Flash freeze prediction tonight... Do I heat? or not?

[WindingRoad]

I'm at the NJ shore with unpredictable January weather. It's my first winter with chickens.
My gut says stay natural, they'll be fine in the cold... until now. AT the moment, it's a humid 49* F outside (late morning)... But the Gov declared a State of Emergency, because of the winter weather coming in this afternoon. "Flash Freezing" (which i've NEVER heard of before) is predicted, which will drop the temps in a few short hours - to a VERY unusual -11 degrees... which they're not going to be use to!!!

I've got 10 month old hens, one of which is being treated for an infection. I installed a Cozy Coop radiant heat panel on the wall - this past Fall. I researched it, and it was ranked the safest, lowest, fire risk coop heater out there and had good reviews. I've never used it because I'd rather the girls learn to adapt on their own, but this type of drastic, sudden temperature change may be just too much for them?

My question is - Which is better:
1. Would it be better to put the heater on low - all night - and through this unusual bitter cold spell?
-OR-
2. Just put it on, warm it up for them... or maybe put it on a timer... to go on/off every few hours to keep the bitter chill a bit more balanced for them?

I've got good ventilation, and little or no drafts. I also have a little battery temperature & humidity level thermostat in the coop - so I can easily keep track of the humidity - which seems to stay pretty low (so no frost bite chance - I hope).

This is - again my first winter and if it weren't for my husband... they'd ALL be inside where it's safe and warm... but I can't do that... haha... Any ideas?

TIC do you know that meteorology is the only profession where one can be wrong 75% of the time and still keep the job. Another quick suggestion Stop looking at the thermometer.

 

[FiddleChics]

I have a prefab coop I know BOOO HIIIISSS.. I have wrapped the lower part where the fencing is with a clear tarp I got from Amazon. Makes it nice and cozy on sunny days. And I just happened to have ( i.e. as in not planned) it where it gets sun most of the day. So that keeps out a lot of the wind. Today I went out at 0800 and it was 4F. Birds were up and squawking for breakfast. One SLW egg still warm, very warm that down jacket was working over time last night it was colder than 4F overnight. Albeit not much wind. This storm is turning into a dud. I put out fresh water up in the coop at about 0830 I just went out now at 1230 and the water was mostly consumed but had some ice crystals around the edge. I use a pint ice cream container because I am retired and home most to the time. And this fits right in the corner and is hard for them to tip over. At the present time I can't get into the run due to snow build up. Tomorrow when the guy comes to snow blow I will have him clear it out. I have a 20 lb feeder in the run that is full I can get a peek at it. During these colder ( without sunshine) my birds hand around up in the coop they can go downstairs if they want the door is open.

I got that clear tarp on Amazon too... and i like it a lot... it lets the sun through and keeps the winds from whipping into our coop's covered run. I have bales of straw around the base of the coop, which is lifted 18" off the ground, so the girls can go underneath in bad weather too, and get out of the elements.

I grew up in NE, but live at the Jersey Shore now... and don't have that kind of snow... nor usually those temps. But being a NE girl myself, I have to kinda laugh at the drama... when someone sees a snow flake... or even HEARS there might be snow predicted... it's insanity & total mayhem! To me... it's... "Winter!"

I'm a stay home Mom & thankfully have the luxury of time (you know all the free time the Stay-at-home Mom's have -just to lay around and eat bon-bon)... haha... But I'm blessed to be able to do so... and, love to be out checking on the chickies.

I wish you luck getting into the run, and hope your snowblower guy comes soon! We got a few inches of snow the other day, and my little drama queens were FREAKING out... flying too and fro... they didn't want to put their feet in the cold snow... lol... I put straw out onto the snow in the back run, and they were appeased... My little princesses... haha

 

[FiddleChics]

I am also in Central NJ.
Nighttime lows will not be -11F without the wind chill factored in. Single digits, yes, below 0F, not tonight.

If your coop is well ventilated without drafts, disregard wind chills.
If your birds are cold hardy, fully feathered, and healthy, they will be fine till temps well below 0F, probably below -20F, which NJ has yet to see in all my years...

I am expecting around 5-7F.
Cold, yes to some, but not really to the birds if acclimated.
I'm actually hoping for some negative degree temperature to test my revised water heater...which was fine till -3F. Not tonight. I vote no heat ever in NJ, except the nesting boxes, to help stop frozen eggs, and the water, for obvious reasons.

Hope this helps.

Oh! Yes! Thank you! It does! I always look at the wind chill, because that's how it really feels out. But good point, my little coop's dry and draft free... but this is going to be really cold for the girls compared to 'regular winter days' here... and it's not something they've been accustomed to at all, so I worried... lol it's my first year with chickens... and I do tend to be overprotective... Like I'd said earlier, they'd all be inside by the wood stove with us... if my husband would let me... but he says no... haha. But I think it was the huge, sudden drop in temperature, that is suppose to be SO FAST that had me concerned!
What kind of water heater?! sounds interesting!!!

 

[cmom]

My brother lives in northern Michigan and has several horses and a few chickens. They don't heat the barns but do have a heat lamp in the coop where it is safe and the birds, when it's really cold, do get under it. They do have a heated base for their waterer. Now it's in the single digits there and will be below 0, forecast is -10 tonight.

 

[centrarchid]

Have you actually been in a cow barn. When we cleaned stalls and fed we didn't wear coats it was too hot in there. And it was cold outside. We did have to crack the ice in their water bowls. My Sister and BIL raised heifers, pigs, chickens, sheep and lambs. Lambs are born in March-April. It can still be quite cold then. Right now it is 8F out side with 63% humidity. That's part of the reason we here in Maine don't notice the cold so much. Until today I have been going out with my slippers (sling backs even) and no socks. Just to change water and gather eggs. I'm out there for about 5 minutes and have lived to tell about it. Remember we snow mobile all winter and ski.

Until I graduated college we raised beef cattle, hogs, and had a good number horses. The chickens in that barn took advantage of heat produced by larger animals as well as the heat produced by breakdown of manure. The barn(s) would be opened a little to allow moisture to escape. Sows tended to pig under those conditions and we worked hard to keep them warm, dry and away from draft needed to remove moisture. Conditions were mild enough under manger for hens to successfully set a clutch and incubate them.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have yet to experience a drop from 49 F with high humidity to -11 F overnight. A remember teaching an animal science class where we spent time discussing such an event that killed 100's of cattle in the Dakotas or a neighboring state.

That was quite a blizzard, in the fall. Here in the Dakota's, while we don't put cattle in barns, we move them into winter country, with natural or man made shelter from the wind. That Atlas storm was a freak blizzard dropping feet of snow and high winds in the fall before cattle had been moved, cattle drifted over fences for miles. It truly was a horrible storm, and yes the wildlife suffered too.

You are right, mother nature can be a dangerous bi$%%.

 

[FiddleChics]

Have you actually been in a cow barn. When we cleaned stalls and fed we didn't wear coats it was too hot in there. And it was cold outside. We did have to crack the ice in their water bowls. My Sister and BIL raised heifers, pigs, chickens, sheep and lambs. Lambs are born in March-April. It can still be quite cold then. Right now it is 8F out side with 63% humidity. That's part of the reason we here in Maine don't notice the cold so much. Until today I have been going out with my slippers (sling backs even) and no socks. Just to change water and gather eggs. I'm out there for about 5 minutes and have lived to tell about it. Remember we snow mobile all winter and ski.

Oh my goodness, no I haven't ever been in a cow barn, but it sounds wonderful!
I too am guilty of running outside at dawn, in my big, fuzzy robe - tied tight over my night gown... big hat drawn down over my ears, bare legs and slippers! Quite a site Im sure - yikes, and always go out early & pray no one sees me! I let the girls out, fresh water, some hot mash... and then - if I'm not too awake from the cold blast... try and catch a few more zzz's before the circus before school starts... which, usually doesn't happen. Then everyone wonders why I'm dozing off at 8:30 pm - after running hard & fast all day!!! haha! But I truly love it! Tomorrow won't be a jammie & robe run -out to the coop, I'm sure! haha!

 

[centrarchid]

I have yet to experience a drop from 49 F with high humidity to -11 F overnight. A remember teaching an animal science class where we spent time discussing such an event that killed 100's of cattle in the Dakotas or a neighboring state.

That was quite a blizzard, in the fall. Here in the Dakota's, while we don't put cattle in barns, we move them into winter country, with natural or man made shelter from the wind. That Atlas storm was a freak blizzard dropping feet of snow and high winds in the fall before cattle had been moved, cattle drifted over fences for miles. It truly was a horrible storm, and yes the wildlife suffered too.

You are right, mother nature can be a dangerous bi$%%.

I just found a dead Blue Jay that passed with last weeks storm. It may have had health issues to complicate things. The extreme changes are hard on just about everything. The Atlas storm rings corrects. The particular issue I recall is hit on cattle that also had not put on winter coat yet. Their coats got sopping wet with snow melting through hair that was too short. Even healthy animals passed from hypothermia. Event hit in mid October.

 

[WindingRoad]

Oh my goodness, no I haven't ever been in a cow barn, but it sounds wonderful!
I too am guilty of running outside at dawn, in my big, fuzzy robe - tied tight over my night gown... big hat drawn down over my ears, bare legs and slippers! Quite a site Im sure - yikes, and always go out early & pray no one sees me! I let the girls out, fresh water, some hot mash... and then - if I'm not too awake from the cold blast... try and catch a few more zzz's before the circus before school starts... which, usually doesn't happen. Then everyone wonders why I'm dozing off at 8:30 pm - after running hard & fast all day!!! haha! But I truly love it! Tomorrow won't be a jammie & robe run -out to the coop, I'm sure! haha!

Ha we did the chores in record time on Christmas Day. Because we couldn't open presents until they were done. LOL. Did you know lambs are born with long tails? And we docked our own. We had a very thick green rubber band about the size and shape of a cheerio. We had a bullet like thingy that we slid the band over. Then we screwed off the pointy part and had a metal tube like a paper towel tube then you slipped the tail into the tube and slowly pushed the band toward the end of the tail where it attaches to the butt. Don't put right up against it's body. Leave a short tail And that cut off the circulation and eventually the tail fell off. And that was my job to collect tails. LOL Not really.

 

[Doc7]

Put me in the “not”’ camp. I’d lock MySELF in the house for a day or two, though!