buff orpingtons and cold weather question

[davimi]

Hi,
I have 5 buff orpington chickens. They are supposed to be weather hardy chickens, but I am worried with these cold temperatures. At what temperature is it necessary to provide added heat?

 

[PAJerry]

I would suggest never, provided you have a decent coop with correct ventilation. The feathering on the orps is very fluffy and provides good body insulation.

 

[catfish/okie]

I agree. I have a BO hen and she is a big fluff ball. I also have 3 hens that are mostly Barred Rock and a little Silver laced Wyandotte they are also well feathered. The feathers on my New Hampshires dont seem so thick but if these was bred up in New Hamshire surely they can handle Oklahoma I would think. It is shaping up to be our coldest winter here since the late 80s. If I had White egg laying chickens with white faces I would be more concerned. These mediteranian bred chickens are not as cold hardy.

 

[cristy17]

As long as the Buffs have protection from the wind and a good coop, they'll be fine. They were bred for cold weather hardiness. Mine are out if the temp. is at least 15 degrees.

 

[Kismet]

They grow their own down coats! It is we who are cold - sometimes, I wish I could grow feathers to keep warm, too.

 

[Pitchfork]

I added a heat lamp to my small coop after the GREAT BLIZZARD of Christmas Eve, that occured here in the Tulsa area. When the chickens came out Christmas morning they had a lot of frost bite on their combs. The poor Rooster's wattles were nearly completely black. Since I added the heat lamp there has been no further damage. Other than their combs they seemed no worse for wear. However, with the heat lamp they seem reluctant to come out in the mornings. I was out at 6 this morning to open the pop door and they just peeked out, looked at the new fallen snow, and went back to sleep in the coop.

 

[1stepcloser]

Quote:

Who said chickens aren't smart?!

 

[Golden the Bantam]

fill the coop with hay grass for insulation



______________________________
CHICKENS LOL

 

[Ridgerunner]

Your question is actually a bit complicated in that the answer depends on a few different things. Part of it is how cold does it actually get, how well is the coop ventilated (more is usually better), what is the humidity in the coop, are they in a draft, how many of them do you have so they can huddle to keep warm, how big is the coop, is your coop insulated.... I suggest you check out these two links Pat has provided to help you determine your actual situation. Pat is the resident expert on cold weather on this site.

Pat’s Winter Coop Temperatures
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-winter-coop-temperatures

Pat’s Ventilation
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

I have 10 birds (You can see the breeds in my signature. Three are BO's) in a well-ventilated non-insulated, draft-free coop and I have had no problems other than water freezing with temperatures in the single digits Fahrenheit. Mine will not venture out in the snow, but they do roam outside, take dust baths, and just hang out in the low teens as long as they can get out of the wind.