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[indygirl89]

Hello, my name is Kelley I'm a stay at home Mom and was given 2 chicks around Easter. I know nothing about them and I mean nothing what so ever... I kept them in the house until they got too messy then I bought a medium sized dog pen to keep them in so they could be outside in the sunshine, they love to lay on their sides and sun bathe! First time I saw this I honestly thought they were sick... Working on building them an actual coop but mostly wondering what am I am supposd to do when winter hits? Can chickens live in the snow and super low temps we sometimes get in Indiana? Oh, by the way I live in Crawfordsville, IN.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Congrats on your chicks! The best ways to winterize include having heated waterers, straw in the coop and maybe even a heat lamp.

Here's two links.
http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2012/10/cold-weather-prep-winterizing-your-flock.html
http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2013/02/10-boredom-busters-for-chickens.html

Feel free to ask any other questions. Glad you joined!

Also, be sure to check out our learning center.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Oh absolutely they can survive in brutally cold temps! My birds have seen minus 30 for a few days!! They will acclimate to the cold temps as winter marches in. Don't baby them with a heated insulated coop as this can make them sick and kill them. Let their bodies adapt to the cold temps, let the go outside even on the coldest, snowiest days for good health. Make sure to seal up any cracks down by their roosting area, and keep the roost bars low to the floor. When chickens sleep, they are pooping and breathing. All this warm moist air has to go somewhere. So ideally, you want them low to the floor, the warm moist air rises and goes out vents you have in the eaves or ceiling. With out good venting, this moisture falls back down on the birds as water or frost which can make the birds very cold and even give them frost bite. I know it is tempting to close the coop up tight when it is 5 degrees outside. But leave vents open. You have to vent out moist air to keep the birds dry and warm. You can close off a couple of them on a very windy night so slow the air down around the roost bar. 1 square foot of vent space per bird year round.

Now if it is going to get down 30 or more degrees lower than average at night, you can add a heat lamp. Not enough to heat the coop, but enough to bring the temp up a few degrees around the birds. Make sure to permanently attach the lamp to the wall and do not rely on the clamp as it can fall can cause a fire.

I use heated dog water dishes to keep water from freezing, although you don't need to heat water at night as birds don't drink at night. You can also purchase heated water bases for poultry waterers.

Good luck and you and your birds will do fine.

 

[ronmauldin]

Welcome from the Ocean State!

 

[N F C]

Hi Kelley and welcome to BYC! You've come to the right place to learn about your chickens. Check out some of the articles under the Learning Center tab...lots of good info there. And of course, ask about anything you need. Have fun with your birds!

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Your chicks should be fine in the cold weather as long as their coop is dry and draft free. Like TwoCrows, I have raised Black Australorps where the winter temperature reached 30 F below zero one winter, and with a dry, draft free coop, they did just fine. Of course to some degree, it depends on how cold hardy the particular breed is. Do you know what breed you have. If not, post a picture for us (full body profile showing legs and tail) and maybe we can identify them for you. Good luck with your chicks.

 

[indygirl89]

All the pics I have for now (at different stages). They're names are SunShine & Licorice, they are 20 weeks old.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

 

[Michael OShay]

All the pics I have for now (at different stages). They're names are SunShine & Licorice, they are 20 weeks old.

You're in good shape for winter weather. You have a Light Brahma (white one) and the other one appears to be a Black Langshan. They are both Asiatic class breeds, and very cold hardy. Good luck with your birds.