Ca Bay Area Freezing Temps - Unusual. How to protect my girls?

[Morgan7782]

Sacramento is expecting snow Friday night Saturday morning also!! Record low temps, snow at record low elevations. I will be putting in extra bedding FOR SURE!

 

[Liamm_1]

Chicken keepers in Alaska will be laughing at this thread.
Chickens are more suited for extreme cold temps., than they are for extreme high temps.

 

[Morgan7782]

I think it is more the worry of the drastic change. Bay Area chickens are used to moderate/mild weather and definately mild cold, so when a sudden freeze like this happens the first thing that comes to my mind is getting sick. Going from one steady winter temp to sudden drops.

I am sure Alaska or Montana chickens are used to snow temps, but I am not sure Bay Area and certain parts of California chickens are.

So more the worry of changing from one temp to a sudden BIG difference, not to mention the moisture in the air.

 

[Liamm_1]

Weather.com says maybe a low here of 28 Saturday. We had a few nights with lows of 33 last week. 5 degrees difference won't harm any chickens. I'll personally guarantee it

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

When is it supposed to be freezing?

 

[Liamm_1]

Friday and Saturday, lows of 30 and 28 respectively. That's my area of the East Bay anyways.
You can go to Weather.com and search the forecast for your zip code.

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

Quote:
Ok, thanks. In that case, I'll start making my pullets some sweaters...

 

[HollywoodHillsHens]

Pequeña Bandada :

I would put tarps up on the two exposed sides to block drafts. Your chickens will have no problem with the cold temperature, it's the wind that could hurt them since they won't be able to warm up. Remember to check their water in the early AM in case it's frozen.

Agreed, it's the wind that can really do them in.

One thing I did when my girls were just getting started out in the Ark-style coop and the temp was in the 40s:

Got a large Nalgene bottle (32oz), filled it with boiling water, then let it sit inside the coop to raise the ambient temperature - hot-water-bottle style (a mountaineering trick i learned that works for warming your sleeping bag). It wasn't below freezing, but I like to think it made the girls more comfortable.​

 

[jeremy]

Your chooks will be fine, especially if they are heavy breeds.

The biggest thing to ensure is that they stay dry. If your birds are dry freezing or near freezing temperatures should be nothing to worry about. Those temps honestly won't hold very long either, just in the latest parts of the night, during the day it should be above freezing.

Where are you at in the Bay Area? Make sure you come say hello on the Bay Area BYCers thread,

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=292725&p=262

 

[95yj]

oh dear god, 28* at night, you poor, poor people, that must be tough... lol jk, i'm just giving you ****. though it didn't get above 20 for two straight weeks around here a month ago... Make sure they always have water (shouldn't freeze too much, you can probly just break the layer of ice), and everything else that people said. Wrap the coop with a tarp, line the bottom with hay, give them high energy feed before they roost (cracked corn, black oil sunflower seed, even a little suet may work) and they'll be fine. You may not even have to do all these, but the birds will appreciate it.