Winter is almost here!! Share your tips and tricks for coping the elements with your chickens!

[WesleyBeal]

How did you 'calibrate'?
That is a 'thermopen'?

A thermopen is a name given to an instant read thermometer from ThermoWorks.

http://www.thermoworks.com/Thermape...IlANQ-PwzUGftZYcaqx1jxSAWIGGBvQ1VYaAmGt8P8HAQ

It's the most accurate thing I have on hand for temperature.

The thermometer I put in my coop has a screw on the back that allows you to adjust the temperature up or down to match up to the known temp.

I adjusted it to match what my thermopen told me, and then have taken the thermopen out with me when I go to the coop to make sure both are giving me the same readings inside the coop, and then take the outdoor temperature with the thermopen.

Different thermometers (sometimes) have different ways to calibrate them. Or not. Surprised how hard it is to find a good thermometer. They're all cheap. Mine that I've got in my coop cost $15. So far seems to be working.

 

[aart]

Quote: Wow, am surprised you can actually adjust it to truly calibrate, not just test.....
...especially at $15, I assume it's analog?
Thermopen looks pretty good too, at that price I would assume it too was calibrated to a good standard.

 

[Lynn-n-JimsVT]

It's been a fun winter so far, the chickens are doing really well coping with some fun weather. We had some good snow days accumulating over a foot on the ground in the last two weeks. We also blew through some very cold temps including single digit prolonged and also a minus 30 wind chill day. I appreciate all the amazing advice on this forum especially from those in very cold climes as it has helped me. My birds are still cranking out 1 egg per day per lady so God bless their hearts! Today is a bit off though and the first day I'm gonna keep them in the dry coop vs the run. We had 7 inches of powder yesterday followed by freezing rain overnight and now we're gonna get almost 3/4 inch of rain over the next 4 hours at which time the temps will begin a VERY rapid plunge into frozen hades. We're supposed to go from 44 to 2 above tonight. The dropoff this afternoon is going to be rapid so I don't want them getting wet then freezing. I wonder if others have seen days like this and can share experience on it. The swings here are not as wild as what's occurring nationally (panhandle of OK yesterday swung 70f in 24 hours!) but they are big. I think one day inside won't be end of the world. Again, I'm not trying to get them to avoid cold but rather wet/rapid freeze.

 

[WesleyBeal]

Wow, am surprised you can actually adjust it to truly calibrate, not just test.....
...especially at $15, I assume it's analog?
Thermopen looks pretty good too, at that price I would assume it too was calibrated to a good standard.

Well, I'm not making any claims about this being reliable for official scientific experiments. The manufacturer says you can "calibrate" the thermometer. It is analog.

The thermopen readings are matching up with what the weathermen have to say, and the $15 thermometer is matching up to the thermopen. So for now at least, I think I'm getting good enough data for me.

Thermopens are great, if you're into cooking and need a fantastic instant read thermometer. It's the "instant" part that makes them much nicer than the usual temperature probe you can buy for $10 bucks. My understanding is that they're mainly aimed at food inspectors.

 

[aart]

Quote: 'Adjustable' might be a better term....haha!
Sounds pretty good tho...I appreciate your awareness.

From what I've read the most accurate off the shelf are baby thermometers, pretty tight ranges, and cost reflects that.
I would assume food therms are also good.

 

[dawn secord]

Hi all, Great information on this thread - thank you.

We live in Southern California (no laughing please).....it is warm during the day, but the Pacific Ocean brings in really cold air at night and temperatures can drop 30 - 40 degrees from daytime to night time. We were in the high 60s yesterday and then in the mid 30s last night.

I have an older bantam cochin hen - frizzle feathered, that belonged to a friend who tragically passed away this summer. I have no idea what she did with the hen at night. There are areas on the hen that have exposed skin due to the feather type. I do have an elevated nesting box that has a circular opening - probably 16" wide. The rest of the nesting box area (plywood which is 4' x 4' and 30" tall) has plastic wrapped around it to stop any drafts in corners etc. Here is the question now that the background information is explained.

I brought her in last night and put her in a pet taxi. As soon as it gets above 40 degrees outside, I'll put her back with the others. She shares the coop with 2 older silkie hens and a silkie cockerel. She does not roost with the others, she sits in the shavings by herself. Is it wise to bring her in when the temperature drops below 35 degrees? On one hand, I worry about frostbite, and yes, I have lost a hen to frostbite here (hence my paranoia ... the hen was beginning a mold and not fully insulated which makes me worry about this frizzle). On the other hand, I fear bringing her in will throw her acclimation to the outside temperatures off. She has only been with me since June and am frankly not sure what is best to do with her.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[crealbilly]

Hi all,  Great information on this thread - thank you. 

We live in Southern California (no laughing please).....it is warm during the day, but the Pacific Ocean brings in really cold air at night and temperatures can drop 30 - 40 degrees from daytime to night time.  We were in the high 60s yesterday and then in the mid 30s last night.   

I have an older bantam cochin hen - frizzle feathered, that belonged to a friend who tragically passed away this summer.  I have no idea what she did with the hen at night.  There are areas on the hen that have exposed skin due to the feather type.   I do have an elevated nesting box that has a circular opening - probably 16" wide.  The rest of the nesting box area (plywood which is 4' x 4' and 30" tall) has plastic wrapped around it to stop any drafts in corners etc.    Here is the question now that the background information is explained.  

I brought her in last night and put her in a pet taxi.  As soon as it gets above 40 degrees outside, I'll put her back with the others.  She shares the coop with 2 older silkie hens and a silkie cockerel.   She does not roost with the others, she sits in the shavings by herself.   Is it wise to bring her in when the temperature drops below 35 degrees?  On one hand, I worry about frostbite, and yes, I have lost a hen to frostbite here (hence my paranoia  ... the hen was beginning a mold and not fully insulated which makes me worry about this frizzle).   On the other hand, I fear bringing her in will throw her acclimation to the outside temperatures off.   She has only been with me since June and am frankly not sure what is best to do with her.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

IDK... my Buff Orpington, Rhoad Island Red and Burbon Red turkeys all seem to be doing well. It's 12 degrees right now in southern IL they are out of the coop scratching in the thick layer of hay i put down in theie yards.

I have two coops both without supplemental heat. I do however deep bed and lime so every turd contributes to heating the coops. I keep their water outside and so far i using double walled fouts and fount heaters havnt froze up yet.

The only time i use suplemental heat is for chicks. We raised up day old Jumbo Cornish Cross twice last year and they require supplemental heat for several weeks or else they pile at night, the ones on the bottom of the pile suffocate and die. Now that i allow nature to run its course and allow momma chickens to sit / hatch / brood their chicks i dont supply them any supplemental heat either. Momma chickens are much better momma's than I am

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Hi all,  Great information on this thread - thank you. 

We live in Southern California (no laughing please).....it is warm during the day, but the Pacific Ocean brings in really cold air at night and temperatures can drop 30 - 40 degrees from daytime to night time.  We were in the high 60s yesterday and then in the mid 30s last night.   

I have an older bantam cochin hen - frizzle feathered, that belonged to a friend who tragically passed away this summer.  I have no idea what she did with the hen at night.  There are areas on the hen that have exposed skin due to the feather type.   I do have an elevated nesting box that has a circular opening - probably 16" wide.  The rest of the nesting box area (plywood which is 4' x 4' and 30" tall) has plastic wrapped around it to stop any drafts in corners etc.    Here is the question now that the background information is explained.  

I brought her in last night and put her in a pet taxi.  As soon as it gets above 40 degrees outside, I'll put her back with the others.  She shares the coop with 2 older silkie hens and a silkie cockerel.   She does not roost with the others, she sits in the shavings by herself.   Is it wise to bring her in when the temperature drops below 35 degrees?  On one hand, I worry about frostbite, and yes, I have lost a hen to frostbite here (hence my paranoia  ... the hen was beginning a mold and not fully insulated which makes me worry about this frizzle).   On the other hand, I fear bringing her in will throw her acclimation to the outside temperatures off.   She has only been with me since June and am frankly not sure what is best to do with her.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Generally frizzles don't have missing feathers unless they are over mated by a rooster or picked on, which makes me wonder if she's a frazzle instead.

The actual temperature doesn't seem to matter as much as the large shifts in temperatures which can stress birds out and cause them to look miserable. That's why everyone freaks out at the beginning of winter when birds are getting used to new power temperatures.

I am curious how you lost a hen to frostbite? Frostbite usually makes parts fall off but doesn't kill, hypothermia will kill.

Is the hen stressed out by you taking her in and out? I don't think with your temperatures it will harm her is she's not stressed by it and may actually be helpful unless she's being put somewhere warmer than the daytime temperatures, that would leave you in the same situation with shifts in temperatures.

How long have you had her? Has she been accepted by the flock or is she still an outsider?

 

[aart]

I am curious how you lost a hen to frostbite? Frostbite usually makes parts fall off but doesn't kill, hypothermia will kill.

Curious too......agrees, cold doesn't kill them unless something else is already wrong.....
......or they get trapped somewhere where they have no shelter from wind and wet.

 

[dawn secord]

Thank you for the response. I misspoke - not frost bite - you are correct, it would have been hypothermia.

She is fine with me bringing her in and out. My chickens are all quite tame and I've spent the past few months working with her. I try to pick her up every day and pet her. When I brought her in our house last night - it was 69 degrees inside - about the outside day temperature. We keep it at 69 at night here. I am attaching a photo of her.

When I adopted her from my friend's husband, she was in the bottom of the coop - and it appeared she was hiding from the others. Not sure - I picked her because I felt she was needy. Not sure why she doesn't have feathers on her head? Is it from being pecked? She hasn't molted, so have no idea if feathers will grow on her head or not.

You can see how her feathers don't completely cover her skin. She is like that on the base of her neck into shoulder and on her rump - you can see pink skin. She is always like this - she is not molting. The silkie cockerel is covering the three hens, but there is no feather damage to any of them and I don't see him doing it that often.

Not sure what the difference is between Frizzle and Frazzle.

Want to be very cautious so I don't lose her - she is a little gem.

Looking forward to your advise on what I should do with her at night.