Do you keep your birds in the coop when it's cold, or let them decide?

[BarkerChickens]

Mine have access to outside whenever they want. If the suns out, they usually want to be outside. If it is really windy and cold, they'll hang out under the coop (which has some protection from the wind, but still lets then scratch. Rarely are they inside the coop except for laying and sleeping.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

If it snows, they are stuck in the barn. If it is below 15,, they get stuck in the barn. If it is REALLY windy and the wind chill hits around 10, they get stuck in the barn.

If it is raining and a decent day, they decide. If it is cold and not windy and above 15, they decide. If it is windy, yet the wind chill is above freezing, they decide. If it is foggy, misty or sleeting, they decide.

I have a few brave birds that go out in just about anything, but most are "temp whimps" and they choose to enjoy the barn for the day.

Enjoying the barn means they have FULL excess to layer, mash, poultry grain, fresh water, their dust bath areas, their roosts and the nest boxes.

At night they are locked up in wire mesh stalls with NO water, NO food and NO dust bath areas. I do this to keep any predator out of their enclosure. They have numerous roosts, both metal and wood in the stalls.

The Guineas have excess to the barn always as they roost in the rafters of the barn, WAY up high.

 

[feathersnuggles]

I'm curious bout the birds that won't go inside at night. Are they spending the night in the run or are they truly outside in a free-range mode?

If they're staying in the run, is the henhouse roost higher than roosts in the run? My birds always want to spend the night on the higher roost.

 

[Sissy]

Mine have acess to the run and chose
what they want to do
I do have a 250 watt red heat blub
plugged into a thermo cube that turns the light
on at 32 degrees and shuts it off at 42 degrees .
and it works out well. have the blub
in their coop near the water and it keeps
the water from freezing and also keeps them
warm in their deep wood shavings.
I have no roosts in the run .

 

[briana1975]

Quote:
Oh, no, so you're saying, even though they look okay now, frostbite may manifest later?

Do you use the bag balm to coat the combs to prevent the frostbite?

Yes the bag balm is for the combs and wattles. Yes his comb and wattles were normal red looking till it got a little warmer then the wattles started to get whitish around the edges, then they turned a purplish, blue color and by night fall swelled. After the swelling went down they turned back and scabby. Now they look ok again just much smaller.

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

i leave mine inside unless it reaches about 50 or so

 

[Amethyste]

Mine are allowed out at all times during the day unless it is raining hard, high winds, freezing rain, heavy snowfall etc....

Living here they would never go out if they only waited for warm weather. They are smart enough to come inside when needed and they go outside when they wish. I really only shut them in cos I dont want to walk out in the weather when its bad like that. It was 9 degrees out side a few weeks back and they were all frolicing in the yard. Silly birds!

 

[CityChook]

Quote:
Hi Hon -
Just for reference, it was 0F here today for a daytime high. I did not open their door. I have 4 BOs. They get sunshine through their windows and have room to hang out indoors. This morning when I went outside to do water/food/treats, it was -17F. I switched their laying light over to a secondary red heat bulb. The red bulb, I have found, seems to heat up the air inside the coop better than their (on 24/7) ceramic heat emitter which is over their roost. So for the next few days through this cold snap, they'll have two lights running. True to form, they are having a little late-night party in their coop tonight with the privilege of the red light being on. One has decided to really push her luck and sleep in the nest box. They are naughty little girls, alright.

Can't remember from reading, but do you have a thermometer inside? I love mine - and check it frequently when the temps are bad.

Anyways, it sounds like you are a good chicken mom and just want them to be happy and warm. If you are worried about the temperatures, keep them inside. This snap should only last a couple more days and then they can go outside again. They won't hate you, and if it helps to avoid any frostbite issues, then all the better. Just so you know, at 6F, I still open their door and let them decide. But it will cool off their coop temps considerably. Your run is enclosed with plastic, making it even warmer inside their run than the average mid-westerner. But once it hits 0, I get to make the decision. It helps me sleep at night.

Good luck and try to relax. They'll be just fine.

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Thanks so much, CityChook! I've been worrying myself silly. I know it's SERIOUSLY cold where you are.

Quote:
Sounds like you are running a little red light district there!

Quote:
Yes, we have one of those remote ones so I can check the temp from inside the house. Last night, it was -2F when we went to bed, but 20F in their coop. This morning just before 6, I got up to check and it was down to 5F in the coop, -6 outside. I about had a heart attack. Went out to refill their two large water bottles (hubby doesn't want to run electricity out there, and we were told we didn't need to with this little coop). It fairly quickly warmed the coop up to about 19F. We didn't go back out until after 8. By then, the outside temp was 0F. They were eager to get out and very lively, so we let them. They looked much better than yesterday, so we decided letting them warm up with more hot water and keeping them in a bit later in the morning was the way to go.

Quote:
Thanks so much! And thanks to everyone who responded last night. Really helped to put me more at ease.

 

[juliachick]

I have 17 chickens (2 of them are banties) and have had them locked in the coop for 2 days now. They also have two little duck buddies that live in the coop w/them (the silly things think they are chickens...don't go in the pond and insist on sleeping w/the chickens but that's another story). SO really there are 19 birds in the coop. I hate having them all locked in there like this but my big jersey already got a little frost bite on his comb at 17 degrees that I am scared to let them all out and have it happen to more and his get worse. Or lower the coop temp a bunch. I hate to pen the jersey in the garage by himself...seem like torture for him. After reading all of this post though I may go out in a minute and let them decide. I will put vaseline on the jersey to see if that makes a difference. Oh I'm just not sure what to do.