Have you ever had a chicken freeze to death?

[bheila]

I lost one about 3 weeks ago in 20 degree weather. She was 8 years old. Maybe it was age but her 9 year old sister survived. She was actually still alive but she wasn't moving or even blinking her eyes. Just laying there. I made the decision to cull her instead of taking the time to try and rehabilitate her. It would have been really painful at that point to put her infront of a heater and she was so old anyway. When I culled her her body didn't even flap around. So that tells you how cold she was.

 

[jhc]

Keep the coop door shut during the cold snap if possible. Have not lost any yet.

 

[alagary]

now i feel better about it going down to 20 tonight . I was about to bring mine in the house .

 

[katrinag]

20 should not effect them so long as you have a draft free coop. I just now added a 250w heat bulb only b/c with the wind chill being -18 below and getting colder I did not want the babies I have getting to cold.

 

[Henrietta23]

My husband didn't do a head count one night and my favorite barred rock got locked out. I looked out the kitchen window in the morning and saw her lying there. I was so upset. She was an older bird too and it was just too much for her. We're expecting below zero windchills the rest of this week. We're trying to figure out a way to cover the door so no drafts get in.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Yes I have. Younger birds, without enough bulk with temps that were mid-50s one day and the next, below zero.

I lost quite a few!

 

[3 sisters farm]

We had a very sudden change, lost 2 very young birds....however both were signifcantly smaller than their hatchmates, one with a crossed beak, the other just a sweet runt....at 6 months smaller than most bantums...never ill....just tiny. (
Even dewormed her no change) Did catch one that had been out under coop actually completely frozen to the ground....but about 3-4 weeks later full recovery back with her friends and giving me legs...no limping (one leg frozen to ground)!

 

[jhm47]

-24 here when I got home last night. -36 when I got up at 6AM, and -34 here now at 8:30AM. Windchill has been down to around -60 during the night. I fed and watered my birds well yesterday, and gave them some dry cat food for extra fat and protein. They were all just fine this morning. The roosters didn't even freeze their combs/wattles. Of course, they are SLW's, so they have rose combs, and that helps a lot.

 

[JeninMN]

Quote:
We must be pretty close to the same area...it was -28 last night when we went to bed...this morning -36 at 6am and it is still -35 now at 9:45am...feels like -48 it says...will be this way most of the day looks like...BRRRRRRRRR.

Ours are all doing well...we have 26 Buff Orps...we have the heat bulb on in there and I just cleaned it the other day out there and added plenty of straw night before last...I've been worried but let me tell you...when we go out to water/feed them in this weather..walking into the coop feels like I just stepped off the plane in mexico compared to how it feels outside...

If they can all make it thru this then they'll make it just fine the rest of the winter I woudl think! And to think I was worried when it got below 10 degrees outside....thats nothing compared to this weather

 

[henlady]

My coop stays in the 20s at night usually - and the girls have no frostbite/issues. I do have a flat panel radient heater about 3ft away from them.Tonight it's going to dip well below zero so I'm going to hang a tarp so their roost and heater has a smaller area - hoping to keep the heat from being dispersed into the rest of the coop which doesn't need it. Thought I'd mention my idea in case anyone wishes to try it too. Never lost a bird directly from cold but know plenty who have. One roo had such bad frostbitten feet that he had to be euthanized. Heartbreaking!