CA Freeze

[CynAlexa]

I have 3 hens in a coop large enough for 10. This week we have a freeze warning in CA. Should I bring them inside? Will three hens create be warm in ducha large coop? Any suggestions to help them be warm? Thank you so much!

 

[sourland]

As long as they are dry and draft free , they will be fine. Their feathers serve as great insulation.

 

[K0k0shka]

I know it's CA, but don't worry, freezing temps are not that bad! Especially for chickens. They'll be fine. We're frozen for most of the winter over here, with temps plunging to single digits and even negatives, and the chickens do just fine out in their coop, without supplemental heat or insulation or anything. Just make sure they have plenty of fresh air without wind blowing directly on them, and their bedding is dry, and they'll be totally fine. They provide their own warmth and trap it in their feathers. Bringing them in and taking them out is actually worse, because the drastic change in temperature is a shock to their system. Any change outside is gradual and they have time to adjust to it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Don't worry, as long as they are dry and can get out of the wind the chickens will be fine.

I had chicks face their first frost in an open-air coop at 6-weeks-old this past fall and they were fine. The only thing I did for winter storms was to put a tarp on part of a wall to make sure wind couldn't blow directly onto the roost if it came from an unusual direction:

Trying to close them up to keep the space warm is worse than leaving them as is -- trapping moisture makes frostbite more likely.

 

[K0k0shka]

Here are some Northeast chicken pictures for you for peace of mind! This is what my coop and run look like in the winter:

I don't bring anybody inside for weather reasons, ever. In general I avoid bringing chickens into the house for any reason in the winter, unless it's something urgent that can't be handled on the spot, because the temperature shock is too much for them. I once brought a sick hen inside in the winter, overnight. She showed a lot of improvement, so I took her back out the next day. She was dead within minutes. Had her necropsied, turns out she had heart problems but might have been able to live longer. The vet told me the temperature shock of being taken back outside likely pushed her over the edge and cut her life short. I loved that bird! So, everybody stays in their coop and run. The coop is very well ventilated, but protected from snow, rain and wind, and large enough that they can stay inside if they don't feel like coming out. The only reason they don't want to come out is if there's snow on the ground, or an active storm happening. They never refuse to come out because of the cold alone. We get plenty of dry days that are in the single digits, and the chickens are out and about like it's no big deal. I clear the snow for them and throw some dry leaves on the ground, and they are happy to be out no matter how cold it gets.

 

[CynAlexa]

Here are some Northeast chicken pictures for you for peace of mind! This is what my coop and run look like in the winter:

View attachment 3003807

I don't bring anybody inside for weather reasons, ever. In general I avoid bringing chickens into the house for any reason in the winter, unless it's something urgent that can't be handled on the spot, because the temperature shock is too much for them. I once brought a sick hen inside in the winter, overnight. She showed a lot of improvement, so I took her back out the next day. She was dead within minutes. Had her necropsied, turns out she had heart problems but might have been able to live longer. The vet told me the temperature shock of being taken back outside likely pushed her over the edge and cut her life short. I loved that bird! So, everybody stays in their coop and run. The coop is very well ventilated, but protected from snow, rain and wind, and large enough that they can stay inside if they don't feel like coming out. The only reason they don't want to come out is if there's snow on the ground, or an active storm happening. They never refuse to come out because of the cold alone. We get plenty of dry days that are in the single digits, and the chickens are out and about like it's no big deal. I clear the snow for them and throw some dry leaves on the ground, and they are happy to be out no matter how cold it gets.

View attachment 3003821

Thank you for sharing. Sorry about your chicken.

 

[CynAlexa]

Thank you all for your help! I love this group