Cold Hardy

[KCNC06]

I've been having a very difficult time figuring out what classifies as "cold" when describing cold hardy birds. We've added two Seabright hens to our small backyard flock and I'm not sure if I need to add anything to our hen house to protect these two little ladies since Seabrights are listed as a breed that isn't "cold hardy". The other breeds in the house are leghorn, EE, barred rock and 2 partridge rock. We don't have a heat source in their house, but there's plenty of bedding and sold walls to block out weather. The two Seabrights tend to sleep under the partridge rocks at night, and all four ladies seem pretty content with this arrangement.

We live in NC and our winters are usually pretty mild, we have very few days when the temperature stays below freezing.

 

[patandchickens]

Unless you are in the mountains, NC does not qualify as cold in this context

Pat, who lived in Durham NC for 6 yrs

 

[KCNC06]

Thanks! I didn't think we'd be considered a "cold" area, but I also figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

I grew up in Upstate NY, after spending 12 years in NC I think I may have forgotten what true cold is. Growing up 50's would have been shorts and t-shirt weather, now 50's is long undies weather! Well...that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much.

We're not really anywhere near any mountains. Pretty much central NC, a few miles south of Jordan Lake - actually about a mile or two from Harris Lake in Holly Springs.