Freezing rain concerns

[Aliciahess]

Hello everyone. I'm hoping to get some advice on how best to help my ducks and chickens when the freezing rain hits. I live in Vancouver, WA.
Thanks
Alicia

 

[cafarmgirl]

As long as they have a good coop and duck house that is dry and protected from wind/rain where they can go when the weather is bad they should be fine.

 

[Aliciahess]

Okay thanks. I just kept having the mental pic of wings frozen together. My car door got sealed shut last year...

 

[AkChris]

LOL...I'm picturing chickens with frozen wings now. Kinda like how my dogs will jump in the water no matter how cold it is and in the winter when it's really cold they'll sometimes have icicles forming from their chests because the air temperature would be so cold the water drops would freeze before they could drip off. Anyway I doubt the chickens will ever get that wet!

I live in SE Alaska and we get plenty of freezing rain here in the winter too. Actually plenty of rain all year long.

It'll be my 1st winter with chickens and I'm wondering how they'll handle the damp and cold here as well. They do have a nice cozy coop, and a covered run so I think they'll do fine. Lots of people around town keep chickens so I assume they handle the conditions. They didn't seem to mind the rain much this summer and would stay out in it. I have noticed now with all the cold fall rain they're been spending more time inside the coop.

I think as long as your chickens have a roof over their heads and shelter from the wind they should stay dry enough. Even if they do get a bit damp they can dry off from their body heat.

 

[centrarchid]

Most of my birds must suffer freezing rain events without cover. They do have some feather problems but not serious. If extreme event make so they have cover at night. It is roosting birds that have the biggest problem. While awake they knock most off.

 

[Aliciahess]

Wow...birds in Alaska. So cold! I've never been to Alaska, have wanted to visit for long time.
Centrarhchid where r you located?
This is also my first winter with chickens, which is why im extra nervous. My husband keeps telling me to relax.. we r moving in 9 days and we will be building a new run with a covered area in addition to their coop

 

[centrarchid]

I am in central Missouri. Climate is at least as intense as yours.


Not all of Alaska is cold. Some is temperate rain forest.

 

[AkChris]

Quote:
Yep, I'm on an island in Southeast Alaska and the weather isn't much colder than what you get in coastal Washington. The winters are generally pretty mild with temps in the 20's and 30's. We get a bit of snow in the winter but also get lots of freezing rain, sleet, and wintery mix. I actually like it better when we get a cold spell and have some real snow instead of the slushy crud that often passes for snow around here. I use to live in Anchorage though and winters there were much colder...that's where the dogs would end up with icicles. Temps in the single digits were common there. We'll sometimes visit places in the interior that are even colder. Cold has a whole new meaning when it's -20 out. If you're prepared it's not actually as brutal as sounds. One of my fondest memories is of a X-country ski trip I took one winter when the daytime high was a whooping -16F.

WA is plenty warm enough for chickens. I'm not at all worried about the cold...people keep chickens in places that get much colder. For me it's more of a concern keeping them dry. The fall rains here are brutal and everything is wet, wet, and wetter. I think in climates that are as wet as ours giving the chickens covered runs and places to get out of the damp and coops with good ventilation to keep the humid air moving out is most important.

 

[Aliciahess]

Thanks for the advice. The rain/wet does care a worry. Plans for new construction does include a nice big covered area and a protected co-op.