How Cold And How Did Your Chooks Do Last Night?

[gsim]

Was 14 above this AM when I let my 6 month old inmates out at a little before 7. They had already laid 4 eggs for me!

Went out at 10 AM and found they had laid 8 more !

Seems they have not read Poultry Guide so they did not know that they are supposed to slow down for the winter.

I gave them a large pan of warm sugar water and a bowl of scratch in between tho. They drank 3/4 of that water in an hour, but went thru the scratch in two minutes!

 

[dichotomymom]

10 above when I woke up this morning. They always do fine. Short combs and have never had an issue with frostbite even in sub zero temps. They come out for a bit but don't stay out as long as they normally would.

 

[Wildsky]

Last night was a tad warmer than the night before - that night we got down to -20, with windchill of -39.

I thought I'd have frozen chicken in the coop - but they were all ok.

 

[shadowpaints]

was - 9 this morning... not near as cold as it was yesterday morning (-18) Brrrr my chooks seem to do just fine tho!

 

[cybercat]

I have yet to let mine out. To scared to go out in this cold.

 

[AmyBella]

I was worried last night... It was very windy and got down to 10 degrees and I haven't had time to put up the weatherstripping! (there are a few drafty spots) They were perfectly fine this morning. Yay!

 

[Mattemma]

It was 9 last night and 16 right now.

Both yesterday and today the 3 hens were not interested in going outside.I give warm water,food,and cleaned droppings.So far they seem ok,but have no iterest in going out.

I just have a metal shed with straw bales,so it is not that much warmer inside than outside.Atleast they are protected from the wind.It is still roaring out there. I got 3 eggs both days.

I would love to put them up for the winter in the house,but my dh would have an absolute fit.I need to get some more straw.Hoping that helps insulate them a little.

 

[kipepeo]

Was 0 again last night and is 12 now. Suprised that my coop is staying half way decent because it is not draft free yet. The guy got the tin edging up but hasn't done the rest and 2 of the windows plastic is coming off ( lovely kansas wind) but it was above freezing in coop yesterday( it stayed at 19 outside) I have a high low thermometer in there. They have been getting warm water and otameal with birdseed once a day and seem to be doing fine.

 

[Amethyste]

12 degrees overnight here.

YAY.

They did fine... doing great and are bawkbawkbawking at me to get off of BYC and bring them breakfast.

Spoiled? never!!

 

[Ken H]

Was a balmy 12 degrees F last night. In the coop it was a steady 35 degrees thanks to a two stage heat light system. Only one of the two heat lamps came on to maintain the set temp. I have heard that egg production declines in the winter but so far my girls are producing same as ever. I have one hen that won't leave the coop during the day. The rest go out as soon as I open the door in the morning. One of my ISA Browns was really funny the other day.It was the first snow they had ever encountered. The one brown would squawk and try to fly each time her feet came in contact with the snow.