Chickens in or out during this cold spell?

[Ridgerunner]

You know how when you go to an assembly or meeting, some people are cold, some are warm, and some are pretty comfortable. Chickens are the same way, some prefer it warmer, some like it cooler. Each one can be different, even if they are the same breed. That's part of what makes chicken TV better than anything on cable, antenna, or broadcast.

I try to give mine the option to choose where they want to be but I try to not get too ridiculous about it. I try to give them different options.

 

[DesertSilkieHen]

It's -30F here with the wind chill. I put my silkies out in the run earlier (sheltered from the wind with hay bales) but then an hour later found them all flat and looking cold. They're now in the coop for the day--- maybe I'll get them out again this afternoon if it warms up a little.

Definitely not ideal; I purchased my OverEZ coop with the assumption it would be used for sleeping only, so it's a little small for daytime use. The insulation and hay I added on the sides for warmth is definitely keeping the temp up in there but took away from their room.

One of my 7 year old hens has been promoted to house chicken status for the weekend bc she looked so miserable and wasn't eating. My other 7 year old got a 3 hour stint in the house after she got wet from snow coming in through the vents overnight, but she went back out into the coop when she perked up and started bullying her sister.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Dropped to around 12F last night (which is nothing like what some folks on here are experiencing!) with wind chill a non-factor as the birds were inside the coop for the night by then. Still had all the windows left open flanking the roosts and the birds chose to sleep up against them as usual.

They spend most of their day in the run, stuffed under shelter, but the majority continue to opt to stay out vs going into the coop.

Hummingbird feeders are freezing over so I'm keeping an eye on them and swapping regularly as needed, though I think they should be okay at this point going forward, at least during daytime.

 

[MixedFlock23]

It was forecasted to be -39° here with windchills so my kids carried their serama & d’Uccle inside. (They are in a dog crate now—pic was just for fun.) Those pullets are probably sweating but we aren’t worrying about them now.

I’ve locked the rest of the flocks (bantam & standard) inside their unheated, draft-free but well ventilated coops from last night & plan to through Sunday morning (during negative temps/windchills). They have heated waterers and feed & when I check on them they all seem happy. I had three “Morgans” that didn’t know better and huddled in the drafty dust bathhouse at dusk instead of heading in the warmer coop like every other night. My Silkies also like to stand in the rain, so I don’t trust them to make good decisions either.

 

[azygous]

Love the pic! Cat says, "Okay, quick pic, then these Things had better disappear."

Turns out I had a "morgan" this morning. My roosters were fed up with being confined to their run with a heating lamp to mitigate the misery, and they left when the gate drifted open while I was changing out frozen water. The older roo has had frostbite twice before, making it far more likely he'll get another hit.

And sure enough, Strawberry was sitting on the frozen slope behind the run with his comb turning a scary hue of grey. I grabbed him and took him inside where I stood blowing warm air on his comb with the hair dryer. Then he got an hour of re-warming in the 40F garage. Then he got a thick coating of Bag Balm to try to protect what's left of his comb after losing half of it over the years.

 

[MixedFlock23]

Love the pic! Cat says, "Okay, quick pic, then these Things had better disappear."

Turns out I had a "morgan" this morning. My roosters were fed up with being confined to their run with a heating lamp to mitigate the misery, and they left when the gate drifted open while I was changing out frozen water. The older roo has had frostbite twice before, making it far more likely he'll get another hit.

And sure enough, Strawberry was sitting on the frozen slope behind the run with his comb turning a scary hue of grey. I grabbed him and took him inside where I stood blowing warm air on his comb with the hair dryer. Then he got an hour of re-warming in the 40F garage. Then he got a thick coating of Bag Balm to try to protect what's left of his comb after losing half of it over the years.

Yes, Alexander respects our other animals but I'm not sure that he loves them like we do! Ha ha (The first two pics clearly have him looking offended that I plopped chickens by him!)


Glad you found Strawberry in time!!

 

[Glennda]

Thank you @azygous!

My Buffs are SO sweet....LOVE them! Pets for sure.

 

[WI chickens]

I mean this in the nicest possible way. Some of you guys kill me with heaters for your chickens when it's 20 degrees out At -40F my chickens are clearly cold and they puff up, but they do just fine.