cold night/frozen water/chickens seem ok

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I don't think my chickens would sit still long enough for me to do this anyways!

ROTFLMAO

Pat

 

[vermontgal]

OK, folks, - I HAVE the max min thermometer, and still no one has told me what the min temperature IN THE COOP to be concerned about is.

I'd really appreciate feedback on this.

In Vermont, it has recently been in the low teens at night (that is plus 12-13 F) outside, and around 26 F in the coop. The coop has consistently been tracking a little more than 10 F above outside temperature. During the day, it has been in the 20s F and cloudy.

I have four chickens. In Vermont, the temperature will be -25 F this winter at night, with daytime temperatures around 0F (this usually lasts for 3-4 days each winter). More normal low temps are -10F to -20F.

If my coop temperature continues to track, it will be -10 F in the coop.

I know chickens are ok at +20F. I am not worried about their water freezing. It is going to freeze and the chickens are going to use their chicken down coats.
I have 1 NHR, 2 BR, and 1 EE with pea comb. I am not worried about their feet. They have a good wide perch.

I know that Vermont farmers kept chickens for many many years before the addition of electricity to rural areas in the 1930s. However, most people kept larger flocks of chickens (20, 25 chickens) which creates an increased amount of chicken heat to warm the coop. Most people I talk to here today either keep more chickens, or they heat their coop. I have not talked to anyone with 3-4 chickens and an unheated coop in -25F weather.

SO - since I have said Max Min thermometer, how do I know when my chickens are in danger of frost bite? Moreover, the thermometer also has a humidity reading, and so I can tell the humidity in the coop. Recently it's been around 50-60% humidity, but when it was rainy a few weeks ago it was in the 80% RH range - this seems normal.

My coop is insulated and weatherstripped. It is vented. It is vented to the inside of a large barn, so the vents are not exposed to lots of wind. In warm weather, it is additionally vented via a large removable window (screened with hardware cloth). The windows face south, and have removable insulation (quilts).

Patandchickens, MissPrissy - how many chickens do you have in your non-heated coop? Do you know what the temperature is in there? I don't doubt that an unheated coop in northern Ontario is OK, if you have lots of chickens...!

I would have 25 chickens, if I could (aside from the heating factors!), but my city lot is only 4850 square feet - and that includes all the space with the house, barn and driveway on it!!

Thanks again to those who are sharing the experience with chickens in actually cold northern places.

 

[basicliving]

You may find this thread useful https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1226520#p1226520

Penny

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

I bought a large heated dog dish from TSC yesterday....has anyone just placed their plastic chicken water feeder(red bottom) right into the dish?....does it work....??? Merci

 

[ams3651]

Quote:
i had read a post on a similar thread yesterday and they did this and it worked just fine.

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

thank you..

 

[LynneP]

I have to vote with Clay on the hot water thang...sorry Miss P.

I guess a bunch of us will have to sit up tonight with thermometers in containers with water at diff. temps. In the coop- well of course! With all those hens grabbing the thermometers...cold here, too

 

[Mrs MIA]

I tried my own experiment yesterday, and wound up breaking the glass jars for my efforts because the water at the top froze first and wouldn't allow it to expand as it froze. By the time I remembered to check them, they were both frozen.

Regardless, Chickens have natural down coats and given the opportunity to adapt with the changing seasons, additional heat is NOT required for the birds. Some people like to keep their coops just warm enough that the eggs and water don't freeze, which is about 35°F.
I have a single heat lamp on my 3 gallon galvanized waterer in the 8x8' coop, and that's it. It is 8.8°F outside right now (we have been down to -10°F already) and 28°F in the coop. BUT... the only birds IN the coop are the ones laying eggs. All the others are outside, and many still sleep outside even in the sub-zero temps.
Give them a dry, draft-free coop and plenty of clean water and good nutrition and they should have grown enough down to keep them warm to REALLY low temps... we're talking -10 to -30F.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
FWIW, my experience with (admittedly-larger) backyard sheds and horsebarns is that the temperature differential increases as the nights get colder... so it may not be as bad as you are expecting.

SO - since I have said Max Min thermometer, how do I know when my chickens are in danger of frost bite?

I am not sure anyone can give you an exact number. The fact that you have fairly dry coop air is in your favor. If you're concerned you can also massage a thin layer of vaseline into the comb and wattles before a cold snap. When coop temperatures drop below the mid 20s you'd want to start keeping a close eye on things; some peoples' chickens do FINE significantly below that, others start losing some comb points. I think you're going to have to just see how your particular situation goes, honestly.

If you're really concerned, there are various other things you can do too. Some people make a smaller compartment in the coop if it is othewise large (perhaps you might consider this?), or make an aluminized-bubblewrap hover over/around the roost. If you can warm the coop more during the day by means of solar gain, and have sufficient thermal mass in there, that will reduce how low it drops at night. And of course insulation and ventilation can be fooled around with to some real benefit, which it sounds like you are already doing.

Patandchickens, <snip> how many chickens do you have in your non-heated coop? Do you know what the temperature is in there? I don't doubt that an unheated coop in northern Ontario is OK, if you have lots of chickens...!

As I've said elsewhere, I don't really consider myself to be in a typical situation, because my chickens are in a building that does not get THAT cold in winter -- IIRC last winter it did not get below the mid to low 20s F. Mind, that's because of the building's design and construction, not because of chickens -- for most of last winter it was just 2 chickens in a ~20x40 "coop"

(This winter it will be 15 unless I find a taker for my Buff Chantecler trio)

I don't try to winter chickens in my tractor specifically BECAUSE of the difficulty of keeping a few chickens in a tiny space both warm enough and ventilated enough when it is -25 F outside. But I know people around here who have just a regular ol' coop and a regular ol' (or sparse) number of chickens in it, and they've done fine without supplemental heat. Of course this is one of the warmer parts of Canada - we haven't been much below -25 F since I moved here 6 yrs ago. But still.

Everybody's coop and chickens will behave slightly differently, for all sorts of construction/site/management reasons. I think the biggest thing is to keep a close eye on things and consider it a learning curve. It sounds like you are 'on top of things' and taking sensible precautions, I bet you will be fine

Have fun,

Pat​

 

[vermontgal]

Hey, thanks basicliving for posting that link - I haven't checked out that other forum topic line yet, so that is helpful.

Thanks also Mrs. AK - HELPFUL to hear about other actually cold places. Glad to hear your peeps roost out successfully when it's in the sub-zeros, and thanks for the encouragement on -10 to -30F. I certainly didn't get any breeds that weren't indicated as "very cold hardy" - except the EE who was supposed to be a RIR... Ya gotta love these southerners who say "it gets cold where I live," and they mean +20 F. We are zone 4 here, and just on the edge of zone 3.

Patandchickens - thanks for your further ideas, I put my windows in specifically for solar gain and I will consult with my friend who is a solar designer about my best option for thermal mass, given chicken litter covers the floor. Water is a good thermal mass.

My coop is 4x5x5.5 at the peak, and less on the sides - so it is about the min size for 4 chickens (I might fit 5 next year?, or 4 + 1 duck). The roost is 4' long. The roost is close enough to the ceiling that they almost bump their heads when they hop up. The roost is across the back side of the coop, so I could add a divider to divide the 5' length of the coop in half, leaving them less space to heat.

Interesting that the temp differential increases when the exterior is colder. My barn seems to be very very cold inside throughout the winter, so I am not sure if I will see that. The barn includes a workshop (unheated) and storage. In the past I kept my car in there (adding some heat when driving in with the engine warm), but this year I'm renting it to a friend with an antique vehicle for his inside storage - I am parking outside.

I just bought plastic jars for my waterers so they won't break! I did already lose a glass jar earlier in the season. Two waterers -- swap them out in the mornings. I am still using the waterer that most people just use for starting their chicks - that seems to be the right size.