Cold weather

[redhen]

panner..it gets in the 20's in CA.?...

..and here i am thinking you guys were still getting 80 degree weather..lol..but i'm a dummy..so...

...well geez..i dont feel so bad now..we havent gotten any 20's yet...

...take care, Wendy

 

[warhorse]

Quote:
It's still getting into the 90's here.

 

[mjdtexan]

I am eating corn chips and I feel warmer than usual








it might have something to do with the salsa though

 

[gritsar]

 

[panner123]

Quote:
It's still getting into the 90's here.

Saturday & Sunday night the temp was in the 20s here. Tresday & Wednesday nights is was in the high 40s. The day time temp today was low 80 at work, but the high 70s here. I am only 35 miles from Sacramento & 22 miles from Tahoe as the crow flys. The best way to figure the temp here is to subtract 10 degrees from the temp i Sac. or add a few degrees to Tahoe's.

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

Quote:
I'm thinking the same thing. Actually though I've read that turkens do well in cold weather. I'll never know for sure though; I'm not even getting close to one of those things.

A fella snuck a Turken egg in a batch of eggs he sent to my wife a few months ago. He is in witness protection right now. "darn it" is so far suspected to be a pullet so is safe from camp freezer. last night it got below freezing in the coop and she is doing ok.

 

[DaKid]

as I stated before I do feed more corn during the winter along with the layer pellets but I also have temperated Commercia string lighting set up in there coop , the sets comes in 25 or 50 or 100 count , the sets I have where 25 count in which I broke down to 8 sets of lights inwhich I strung up on the ceiling during the summer time I place 15 watt bulbs in just incase I go and clean there coop at night or check on them , but during the winter I place 75 watt bulbs inwhich I place on just before sun set or an hour or so before and stay on untill about 7-8 pm at night during this time the lights will heat there coop up just enought to keep the temp. about 30*F DURING THE COLDEST NIGHTS HERE IN NEW ENGLAND IN MASS.
last yr. I keeped a recorded daily/ nigthly on the temp outside and also inside the coop , the coldest was about a weel long where the coop was 25*F in which I let the lights on longer which help the coop say warmer during those cold nights , didn't lost any chickens last winter and will do the same this years .
right now I use only 2 light running with 100 watt light bulbs for 2 hrs at sun set


this is the type of lights

[/img]

 

[laughing husky]

Hi, I live in Alaska, and it has become pretty cool last few days. Went to a "Chicken U" at the agriculture extension and what told us was that chickens can do subzero temps....Rhode Isl Reds, Buff Orps, and a few other hardy breeds.....but you need to put vaseline on their combs and wattles..to prevent frostbite. I have a heat lamp as well as artificial light to keep them laying...We still have 9 hrs/day but the agri people said they need 13-15 hrs of light.....Light being defined as light enough to read a newspaper. They don't like to walk in snow, but if I put out some straw they will come out. I keep the coop at about 45 degrees with a heat lamp.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Hey there!

another Alaskan!

Well, we dipped down to 5°F this morning (-14.4°C for anyone that can't convert quickly)... I still have 7 birds that prefer sleeping on outdoor perches of their own choosing. The coop is insulated, but I have a none-so-tight-fitting window, two cross vents up high, and just a towel over the 18x18" chicken door. There is a 40w bulb on their waterer to keep it from freezing... THAT'S IT. The chickens have been outside adjusting to the cool temperatures all Fall (and Summer, too, for that matter

) My LBs are 16 weeks old now, but they've been outside since 6 weeks. I have not put vaseline on anyone's combs, and they're doing fine. If you're in an area that gets to -20, -30°F routinely in Jan/Feb, you're just asking for a whopping electric bill...seriously. Ask my husband. Please learn from my mistakes... the chickens ARE covered in down, and as long as they are dry and have a draft-free place to get out of the elements, they will survive.

Why won't anyone believe me?

I think this is the 4th thread I've stated that in. I've had chickens for several years now, and I can truly say that not a one has died from the cold. I do have a rescue hen that is proof that if you DON'T give them shelter and let them sleep on ice that they will lose their toes to frostbite, but they do not need extra heat, and they don't need extra corn. I throw out a few handfuls of scratch as a treat, but I don't supplement with it. I just make sure I feed them 20% protein feed.

 

[Cetawin]

My take on corn is simple....corn can make them fat and fat chickens do retain body heat better and do not get as cold....but they can become too fat so feed corn with caution and not all the time. There is my 2 cents worth.

As far as cold...I have two heat lamps in the 12 x 12 uninsulated coop....each one has a 250 watt red bulb...when it his feezing or below outside, the coop is staing between 45 - 60 degrees. They have one window cracked about an inch but that is it at night (9 pm until about 7 am.

I had an electrician here today loking at running electric and outlets to my coop.