chickens act as if they are cold.

[bucky52]

We have had a cool front come in.I'am in central va.it's in the 40's at night.i have three hens that are 10 months old.they act as if they are cold in the mornings when i feed and water them.they have a really nice chicken house and a 10x10 run.if they are cold now how is the winter going to affect them.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Do they sit still and huddle in their feathers? Can you be specific about how you know they are feeling cold?

 

[7L Farm]

What breed of chickens do you have? Chickens will snuggle with their buddy's on the roost if they get cold. I doubt their getting cold if its 40 after all they wear a down jacket. Chickens radiate alot of heat. Feel the roost under the chicken its mighty hot.

 

[bucky52]

they are redstar.they remind me of a hen that is sitting.feathers all puffed out.they will stand there just staring at me as though they want something.and its early morning that they do this.they somtimes will stand on one leg as though the ground is cold on their feet.
and they are moving very slow.i feed them purina layer and they have straw in the run to scratch in and i do give them a little scratch feed in the mornings.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

bummer..it does sound like they are cold.
we just had the same cold frount and now a week of warm weather to fortify
Its not only been cold, but damp, and I think thats the diff...I added 4 ml plastic sheeting around the interior of the coop to keep out drafts, checked for damp places, and have another bag of pine chips to add insulation.
My chickens free range all day, so they are exposed to all types of weather, I think damp and drafts are the worst problems, that and no sun....
Heres hoping winter isnt as bad this year, but I don't want to loose chickens to the cold either.

 

[ECBW]

Red Star, 10 months.

My guess is they are laying as well. 40's is not cold for healthy birds. My are fine even in the teens.

 

[Dutchess]

Quote:
On average the winter temps here in Maine range from twenty to five above zero. The cold never really bothered my chickens, but I did notice they huddle a lot more.

 

[bucky52]

thanks for the imput.i just wormed them about three weeks ago.these hens get the best of anything that they need for their care.i
thought the hot weather was suppose to be worse on them.but now i'am a little worried seeing that the cool wheather is affecting them so soon.

 

[gritsar]

I agree with the others, they'll be fine. I have 5 1/2 month old black stars, aka black sex links, and we hit the low 40s a couple of weeks ago. I haven't even closed the big doors - the coop is wide open on the front, with hardware cloth covering the openings. I used to start closing the doors @ night when nighttime temps. hit the 40s, but have decided to wait a little longer this year.

 

[7L Farm]

They will adapt to the cold just keep the wind off of them.