Cold col, what is too cold

[Chicks Galore3]

I DON'T have an insulated coop, and she sleeps right by the window. I have 12 hens in a 7'x8' coop, which is in the barn with cats and rabbits. She does puff up to about 3x her size but it doesn't look like shes uncomfortable.

 

[Smoochie]

What breed is she? Is she an "only"? What level on the pecking order is she? Every night I usually I go in at night and tuck my chickens in... Don't laugh it's true! Some birds are trouble makers and I put them with away from birds that are often picked on. I place them together to keep warm. Now some have BFF so they stay together. I find generally birds of the same breed hangout together. I find this more so with bantams and birds who grew up together as chicks.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

What breed is she? Is she an "only"? What level on the pecking order is she? Every night I usually I go in at night and tuck my chickens in... Don't laugh it's true! Some birds are trouble makers and I put them with away from birds that are often picked on. I place them together to keep warm. Now some have BFF so they stay together. I find generally birds of the same breed hangout together. I find this more so with bantams and birds who grew up together as chicks.

She does have a same breed- she is the lowest or second lowest. Don't worry- I do the same thing! when I put her up she jumps down. She does have crooked toes- she prefers the 1"X1" board on a ledge then the round roosts. I put hay for her to nestle down in- she ate it. I put shavings- kicked it out and ate it...

 

[Smoochie]

Yeah that is a tough one if she has crooked toes and prefers a different roost. :/ A chicken sweater??

 

[hennotrooster]

Have you tried a platform for her? I have two regular dowel roosts and one shelf the older two prefer to sleep on it they hunker down like when they are sitting on eggs and they sleep together. The younger four would sleep there as well but are not allowed to. The older two block it and will peck at them if they try to cross over at times I do make them share but it is after they are to sleepy to fight the older ones will groan. One of mine has a toe that was broke when she was a few days old and it turns out some, I assume that the shelf was more comfortable for her when she was introduce to the coop. Good luck.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I'll try and get a platform roost, and if that doesn't work, I'll make one of those vests that you make for molting chickens.

 

[hennotrooster]

I'll try and get a platform roost, and if that doesn't work, I'll make one of those vests that you make for molting chickens.

A vest for molting chickens? Is there a pattern to be shared? My hens always assume that they will be treated with grubs from the mulch piles or they will be chasing down a lizard. Mine are all about the food and where it might be. They eat the pellets as a last resort or first thing in the morning before I get out to them.

 

[Crocket]

So is it bad to add heat for the chickens? We are in CO and it is dry here... We have 7 chickens in a smaller coop and they all perch inside together. We have a heat lamp set up in the coop and a heated water base. Do you or anyone run a red heat lamp to increase egg production or to keep them more comfortable when it gets below freezing? I have heard that when it gets down to around 10F you should use a light on a timer for 8 hours at night in the coop. Any thoughts?

 

[Gifa]

If you are concerned about warmth, I recommend going out before you head to bed to see how they are doing... You know how they are when they're up on their roost at night, they don't really move around a whole lot, so I am sure they'll let you do this... Take your ungloved hand, and tuck it up under their bellies and feel their feet... I guarantee you they will feel toasty warm to the touch. I admit on the first couple of cold snaps, I went out there and sat in their coop with them to see what it was like, and feeling their toasty little feet under all those feathers really put my mind at east. It got down to 17 degrees here in Kansas City on tuesday... My girls were just fine. Even my Leghorn with her big single comb was comfy all snuggled in on the roost next to her wyandotte and easter egger flock mates.

I am not providing any supplemental heat or light for my girls... I don't feel it's natural or healthy for them... the only "powered" device in their accommodations is the solar powered automatic chicken door... and honestly, that's more for my convenience than theirs. That said, I do have their run almost completely tarped with clear tarps to shelter from wind and excess moisture.

The only thing I do on the really cold nights is bring their 3 gallon waterer in the night before and carried it out first thing in the morning along with a warm pan of oatmeal/crumble/scratch mix.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

So is it bad to add heat for the chickens? We are in CO and it is dry here... We have 7 chickens in a smaller coop and they all perch inside together. We have a heat lamp set up in the coop and a heated water base. Do you or anyone run a red heat lamp to increase egg production or to keep them more comfortable when it gets below freezing? I have heard that when it gets down to around 10F you should use a light on a timer for 8 hours at night in the coop. Any thoughts?

I don't add heat, and I'm in IA. Like Gifa said, they are nice and toasty warm. I add light, but not a heat lamp. I will let them have a break sometime though, to give them a rest.