Arctic front - sudden drop in temperature

[lsimpson3]

I am fairly new to chicken keeping and need some advice. I live in the TX hill country and this weekend an arctic front is headed our way. I have two chickens and I have them in an Omlet Eglu cube coop with an insulated cover. I also have wind breaks on their run. The lows here have only been in the low 50's and high 40's at night. I am concerned the sudden drop in temperatures will be an issue since they will not have time to acclimate. It's supposed to get down to 8 degrees one night. I have a chicken heating panel I could put in there but there is a possibility the electricity will go down if it gets really icy. I'm afraid if they get used to the heater and the electricity goes down, they will not fare well. Will my chickens be okay without a heater in there if they don't have time to get used to the colder weather? As a last resort I could put them in a dog kennel in the house.

 

[ChickQueen77]

I think your chickens will be fine without a heater.
It was 45 degrees here one day and the next was below zero and I never put a heater in their coop and they are all fine

 

[lsimpson3]

I think your chickens will be fine without a heater.
It was 45 degrees here one day and the next was below zero and I never put a heater in their coop and they are all fine

Thank you! That makes me feel a lot better.

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

I am fairly new to chicken keeping and need some advice. I live in the TX hill country and this weekend an arctic front is headed our way. I have two chickens and I have them in an Omlet Eglu cube coop with an insulated cover. I also have wind breaks on their run. The lows here have only been in the low 50's and high 40's at night. I am concerned the sudden drop in temperatures will be an issue since they will not have time to acclimate. It's supposed to get down to 8 degrees one night. I have a chicken heating panel I could put in there but there is a possibility the electricity will go down if it gets really icy. I'm afraid if they get used to the heater and the electricity goes down, they will not fare well. Will my chickens be okay without a heater in there if they don't have time to get used to the colder weather? As a last resort I could put them in a dog kennel in the house.

I would be more worried about winds. If you have doubts about the sturdiness of your Eglu cube I would put them in the dog kennel in the house or garage.

 

[Bawkbok]

Welcome to BYC and congratulations on your new chickens.

We also have our chickens in an Eglu and have gone down to 25 for several nights and highs in the 50s -- which for us is cold. We had a hard frost that made everything appear to be covered in snow. They don't have time to acclimate to extreme temperatures but they should be able to handle it no problem. Our extreme temps go from the 20s at night to the 70s during the day. Crazy variance.

The insulated cover will help as it keeps the top of the cube from getting wet. You may want to put plastic on top of your insulated cover, which is really like a sleeping bag, if you're going to get snow to keep it from getting soaked. Ensure you don't cover the vents as it's important to maintain ventilation; the winds will ensure air flow through the box. The cube is also double walled which helps to keep the inside insulated, so to speak.

I would be cautious about putting a heater in there - the space is small. You didn't mention how many birds or what breeds so depending on their size that could be an issue. They generate their own heat being close together. I would be concerned about the inside getting too warm and they wouldn't be able to get away from the heat source. You could put nesting pads or hay / straw / shavings on the roosting bar rungs so their feet are not on cold hard plastic all night. We do this in part of the coop during below freezing temps and high wind events. Based on the poop I can see that a couple of them prefer the pads and one prefers to roost in the non padded space (based on the poop in the tray below). That alone will make it warmer for them.

They'll be ok. Chickens can take the cold a lot better than we can.

 

[Backroadlogic]

I've not even used a coop for years. I'm in Missouri. Chickens just stay in trees at night and hide under house during the day

 

[Anon112]

Thank you! That makes me feel a lot better.

Like the poster above wrote, you want to make sure that they have a place where they are sheltered from the wind. But be careful that they still have ventilation. Sometimes putting them in a space that is too cozy (ie not much air flow) can let moisture build up, and then in the cold temps they can get frostbite.

 

[Susan Skylark]

It was -25F here this morning (40s a week ago), my quail are jealous!

 

[lsimpson3]

Welcome to BYC and congratulations on your new chickens.

We also have our chickens in an Eglu and have gone down to 25 for several nights and highs in the 50s -- which for us is cold. We had a hard frost that made everything appear to be covered in snow. They don't have time to acclimate to extreme temperatures but they should be able to handle it no problem. Our extreme temps go from the 20s at night to the 70s during the day. Crazy variance.

The insulated cover will help as it keeps the top of the cube from getting wet. You may want to put plastic on top of your insulated cover, which is really like a sleeping bag, if you're going to get snow to keep it from getting soaked. Ensure you don't cover the vents as it's important to maintain ventilation; the winds will ensure air flow through the box. The cube is also double walled which helps to keep the inside insulated, so to speak.

I would be cautious about putting a heater in there - the space is small. You didn't mention how many birds or what breeds so depending on their size that could be an issue. They generate their own heat being close together. I would be concerned about the inside getting too warm and they wouldn't be able to get away from the heat source. You could put nesting pads or hay / straw / shavings on the roosting bar rungs so their feet are not on cold hard plastic all night. We do this in part of the coop during below freezing temps and high wind events. Based on the poop I can see that a couple of them prefer the pads and one prefers to roost in the non padded space (based on the poop in the tray below). That alone will make it warmer for them.

They'll be ok. Chickens can take the cold a lot better than we can.

I put a tarp on top of the insulated cover. I'm glad I did since it was covered in ice this morning. I have one Buff Orpington and a Red Star that are about 3 years old. So far they are doing okay. I put windbreaks over their entire run so the grass is dry under there. Praying the electricity holds out so their heated dog water bowl stays on.

 

[Bawkbok]

I put a tarp on top of the insulated cover. I'm glad I did since it was covered in ice this morning. I have one Buff Orpington and a Red Star that are about 3 years old. So far they are doing okay. I put windbreaks over their entire run so the grass is dry under there. Praying the electricity holds out so their heated dog water bowl stays on.

Good thing you protected the insulated cover - smart move.

The Orp is heavily feathered and considered a cold weather bird, but they do well in our environment also although they do struggle terribly in high heat so extra vigilance is required for us for summer months. The Red Star, while less feathered should be fine also. Wind mitigation is important and it sounds like you have that under control.

Consider putting extra pine shavings in the poop trays for extra insulation and I also like to add extra shavings around the sides of the nest boxes to cover the draft areas around the door.
Heating the coop is not necessary. Keeping them dry is more important and you don't want too much humidity building up in the coop from a heater.

Yes, fingers crossed for everyone in the storm that electricity holds out. Good luck.

One more thing -- I leave the nest open and available at all times as we have an Orp that likes to sleep in there, extra warmth on her body I suppose. She's smaller and less feathered. She never poops in the nest but if she did, clean up would be easy.