8 month old laying Rhode island reds mixed with Rhode whites

[Ted_Harrell]

I wish people other than those here would care as much for all their pets/animals as you obviously do. Thank you for being a part of this community.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Chickens can tolerate quite cold conditions, many members here from Alaska that keep chickens in uninsulated coops with -45F temps outside. ALWAYS keep vents open in your eaves or roof. Chickens produce a ton of moisture and this wet air needs to escape or your birds will be drenched wet and frost bitten by morning. (Like sleeping in a tent and waking up the next morning all wet) The rule is 1 sq foot of vent space per bird. This will keep them comfortable and dry.

As @drumstick diva mentioned, wrap the roost bar with an old towel. I do this every winter, I use a couple towels. Warm feet mean warm birds. And always use a 2x4 with the 4 side up.

Good luck and welcome to our roost! I

 

[ValerieJ]

Hi! Welcome to BYC! I'm also in Washington and have a couple RIRs. Mostly I have Orpingtons. They have all tolerated the weather just fine here. The only issue I have is some of my chickens will not drink from a nipple, so I have to give them fresh water a few times a day when it's freezing out. We have already been getting down to below freezing here and I have two coop options for my chickens, one with a heating plate and the other without. Most of them are choosing the one without heat. This is the first year I have not provided heat everywhere, so I'm pleased to see they are choosing the coop without heat. Of course I have a couple princesses sleeping in front of the heat plate.

 

[drumstick diva]

So glad you joined us at Backyard Chickens

 

[fldiver97]

Welcome Nice to have you here! As long as the snow isn’t too deep the girls come out.... when it’s deep they wait until I shovel a path

 

[HomesteaderWife]

Welcome to the flock, @Peaches2019

Hopefully as you can see, folks are quick to respond and offer any advice they can on chickens. It's great to see you are concerned for the welfare of your birds during the cold. If you have any further questions don't hesitate to ask! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

 

[drumstick diva]

When it snows, I wish someone would shovel a path for me.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[Linda1218]

I'm new to raising chickens. I have Rhode island reds mixed with Rhd whites. I picked this breed for their cold tolerances but how cold is cold? And their feet do they need extra protection? It will snow here so do I let them out of the co-op? Thanks

Do you have pics? the rir mix with riw?