Extreme Cold Warning

[nuthatched]

I'd bring them into the garage.

 

[Doris29]

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

Expensive, but worth every penny in my opinion, if you can get electric out there.

 

[Doris29]

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

I’m winging it right along with you but might add a thick layer of warner bedding to the floor? Pine shavings or straw/hay?

 

[theoldchick]

If you have a small flock, get a nylon puppy pen and bring them inside. Put a tarp under the pen and used pine shavings in the pen. Larger flocks may do well in such extreme weather because the bodies do produce heat, and the flock can huddle together to keep warm. Keep extra water in the house (I use gallon jugs) to carry water to your flock. Remember to maintain ventilation as it is necessary to keep the air moving to prevent condensation from building up in the coop. Keep your chickens well fed and some Rooster Booster in the feed will provide extra calories needed to maintain body temp.

 

[Doris29]

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.

Would you skip out on the radiant heater? I was thinking it would work better in a smaller coop.

 

[BunnyChickenMomma]

Expensive, but worth every penny in my opinion, if you can get electric out there.

That's the kind I have!

 

[Briarhopper Ranch]

I’ve moved to a place with milder winters, but used to live at 7,600’ in Colorado where we could see overnight lows of -30°F with little warming during the day (up to single digits if we were lucky). When I had a small flock in a smaller, uninsulated coop, I would put an oil filled electric radiator out for them on low during the most extreme cold. We fashioned a chicken wire “hat” for it so if anyone tried to perch on the heater, their feet were still at-least 6" from the heat source.

There are, of course, plenty of warnings against using electric heat for our birds (ranging from habituation to fire risk to power outage). With these in mind, bringing them into the garage, as someone else suggested, might be a decent option. I personally wouldn’t want my flock of 20 in my garage all week, but you’ll need to do what you see is best to protect them.

For context, we’re now in eastern Kentucky where we may see overnight lows of single digits to zero. I don’t heat my draft-free, well vented coop in any way. I have two sources of water in their run (and one in the barn for my four wild women who sleep in the rafters) heated electrically. I’ll manually replenish water in the event of power outage. I have deep bedding in the coop. I will likely round up my four Easter egger mavericks who prefer sleeping in the barn rafters and lock them in the coop for these upcoming bitter nights.

Good luck, I appreciate your commitment to your flock’s health and safety! I’m confident you’ll put a solid solution in place!

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.

 

[2ndTink]

@Debbie292d is facing similar weather and has been using Cozy Coop heaters in some coops and has a heated coop with breeding pens too. She can add more detail on what she does. But she has silkies and keeps them thriving in these temps.

 

[KWestVA]

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.

Full disclosure: I am a chicken newbie, so this is not expert advice.

I live in southern VA, so I acquired several dog crates originally in case of a hurricane, and now I am thankful I have them onhand for this weekend's storm. I scored one from a thrift store, and your local pet stores should have some decent options as well. Here is a link to one I bought on Amazon.
https://a.co/d/cpgzyrV

This probably isn't a feasible option for a large flock, but if you just have five hens, you could get by with two large crates for a short weather emergency.

 

[Doris29]

I’ve moved to a place with milder winters, but used to live at 7,600’ in Colorado where we could see overnight lows of -30°F with little warming during the day (up to single digits if we were lucky). When I had a small flock in a smaller, uninsulated coop, I would put an oil filled electric radiator out for them on low during the most extreme cold. We fashioned a chicken wire “hat” for it so if anyone tried to perch on the heater, their feet were still at-least 6" from the heat source.

There are, of course, plenty of warnings against using electric heat for our birds (ranging from habituation to fire risk to power outage). With these in mind, bringing them into the garage, as someone else suggested, might be a decent option. I personally wouldn’t want my flock of 20 in my garage all week, but you’ll need to do what you see is best to protect them.

For context, we’re now in eastern Kentucky where we may see overnight lows of single digits to zero. I don’t heat my draft-free, well vented coop in any way. I have two sources of water in their run (and one in the barn for my four wild women who sleep in the rafters) heated electrically. I’ll manually replenish water in the event of power outage. I have deep bedding in the coop. I will likely round up my four Easter egger mavericks who prefer sleeping in the barn rafters and lock them in the coop for these upcoming bitter nights.

Good luck, I appreciate your commitment to your flock’s health and safety! I’m confident you’ll put a solid solution in place!

Both of mine are EE’s but the one is a pain in the rear to get in the coop during the day, no matter the weather. Occasionally I’ve caught her roosting in random places in the yard after the other has gone to bed the right way at night lol. They’re funny creatures!