I actually posted this earlier on someone else's thread about the hard freeze in TX tonight, but thought I should start my own thread. I know it seems silly to some up north, but I'm worried about my little bantam flock tonight!
I live in East TX (piney woods region) and we're forecasted for the teens tonight and I am so worried about my flock (11 bantams) and 2 of them are molting. They are loved pets. I know it gets much colder in the north, but our southern birds are NOT USED to this kind of cold snap. It was 70 degrees a few days ago and I worry they haven't had time to acclimate. My coop is enclosed, no drafts, somewhat ventilated, it's 6x8 but it's 6 feet tall, not a small area, so doesn't hold in the heat around the 11 bantams well. I used a red heat lamp last year but my little roo got frostbite at 30 degrees, probably from the moisture caused by the lamp and they squabbled with each other since it wasn't dark in the coop.
I've been reading how well northern birds do in below 0 temps and decided not to use the heat lamp this year. I really wanted to go natural this winter, no heat. We've been down around 25 degrees so far and they've done okay, but at 15 degrees I am so worried they are going to literally freeze to death on the roost. They're bantams so that makes me worry more. I just don't know what to do. If I use the lamp, they'll squabble and peck each other all night, plus the moisture could cause frostbite. But I don't want to end up regretting my decision to go the natural route just because it works for northern birds, then have mine freeze to death. What's the right thing to do?
UPDATE: Well it's now chicken bed time so I don't have time to think about it anymore. We're not going to add heat tonight. They do seem cold, puffing their feathers out to keep warm. Man, I hope I'm doing the right thing. They'll be okay, right?
I live in East TX (piney woods region) and we're forecasted for the teens tonight and I am so worried about my flock (11 bantams) and 2 of them are molting. They are loved pets. I know it gets much colder in the north, but our southern birds are NOT USED to this kind of cold snap. It was 70 degrees a few days ago and I worry they haven't had time to acclimate. My coop is enclosed, no drafts, somewhat ventilated, it's 6x8 but it's 6 feet tall, not a small area, so doesn't hold in the heat around the 11 bantams well. I used a red heat lamp last year but my little roo got frostbite at 30 degrees, probably from the moisture caused by the lamp and they squabbled with each other since it wasn't dark in the coop.
I've been reading how well northern birds do in below 0 temps and decided not to use the heat lamp this year. I really wanted to go natural this winter, no heat. We've been down around 25 degrees so far and they've done okay, but at 15 degrees I am so worried they are going to literally freeze to death on the roost. They're bantams so that makes me worry more. I just don't know what to do. If I use the lamp, they'll squabble and peck each other all night, plus the moisture could cause frostbite. But I don't want to end up regretting my decision to go the natural route just because it works for northern birds, then have mine freeze to death. What's the right thing to do?
UPDATE: Well it's now chicken bed time so I don't have time to think about it anymore. We're not going to add heat tonight. They do seem cold, puffing their feathers out to keep warm. Man, I hope I'm doing the right thing. They'll be okay, right?
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