75 degrees to 40 in the coop!

[cravenchx]

I'm a new chicken mom, first "winter"," fall".
Will they really be ok with the temp. dropping
this much in 24 hours?

 

[teach1rusl]

Well I'm jealous of your 75!!! But yes, they will be okay. Large temp. drops/differences aren't ideal of course, but 40 is still not terribly cold for chickens...especially with no drafts.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yup. They'll fluff up their feathers, huddle up next to each other, tuck their heads under a wing, sit down on the feathers and all they'll be is a ball of feathers and down.

November is nature's way of getting them ready for January. Let nature take its course, it's the kindest thing you can do. 40 isn't really cold for a chicken. They'll be just fine. No worries. As long as they're dry and sheltered, they could care less.

 

[rancher hicks]

Would to God the lowest temp we got was 40*. Temps outside aren't necessarily what's inside the coop. Chickens generate 10 Watts per LF bird. Feed your birds some scratch at evening to send them to bed with a full tummy and help them keep warm. Corn is a good heat generator I've read.

 

[cravenchx]

I work in an oral surgeons office, and when
we get packages in, they are packed with the
stryofoam(sp)? grey bundles. I used that to
insulate the top of the coop. Seems to be working
well. But....I'm still worried about my babies.
There should not be a draft, but still ventilation.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
Feed them anything at night to activate energy. The whole corn makes them warm thing is mostly mythical.

Oh, and "tummy"? Really?

 

[cravenchx]

The temp inside the coop was 40 when
I got home from work this evening, opposed
to 75 yesterday. I gave them warm oatmeal before
they went to bed! I just remember when they were
little peeps and trying to keep them warm. I guess
it's a mother thing.

 

[wyododge]

Your doin fine. So are your birds.

Great avatar BTW...

And yes chickens have tummies. My 4th grade neighbor told me so...

 

[cravenchx]

Thanks!

Quote:

 

[elmo]

We get similar severe temperature swings here in North Texas. Our flock is composed of tiny bantams, too. But they do fine. They don't love it, but they handle it. As long as they can stay dry and out of drafts, they're ok.