Freezing temps two separated from flock

[DanyyChicken]

So I am just bit concerned for my two new chickens a silkie and a petite silkie cross. They are between 3-4 months old. The temps are supposed to go down to 29 degrees tonight and 26 tomorrow. I am not concerned at all for my big girls and roo but I worried about the new girls as they are separated from the flock in a large pet carrier on the storage side of coop. I did go out and place a couple of towels over it to try to maintain warmth. The only reason I am concerned is because they are separate and only have each other for warmth and they have pine shavings. They went thru a month quartine in the garage. I just moved them out to coop about week and half ago to start to integrate them into flock. They haven't had that much time to acclimate to these cold temps. Have been placing them in pen enclosure within run to look at the big girls during the day but then transfer them back to pet carrier for sleeping at night. Now we have this early snow and freezing temps.
I mean I could go out there now and move them back into garage but the carrier is antique and rather heavy and it's pitch black now.

 

[anak0707]

well I'm new on here but I would say to go get them and bring them inside. My chicken is also 3-4 months old and everytime we get freezing temps or really heavy rain I bring her into the garage at least for the night

 

[202roosterlane]

I agree. I know it's dark out right now, but how will you feel in the morning if you go out there and they did not make it? I had some young chickens I moved from the guest bathroom to the new run and coop. It started to rain and I was thinking...."bet they are in the rain instead of going in." Sure enough they were huddled together in the pouring rain instead of going inside. So I put them in and turned on the heat lamp. They looked at me like I was "Big Momma" and they knew I loved them.

But when I went back in I thought, "What if I fell asleep and they all died in the cold rain?" I know it sounds silly, but if there is something I can do to protect them, I am going to do it.

 

[DanyyChicken]

I brought the two small girls into the garage for night two of the frigid temperatures. I saw them before sunrise this morning and then after work they didn't look to content huddled in the back of the pet carrier. I took pity on them and brought them in. I do plan to get them back out to the run tomorrow so they can look at the big girls in the snow storm. I do have a run that is completely covered from the elements. I will have to bring them in again tomorrow night. After that I think the temperatures will moderate some.

 

[wyododge]

There good, 4 months old is plenty old enough to generate their own heat. With a blanket or a towel over the carrier, they will huddle up together and keep each other warm. Bringing them into a warmer place will only delay their feathering and make them suffer the whole winter.

Besides, 20* - 30* is really not that cold for the beautiful down coat they have. If they had a mother, they would not be underneath her anymore and would most likely be roosting outside in a tree.

 

[DanyyChicken]

You're probably right but I really was uncertain as to how they had been all day since I wasn't around to observe them. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and brought them in for a nice warm meal. Will start fresh in AM.

 

[artsy1]

I Would Have Brought Them In Too. I Love My Chicks And Would Feel Horrible If They Were Freezing........go With Your Gut.

 

[wyododge]

i will always differ to your judgement, you are standing there looking at them, I just have the benefit of seeing small birds in really, really adverse weather. My chicks were outside (3days old) in 50* weather. They huddled and were certainly not lavishing in heat, but they were fully feathered when I put them in the coop at about 3 weeks old.

But PLEASE don't take me wrong here. there is lots of harping about chickens and cold, and you know what cold is. But I assure you they will be fine if you choose to leave them out. They will also be fine if you choose not to. I really have no choice but to demand that my chickens are tough or they simply will not survive. I try not to sound cold or uncaring but sometimes it comes across that way. We live in a VERY harsh environment. I bet you would be astonished if you saw what they are actually capable of. 4 month old chicks will survive 0 degrees or even lower how you have them set up.

Again, I am not telling you you are wrong, you just have have a different perspective than I do. Kinda just different strokes for different folks is all...

 

[artsy1]

WYODODGE...........WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN WYOMING? I THINK I WILL GO THERE SOMETIME TO CHECK IT OUT.... ALSO WANT TO SEE MONTANA................
HUBBY WANTS TO LIVE ON A FARM AND HUNT..............I WANT THE MOUNTAINS..............Any suggestions?

 

[wyododge]

There are lots of places really. Mountains prairies badlands absolute hell holes... We got it all, and only 500k people to mess it up!!!

We are selling our ranch, My wife wants to move down south, way to cold for her and I would be a complete moron to let her get away, so I am gonna follow her to the ends of the earth with a big ol rocky mountain smile on my ugly mug.

just a warning though... in 2005 the low was -38 the high that summer was 122...

We are an EXTREME INDEPENDENT HARDY people. We don't take no crap from government, we don't spend money we don't have, and we don't take yours if you've earned it. Our taxes are low, our roads are the best in the nation, We have a budget surplus, low unemployment and WE DRILL FOR OIL AND GAS!!!

Sorry rant off now.. you got me all excited there for a moment.

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