Polar Vortex Prep

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Hey there
We have a forecasted -35c coming later this week. I have a very tiny flock of two pullets at the moment, in a coop with plenty of ventilation. They coldest they've been has been -20c for a night or two, but this is extreme temps coming up and going to be windy. Should I wrap their roost with towels to add extra warmth, or cover up anything but minimum ventilation? I worry about frostbite since one of them has a huge comb. I was thinking of getting those 8hr hand warming pads and tucking them on the roost bar under a towel - is that nuts? I just want to avoid frostbite. So far they've been good other than the tiniest tip of the large comb when we had close to -20 for a number of days in a row. Any advice welcome (also looking through old posts)

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

0C is 32F, so math wise 32 less 35 is actually -3F, right? Or no?

No. I wish it was that easy. Always looking up F here to celsius when on here ha. The only time it lines up is -40c is -40f. F is actually smaller measurement than celcius so it never makes sense and I always. need to google. I hope one day you guys join the rest of the world, as it's much easier to know water freezes at 0 and boils at 100

Here is the actual formula (but use google calculator)

​

Celcius to F
Multiply the °C temperature by 1.8. Add 32 to this number. This is the answer in °F.
°F = (°C × 9/5) + 32

And reverse:
°C = (°F − 32) x 5/9

 

[aart]

gave them a dish of food before bed

They should always have feed available every hour they are awake,
and they will naturally fill their crops before going to roost as well as being healthier overall.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Dang! Wish we were on metric, would be easier.

 

[aart]

@aart any tips?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/

That's a tough coop to ventilate without drafts, being so short.
Might help to see the inside of the coop showing the roosts and where the venting is.

 

[Sammster]

Yikes, that is COLD! I can understand why the tucked hand warmer idea appeals to you. I'm curious to see what our advanced members say

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

What's your coop like?

thanks for the good advice in your post. My coop is 5x3.5, see below with a 17x4 covered run attached. (ignore the pallet, it's just sitting there against a garden bed and not part of the coop!) There is a lot of ventilation in the coop but for the winter I have covered up anything (other than what they need above roost) with cloth and plastic to cut any winds. They have a good size covered run that has plastic on the south and east sides for wind protection, filled with fresh leaves and woodchips often. Heated dog dish for water and I feed them soaked feed in the morning for the day, with afternoon snacks before bed. I just have two birds right now, and one has a really large comb, she's the one I am most worried about. She has had a very tiny bit of frostbite on the tip of her comb last time it went down to -20 but this is even colder. Is bag balm something I should do?

photo of coop from a few months ago, it's got about a foot of snow on everything now permanently

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No, I would not put any ointment, vaseline, bag balm, etc. on the combs and wattles.
You would trap in moisture, ointments will somewhat freeze as well.
Best to leave the combs/wattles alone. If they do get frostbitten, then still leave combs/wattles alone.

Up to you about the handwarmers, but it's not something I would do.

 

[Mrs. K]

What is important is the space above the chickens head when the chicken is on the roost. One needs about 15 inches or at least a foot. This keeps them away from the cold ceiling. Warm moist air from their breath rises, if they are close to the ceiling, the moisture will condense and can fall back on to the bird. You don't want that. One stops that by having ventilation moving the wet air out.

Do not worry warm, worry dry. The drier you can keep it, the more comfortable they will be.

And know that those large pointed combs often do get frostbite - but it really does not seem to phase them.

MRs K

 

[Egghead_Jr]

-30 in either C or F is cold. There's no getting over that. You'll note the song birds are silent in those temperatures. Walking to the car in the morning is an eerie ordeal as there is no sound except the loud crunch or your own footsteps echoing in your ears and feeling the burn of your lungs taking in that frigid air.

The good news is these sort of artic blasts don't last long. If they did we'd all be much more concerned with winter prep than we are. On these extreme cold days the birds don't leave the coop. They'll stay puffed up to conserve heat and energy until the day warms up. If the day stays colder than -15 F (-26 C) they may only get off the roost twice in the day to feed and drink. On these days I throw black oil sunflower into the coop and put a rubber bowl of water just inside the door. Do it again that afternoon. Get's them through the day and usually there aren't two days in a row of that sort of brutal cold. Even two days of them hunkering down isn't a major concern.