Hey Northerners: What is the absolute coldest air temps your chickens have experienced happily!

[Sarevan]

With this artic cold hitting us in Washington state our chickens have no heat, other than what they make. They are in an A frame run coop right now, plastic covered with strawbales 3/4s of the way up for insulation. They have given me the stink eye for letting the heat out when feeding and changing water. Feel like a kid getting yelled at for not shutting the door and being told What you live in a barn?

I turn over the straw and shavings with a rake everyday, toss out anything that seems too wet. I even rake out my snow tracks, though some of them attack the snow like it is a treat. They make a funny face, shake heads and then leave it alone.

After several months of setbacks, emergencies we didn't get to building the coop we wanted. It figures that during the coldest time of the year we are able to get lumber and supplies to finally build. It will be built using the starplate system, a dome house for a coop. We will then convert what they are in now to just a run.

Has been -5 windchill -15 hottest was 107 last summer.

 

[cluck cluck 123]

Last year my chickens were around that temperature, I was a little worried but they were all ok.

 

[coldupnorth]

Quote: I agree with bobbi-j about adding heat. I did add heat the first year we had chickens and found that to be more of a problem than a help. Right now I do not use any supplemental heat in our coops. The one uninsulated coop, that was only built as a grow-out coop, is the only one that I will but a heat lamp in for a couple of hours during the nights that we get to -25F+ below air temps. I only want to warm that coop up slightly and the chickens can do the rest. They will go out into their runs, however are refusing right now because of the 2+ feet of snow in them. That snow has been good for some of the coops because I just pile snow along the sides to help insulate. The chickens are fine, but not necessarily happy. I don't think any of us are particularily happy with this cold weather.

I can use a heated dog dish in only a couple of my coops because they are the only ones with access to electricity, but I've stopped using them because they don't seem to last very long. The best for here has been the rubber feed bowls that I can just stomp the ice out of and then add new water. More work, but living here in the winter is just going to be that.

 

[Cluckincanadian]

Nevada Sun I also in Manitoba. I have a heat lamp for my birds, it is up high enough that they can stand under it. Shouldn't be a problem until the manure pack gets high the I will raise it.

 

[theoldguy]

hi guys, it got down to 10 degrees a night ago but my chickens are still outside doing there thing during the day,they seem to be fine

 

[fiddlercricket]

Hello from a fellow Minnesotan! Here is your reassurance - your chickens will be just fine in this weather without any supplemental heat. This is the voice of experience speaking. Hoping the cold snap breaks soon, though.

I use a heated dog dish. Picked it up for $15 at the local farm supply store a few years ago. Works great!

Thank you for the reassurance! It's a little warmer today, and all seems to be well in the coop.

Good luck this winter! Brrrr!!

 

[Nevada Sun]

Nevada Sun I also in Manitoba. I have a heat lamp for my birds, it is up high enough that they can stand under it. Shouldn't be a problem until the manure pack gets high the I will raise it.

Where are you in manitoba? I am just South of the City off 75hwy. It has been so cold that my coop it still -8,, trying to get it to 0,,, just worry about my heat lamps and Fire… thanks for the positive words.. Kristin

 

[Susan Kocsis]

We have three black sex links. One regularly lays eggs with really thin shells, so thin that they just crush in your fingers when you try to pick them up. Today one of them laid this hideous looking mutation. There are no roosters so it can't be a fertilized egg. The alien looking thing was in a "pocket" on the outside of the shell. After I removed it from the hole, I poked the shell underneath it. After I poked through, I found the yolk inside. But what is that OTHER thing? Eeeewwwwww

 

[Scrambles55]

I just put the girls to bed. They had warm oatmeal with corn. We had a skiff of snow and the high was about 10 degrees. Late this afternoon, I decided to let the girls free range. They ended up under the toy hauler and I could see Si basking in the sun. When I checked the nest, I found 2 eggs. Looks like the two layers are still feeding me breakfast. We are going to slowly climb in temps up to 34 by Saturday. Woo hoo!

 

[Scrambles55]

Did you get pictures of the alien egg? If so.... post them on the abnormal egg thread. KEWL......

We have three black sex links. One regularly lays eggs with really thin shells, so thin that they just crush in your fingers when you try to pick them up. Today one of them laid this hideous looking mutation. There are no roosters so it can't be a fertilized egg. The alien looking thing was in a "pocket" on the outside of the shell. After I removed it from the hole, I poked the shell underneath it. After I poked through, I found the yolk inside. But what is that OTHER thing? Eeeewwwwww