Cold Weather Answers

[Lightfoote]

I will cover this later in a separate thread (with accompanying pics) but here is an "info-bit" for those who keep chickens and are interested.

There seem to be many comments concerning the fall/wintertime problem of water dispensers freezing. I had a notion strike me last spring/summer as I was disassembling and removing an old, outdated oil-burning furnace and its accompanying cinderblock/terra cotta "tube" chimney, and the outdoor aboveground 275 gallon oil storage tank. There was a supply line proceeding from the bottom of the tank about 4' until it entered the outside wall of the home, and followed a path between floor joists to the furnace enclosure in the basement. The outside exposure left the oil in that copper line subject to winter temperatures that within just the past four years have dipped to -2* F on three or four separate overnight occasions, and two different times we had more than a week straight where temps hit 3* (overnight) and daytime highs from 8* to 14*/

There is a "line warmer", or heat strap, that was plugged into an exterior 110w outlet and wrapped around the copper line for the purpose of preventing the fuel oil from congealing/gelatinizing and blocking the flow (potentially causing the pump to seize or burn out), and having removed the oil furnace system in favour of a new 95% AFUE gas furnace, I decided to keep it and see if I could "retask/re-use" the device. Our nighttime temperatures have been below freezing for the past 10 days; the night before last it was 19* F, so yesterday evening, I refilled the 3 gallon water reservoir in the outdoor run, wrapped the warmer/heat strap loosely around the midpoint of its plastic barrel, and plugged it into the outlet.

This morning when I went outside and checked, although everything else (including the dog's water bowl) was still well frozen, the whole 3 gallon reservoir was still drinkable liquid...

Success! I think that this is a decent, easy, practical, reasonably low-tech and affordable solution to the "frozen water" issue many chicken owners deal with.

Lightfoote

 

[CheerioLounge]

Quote:
It was 25 degrees here overnight and my girls roost out in the run. They hate being in the coop. I came out this morning and they were running around like any other morning.

Do you have snow? Is there any moisture in the run? Are there winds overnight?
If you DON"T have any of these things, I wouldn't worry too much about drafts.
If you DO have a wet, windy situation, then you will want to make them some sort of draft free enclosure. Ventilated and insulated would be preferred, but any dry, draft free space with ventilation will do.

IMHO, you don't really want to give them heat. Chickens will acclimate themselves to their surroundings. If you heat them and the power should go out, they would not be used to the cold and then they might suffer. Here is a very good thread about chickens and cold weather: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=421122

Good luck,
Cheerio

 

[dannifer]

Yeah, I took a look at that link before I posted (someone else had posted it too) but there was so much conflicting info there it really isn't helpful to newbies. We DO get snow (moisture) and winds and temps can stay down around 5 degrees. So are people SERIOUSLY saying that a chickens feathers are enough to keep them from freezing to death in that?? That lady who said her chickens survive 40 below temps all the time - she got them used to that though right? I'm still not sure I believe it. Cause there was another Alaska guy on there that said his chickens die if he doesn't keep it heated to above 20 degrees. And HOW would I acclimate my chickens to extreme cold temps anyway. And I still don't understand what the draftiness has to do with anything. Since the upper part of my coop is OPEN to the run below, cold air and wind come up from below anyway - so would there be any point to me trying to cover the top with a tarp (on the outside) to prevent drafts coming in between the boards? And "insulated but ventilated" - isn't that the opposite of each other? HOW do I insulate boards? I'm about ready to just sell the whole thing, chickens and all, and let someone else deal with it.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

It so depends on the type of birds too, and what your goals are.

In central WI, we have an insulated room in a pole shed. We have used heated dog dishes to supply water. The coop gets cold enough that eggs freeze when not gathered within an hour or two. We have sometimes put pet-bed warmers in the nest boxes to prevent egg freeze.

We have always lost the tips of the large single combed roosters to frostbite. Sometimes also the larger wattles, which dip in the water when they drink.
I wish they made rooster stocking caps and scarves!

Any damage of that kind prevents them from being show birds, but seemed to have no affect on their health (or happiness once it healed). We have many chicks from smooth-topped dadies. We have never had frostbite on a hen, or the birds with pea combs. We get eggs all winter.
I guess I am saying a little cold damage is not life or egg threatening, though I never like to see an animal suffer.

We had one rooster who insisted on roosting on a damp concrete block all winter. He had foot damage due to frostbite before I realized it was happening. Lost a toenail. He was generally a very stupid bird in every way.

I have been told the dampness is the enemy. The birds can handle a lot of cold, provided it is not damp. Chickens breathing and pooping and ice-free waterers give off a surprising amount of moisture. The only way to get rid of the moisture is to ventilate. Draft = cold air blowing directly on the birds especially while they sleep, ventilation = exchanging the damp inside air for drier outside air as gently as possible. We use a bathroom fan to encourage a slow exchange of air.

When you add heat, it seems to suck the moisture to it. When we get -20F temps and get scared and add heat to the coop, the moisture starts to condense on the colder walls, even though they are insulated.

So we try to stick to giving them a warm spot to sit if they want to. They move in and out of it according to their desires.

I think your birds will be ok. Possibly you could apply clear plastic sheeting over the walls of the run portion to break the wind more. If it gets really cold or windy, throw a tarp over the whole thing to break the wind even more. Or if it is small enough, move the whole thing into a garage or shed on really bad days, or at least to a side of the house that gets sun but no wind (if you have a nice south-east side?)

Good luck with all, do not give up yet!

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

What size are your birds? Larger breeds handle cold better than tiny bantams.

They more I think about it, you may only need to add a newspaper wrapped pet-bed warmer to your small coop, either on the floor on on the wall were they typically roost. If you are worried about air coming up the mesh floor, your only options are to find ways to break that flow of air, like a mat of news papers or plastic sheeting on the base.

Again, good Luck and I think you have good chances for success!

 

[Tracydr]

Cardboard makes a great, temporary windbreak. If you can get some old moving boxes, use them to block the drafty areas but make sure you still have some vents. Even when I lived in a very cold climate in N. CO, I kept my pop door open and had vents along the eaves of my coop, no heat ever and no insulation. I never had any frostbite problems, we did have some -30 days with some windchills close to -100. I didn't have any breeds with larger combs at the time, small bantams or silkies.
I really believe heat lamps and tightly enclosed, insulated coops cause health problems like respiratory illness and mites/ lice. It certainly does in horses. The only times I've had problems with horsess in the winter is when I've kept them blanketed and in warm, enclosed barns because I was prepping them for shows.

 

[CheerioLounge]

IMHO, I think your chickens will be fine.

And yes, their feathers are enough to keep them from freezing to death. That is the way they were designed. Think of all the wild fowl out there that survive the winter.

We certainly don't want you to get discouraged and give up!

Insulation is to help keep out cold in the winter and heat in the summer.
Ventilation allows for the the air inside to stay fresh and to keep ammonia, etc. from building up in the coop. That is the kind of thing that causes respiratory problems.

Hang in there!!

 

[dannifer]

Thank you so much for the info and encouragement! I like the cardboard idea for the drafts and the plastic sheeting for the run. I think I'll leave the heat lamp in until I can get those 2 things done and then I'll take it out. btw, what are the signs of frostbite on their combs? - just so I can keep an eye out for it.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

The only birds I worry about are my D'Uccles that are house in a coop inside the outside run. I cover it with plastic, leaving ventilation of course. It gets down to about 24 here. Not so cold for you Alaskan's, but I know that someone living not too far from me lost a Serama due to the cold. Last year I brought my little hens into the garage on nights under 27 degrees. For those of you with the smaller breeds, what temperatures have you found your birds can handle WITHOUT frostbite. Thanks

ETA: Although my coop is big and ventilation is plentiful, because of swirling winds I find that I have to block most of the vents. I cut up an old camp mat (or you could use a yoga mat) a little bigger than the vents and pushed them up against the openings. It's easy to remove. I store them and use them as needed.