Cold snap help

[mseely]

Hello,

I have 6 chickens in an insulated coop. Ventilated and draft free. It is -9 F, or -22 c without windchill. With the windchill is -42 f, right now and the temp in my coop 5 degrees. All the breeds are cold hardy, however I have one who doesn’t roost with the others. She’s a Cochin and I’m worried about her being on the ground without others warmth. The coop is dry and has a large layer of pine shavings. What are your thoughts on this? This is my first time experiencing this cold of weather with my chickens. Should I put a lamp in there? I do have a heating pad for people that I could put next to my hen on the ground.

 

[nuthatched]

You can put a huddle box out there for her

 

[azygous]

The floor is going to be the coldest part of the coop. A heating pad for her to snuggle against shouldn't hurt, but if she has a lot of deep bedding to snuggle into, it would conceivably reflect her body heat back to her.

@nuthatched a huddle box may be fine for cold nights above freezing, but in a confined area like a box, the water vapor from poop and her breath would be likely to settle on her comb and wattles and cause frostbite at such low temps.