Feather loss and the cold

[Mrs. K]

The problem with heat, is that we have been trained since childhood to shut things up tight, to keep the heat in. With chickens what you keep in, is the moisture, which makes for cold chickens. Dry and no wind, is what keeps chickens warm.

You kind of need a hard heart to keep chickens well. A lot of chickens suffer needlessly because people are trying to be so nice and keep them warm. Almost all livestock animals can handle nearly any temperature if they are well fed, and have wind protection.

Mrs K

 

[texsuze]

Your hens look like my 5 y.o. black australorp, Celeste, who is currently in a hard molt. Don't know why she picked this time of year, since we're starting to get back to back cold fronts! My 8 y.o. Dominique, Vashti, is just wrapping up a lengthy molt, with replacement feathers finally coming in on back of her neck. I make sure to have extra bedding material (shavings, hay) inside the coop and as mentioned before, block the strong winds and drafts from coming inside. My girls are also always allowed to sleep in nest boxes--whatever makes them happiest.