Cool temperatures

[imaduck]

hi all,
i have a little chicklet who, after about a month of being sick and away from the flock, now lives in the house at night and in a little rabbit hutch during the day. (which by the way, she loves, as she now thinks she's a dog and not a chicken.

) i would really rather not have a chicken in the house, but i'm concerned about leaving her out at night. we live north of seattle, so the weather is not extreme, but we do have some cold nights. how low can the temp. get in her little house and still be okay for her?

thanks! t

 

[RocketDad]

Does the hutch have a sheltered section? Does she have a roost? Those things will help here conserve her heat. Beyond that, you can start down the red-lamp and thermocube trail.

There are threads here regarding chickens and cold - I suggest reading thru them.

Short answer: She's wearing a down jacket, and can endure lower temps than hairless apes. Check early in the morning and see how cold she looks and go from there.

 

[chookchick]

I would be concerned about her being more acclimated to the inside temps, and not the outside temps. If she has been in the house every night, it would probably be a shock to her system to go out when it is cold. Best to put her out one of the weeks when the temperature is only getting to 40's or upper 30's and see how she does, or plan to keep her inside for the rest of the winter. Do you have a garage or other unheated area where you could transition her? If she had been outside, she would handle the temps we have with no problem (it was getting into teens in the coop and single digits outside during cold spell).