Are my chickens ok in this awful cold??

[Eggscoozme]

Definitely not especially with you being in Texas. We're in Michigan and we don't use them. None of our chickens ever got sick or died from the cold. They even go out ON the snow. We've never use petroleum jelly on their combs/wattles either. One year a sex linked chicken's comb got a tiny bit frostbite, but didn't seem to affect her mood/appetite/energy level, and by mid spring it was gone.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have a question about chickens free ranging in cold weather. It is damp here, so their feet get wet. They didn't seem to be shivering but it has been as cold as 25 to 35 degrees F. Should I keep my girls inside their covered run? Their feet looked sort of pink on the bottom. This is my first year with chickens. They do love free ranging, even in the cold weather.

Chickens know more about being a chicken, and what works for them, than either you or I do. Birds feet are especially designed so as to not be affected by the cold they way our skin would be affected. If you look around you, you will see wild birds all around you whose feet are also exposed to the damp.

My girls go in and out as they please. In the beginning of winter, when the snow looks strange to them, they will squawk and stand at the coop door, comically staring. I flip some hay over on top of the snow, and they are out in it in no time. As the winter goes on, it does not phase them.

I don't ever confine mine to the coop. I do confine them to the run, most days in the winter, as the predators get more desperate and love to eat chicken.

Mrs. K

 

[centrarchid]

My birds when free-range can survive / tolerate cold below -10 F with considerable wind. They go to great lengths to avoid direct wind and like such protected locations that are warmer than average and in the sun. They also are good at finding sources that conduct less heat away from their feet meaning wood or other dried plant materials are preferred. Those which have the ability will avoid walking on snow with some flying distances most people think is not possible for chickens. Another behavior is they will sometime forego food for a couple of days when it gets really cold and windy which I think is a mechanism for getting weight down to enable flights mentioned above. Otherwise when feed intake resumes go to weather exposed locations to feed rapidly and then retreat to loafing sites for much longer portions of the day. An interesting note is during extreme periods of cold mobility goes down where if you track movements they move much less than they do on warmer days.

 

[FriAndRoo]

How about this one, my chickens have access to a run 24/7 but because it has been so rainy here, and may continue to get ice and sleet and whatnot, I am a bit concerned about the humidity levels within the coop as it is allow direct access to the run. Both have lots of ventilation, especially the coop, but still.......

( and yes, that is their Chickmas tree)

 

[beginnergirl]

Chickens know more about being a chicken, and what works for them, than either you or I do. Birds feet are especially designed so as to not be affected by the cold they way our skin would be affected. If you look around you, you will see wild birds all around you whose feet are also exposed to the damp. 

My girls go in and out as they please. In the beginning of winter, when the snow looks strange to them, they will squawk and stand at the coop door, comically staring. I flip some hay over on top of the snow, and they are out in it in no time. As the winter goes on, it does not phase them.

I don't ever confine mine to the coop. I do confine them to the run, most days in the winter, as the predators get more desperate and love to eat chicken.

Mrs. K

Thanks. Great to get information from you, Blooie and others as I have much to learn this first year of having chickens! Grateful for the advice!
To my surprise, my girls don't look cold at all. Yes, I've been worrying about them during our cold snap. It usually is only in the high 30s or 40s here so usually it's mild. I have only 3 girls in an uninsulated 3' x 6' wood coop. But there are 2 large windows, one small window and 13 holes near the roof. I have shutters to close 2 windows. Poo is picked up daily so I think the humidity and ammonia are low. But don't know.

I am concerned now that you mentioned predators being more desperate in winter

Not sure if our hawks migrate. I know some do. But that is another subject...

Anyway, THANK YOU! I will try not to worry about the cold.

 

[huevos]

Theses chicks run a red light district at night Lows at night are 1°f or lower in Vernal Utah. I just don't want my eggs to freeze ,crack and invite bacteria and what not.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Here is one that I know has been hit on over the years and is still pertinent enough to mention.......

If you are heating your coop what will your birds do when/if power fails?

Here is my power outage story to share.

I was living in the sticks keeping over 30 chickens in a large metal barn. We had an ice storm that knocked power out for over a week. The highs for the days was still below 0. No one got frostbite and no one died. I never heated the barn as it was a large space and unrealistic to even try. My chickens came through it in flying colors and laid eggs even during that very very cold time. The overnight lows were down to -20 and there were no issues at all NONE. I expected to find dead chickens due to the extreme overnight cold but even in this large barn they thrived.

Every year there are tragic reports of people using the heat lamps and having a fire. The lamps are not designed for long term use with larger than baby birds. A large bird leaving a roost or going to roost can knock the lamp and they do NOT have a safety shutoff if they are knocked down. Not to mention chicken dust getting on them can flame up.

REALLY NOT NEEDED is my assessment of heating a chicken coop that houses healthy adult birds.

For those that insist on heating the coop PLEASE consider a different method like perhaps a sealed oil space heater as these DO have a safety shut off and are much heavier to knock over.
Home Depot sells them for around 40 dollars. I have them for my house not the chicken house but the human house.
(I don't have feathers to keep my old bones warm.)

 

[Free Spirit]

It's funny that this thread is on the scrolling banner of topics on the forum home page and right next to it is this great article that is a very helpful read for this very subject.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

 

[ELauraD]

I hope all is going well with your chickens, I can sure understand your concern and affection for your flock. I use heat lamps- I have two as well as a regular bulb that is on a timer so the girls receive the proper amount of light for optimum laying. When the weather turns chill I move the water inside so it does not freeze though I still let them feed outside. The heat lamps serve a dual purpose of warmth and providing the 'red' light to keep them from pecking each other. I don't know if this helps, just thought I would respond. Best wishes and Merry Christmas!

 

[pullinV3s]

After reading this I am feeling a little dumb.....
I live in, was born in, and was raised in Arizona. so when it gets "down" to 32 f. I freeze! Iv been scared that my 3 gals (Buff orphington, Americauna, Delaware) would be supper cold out there in a kids play house converted into a coop and have been scared that they would die or get frostbite. So when i read all of these post that they have Chickens in -10 or -20 F. I am no longer worried! Thanks for the info! I am checking on my ventilation situation when i get home!