Chickens and the COLD/SNOW- help!

[jennymoop]

On very cold mornings, we fry up bread pieces in lard for a special treat, and they love it. The cold never seems to bother them. This week, here in Colorado, the nightly tempatures are about 20 or so.

 

[janinepeters]

I got my chickens from a friend this summer and am new at this also. How do you know what breeds are cold climate birds? I have a RIR and 3 Americanaus

Characteristics that make a bird most cold hardy are: roundish body type (lower surface area to volume ratio means less heat loss), full feathering, and low, thick comb type such as rose, pea, or walnut. Big single blade combs have high surface area exposure and are thus more vulnerable to frostbite. The americanas should be fine in your climate. They are not the plumpest, but they're pretty tough, and have small pea combs. RIR hens with particularly large combs, and any RIR rooster, might suffer frostbite on the comb. This is probably painful for the bird (most people who have suffered frostbite say it is painful), and stressful (known to cause reduced fertility in roosters). Most of the time a bird with frostbbitten comb makes it fine thru winter, but occasionally the comb gets infected.

 

[mrcush]

Characteristics that make a bird most cold hardy are: roundish body type (lower surface area to volume ratio means less heat loss), full feathering, and low, thick comb type such as rose, pea, or walnut. Big single blade combs have high surface area exposure and are thus more vulnerable to frostbite. The americanas should be fine in your climate. They are not the plumpest, but they're pretty tough, and have small pea combs. RIR hens with particularly large combs, and any RIR rooster, might suffer frostbite on the comb. This is probably painful for the bird (most people who have suffered frostbite say it is painful), and stressful (known to cause reduced fertility in roosters). Most of the time a bird with frostbbitten comb makes it fine thru winter, but occasionally the comb gets infected.

Thanks!

 

[cubbysan]

My chickens are only 4 months old. Last week here in Missouri, our temperatures were as high as 75, last night we hit 17. The chickens seemed fine this morning when a let them and fed them.

How can I tell if they are cold? I know yesterday they seemed to be going in and out of their coop all day long, usually they only go back in before dark time.

 

[Ridgerunner]

For what it's worth to people, this photo was taken when the temperature was 4 degrees above zero Fahrenheit. I left the pop door open and let them decide what they wanted to do. It was a dead calm morning. Mine really do not like a cold wind hitting them, but as long as they are not in a cold breeze they really enjoy themselves outside.

 

[cubbysan]

Thanks! I guess we just worry.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I got my chickens from a friend this summer and am new at this also. How do you know what breeds are cold climate birds? I have a RIR and 3 Americanaus

I purchased all of my chicks from the "especially cold hearty" section of My Pet Chicken's web page. I just checked there now and both RIRs and Americanaus (or at least Easter Eggers) are listed as cold hearty. I only had trouble last winter with one of my chickens, who, for some reason, always had globs of poop stuck to her back end that became poop-cicles in the cold weather. She seemed to suffer in the cold weather, so I'd have to bring her inside and give her a bath and then make sure she was fully blowdried before I brought her outside again. All the rest of the girls were fine. We live in the Colorado mountains and it can get -20 or even -30 in the winter months.

The main part of my chicken run is sheltered from the snow and rain on top and somewhat sheltered from the wind on three sides. There is now a larger (maybe 10'X20') run attached to the primary run that is not sheltered from the weather.


Last winter, my hens tended to stay in the sheltered part ofthe run on really cold or windy days. Sometimes I'd let them out to free range and they would only venture into the places where I had shoveled a path or they'd fly up onto a saw-horse or picnic table to avoid standing in the snow. The cold itself didn't seem to bother them much.

If you haven't already, you might try covering the roof of your run with a tarp and/or putting something like a tarp or stacking some hay bales on the side of the run where most of the wind comes from. It might make it more comfortable for your chickens to venture out of the coop in the morning. I know that being confined to a small space for too much time can make the chickens unhappy and more prone to pecking at each other.

 

[The Hen]

Your chickens will be fine. You will not be doing them any favors by heating their coop. What if the power goes out in a storm? You will have chickens that are not acclimated to the cold, in a cold environment. They will be more susceptible to cold-related problems. You do not need an insulated coop. You do need some ventilation in your coop so it doesn't become too humid in there. That's more often the cause of frostbite than the cold. Basically, what your chickens need to get through the winter is a draft-free ventilated coop, water, food, and some nice, deep bedding in their coop. They don't need special foods. They don't need heat. They don't need insulation. I live in MN. We're in the middle of our first blizzard of the year. Right now it's 14* F, with a wind-chill of -36*. My chickens are fine. You can let them out of the coop if they'll go. Mine prefer not to, but sometimes I spread straw or leaves on the snow to lure them out. It's perfectly OK to let them out in the snow and cold. Do you have wild birds where you live? How do you suppose they survive without heated coops and special food? Now, take a deep breath. Let it out and relax. Go check on your chickens, and then come back in and fix yourself a nice hot cup of cocoa. They'll be fine.

 

[PacasNChicks]

I'm glad Maurap started this conversation!!! This will be my first Winter up in the White Mts of AZ and I've been worrying about my chickens! Yesterday, I had my sons help me dismantle my run which is made from chain link fencing and moved it behind a coupld of Cedar trees to use as a wind block as I hear the winds are like gale storms up here! I am going to put a tin roof up and board up the sides except where the gate goes into the run or maybe now, I will only put plywood up only so far ... thanks for the advice! I am not feeling so worried now ... only about myself when I have to get up to let them out of the coop! I will wish I had feathers!!!

I love BYC!!! You all have such good advice ... especially Chris with all of his advice and the lady who posted a great recipe for making baked treats!