we are getting -10°F in a few days—my 8 month olds will not get any heat -they all should be just fine.

 

[MissE]

-30f and mine were fine with no extra heat. They will be ok. Don't stress about about the cold. Heat is worse for them. Sleep well now, and worry about ways to keep them cool in the summer.