Extreme Cold Warning

[BunnyChickenMomma]

Hey, All!

We have an extreme cold warning here tomorrow and I'm wondering if anyone has advice for how to help my girls through it. The high is going to be -20F with wind chills up to -40F. They have radiant heaters mounted near the roosts they can lean against for extra warmth (doesn't heat the air) and the coop is brand new (just built this summer with extra insulation). We do have about 2 sq ft of open ventilation (covered with hardware cloth) just under the roof on two sides. They have a heated water nipple drinker, so they have fresh water at all times.

I have 3 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Light Brahmas. Should I cover the ventilation at all? Should I keep them locked inside the coop tomorrow? Should I bring them inside with temperatures that low (I know that's usually bad because then they won't be acclimated to the cold, but would it potentially save their lives?)? Or bring them into the garage? Do nothing and let them be?

Thanks for any advice you may have. It's a record low and I want to make sure they make it through okay.

 

[Doris29]

No advice but I’m in the same boat and pretty worried as this is our first winter with chickens. Probably won’t be sleeping well this weekend. My 2 did fine in -25 last weekend but this is going to be so much worse!

 

[lagrange chicks]

Frigid here this weekend also but my girls will have no heat. Ventilation is more important than heat I have read. I have my run covered with plastic and with sunshine its much warmer for them during the day.

 

[thecatumbrella]

-20 to -40 is just too low, in my opinion. Bring them inside (or to the garage, if that’s a compromise). I don’t think radiant heat and heated waterers can keep up with that kind of insanity.

 

[Doris29]

Mine is the same but it’s in the corner of a fence and the fence sides are open so air still moves through, even though it’s minimal. I’m considering just keeping them in the coop even though it’s small and there’s no room for the heated nipple waterer in there. Thinking I’ll just take tgem
Water throughout the day and that’ll be an excuse to keep checking on them? I don’t know. I ordered a heating plate for order pickup today but am debating it. I wish I could just bring them inside and snuggle all weekend!

Frigid here this weekend also but my girls will have no heat. Ventilation is more important than heat I have read. I have my run covered with plastic and with sunshine it’s much warmer for them during the day.

 

[Doris29]

-20 to -40 is just too low, in my opinion. Bring them inside (or to the garage, if that’s a compromise). I don’t think radiant heat and heated waterers can keep up with that kind of insanity.

My heated waterer did great in -25 but this is a whole different ballgame. At least it’s supposed to be sunny, I guess. The wind last weekend was brutal.

 

[thecatumbrella]

My heated waterer did great in -25 but this is a whole different ballgame. At least it’s supposed to be sunny, I guess. The wind last weekend was brutal.

Which model do you have? My Premier 1 is rated to -20, but we’ve never actually had to test it to that extreme!

 

[BunnyChickenMomma]

Here are photos of our set-up, if that helps any. You can see the ventilation right under the roof, the run covered with tarps, and the heaters/covered windows near the roosts. We use sand for litter.

 

[UpstateHenman]

Hey, All!

We have an extreme cold warning here tomorrow and I'm wondering if anyone has advice for how to help my girls through it. The high is going to be -20F with wind chills up to -40F. They have radiant heaters mounted near the roosts they can lean against for extra warmth (doesn't heat the air) and the coop is brand new (just built this summer with extra insulation). We do have about 2 sq ft of open ventilation (covered with hardware cloth) just under the roof on two sides. They have a heated water nipple drinker, so they have fresh water at all times.

I have 3 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Light Brahmas. Should I cover the ventilation at all? Should I keep them locked inside the coop tomorrow? Should I bring them inside with temperatures that low (I know that's usually bad because then they won't be acclimated to the cold, but would it potentially save their lives?)? Or bring them into the garage? Do nothing and let them be?

Thanks for any advice you may have. It's a record low and I want to make sure they make it through okay.

Hey, All!

We have an extreme cold warning here tomorrow and I'm wondering if anyone has advice for how to help my girls through it. The high is going to be -20F with wind chills up to -40F. They have radiant heaters mounted near the roosts they can lean against for extra warmth (doesn't heat the air) and the coop is brand new (just built this summer with extra insulation). We do have about 2 sq ft of open ventilation (covered with hardware cloth) just under the roof on two sides. They have a heated water nipple drinker, so they have fresh water at all times.

I have 3 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Light Brahmas. Should I cover the ventilation at all? Should I keep them locked inside the coop tomorrow? Should I bring them inside with temperatures that low (I know that's usually bad because then they won't be acclimated to the cold, but would it potentially save their lives?)? Or bring them into the garage? Do nothing and let them be?

Thanks for any advice you may have. It's a record low and I want to make sure they make it through okay.

Yes I am in the same boat with my six hens. My black Austrolorp is around 7 years old and my well summer is 6. My other four are one year old). I am in upstate NY, lows at night around -9. My coop is a converted toddler playhouse, so it is small and I can only squat 1/2 my body in it. It has a down stairs where they enter and a little ramp where they go up to roost and lay (the lay box juts out and only has two spots). I have one radiant wall heater that really does very little. I do have insulation in spots where I can find holes and gaps. And I leave the gaps in roof open for ventilation. Just not sure about my two older girls...the cold will be here over a week. Any more suggestions? BTW-Since i do not really provide much heat they normally stop laying by now, but the young ones have kept going, otherwise I would block off the lay box to help keep it warmer.

 

[debid]

I am not in that circumstance but I think I would break my hard rule and put my 250W heat lamp out there, attaching it very securely. Having it for just this event would reduce the strain on the water heater without making the chickens dependent and you wouldn't need to move them.