How cold can chickens take?

[chookchick]

Pattee, I'm here in Olympia, which is similar to you. but runs about 3-5 degrees colder. I have not put any heat in my coop and the girls are doing just fine. They have been coming out every day and trying to scratch frozen ground, and roosting outside. I give them lots of treats outside right now. I wouldn't suddenly turn off the heat if I was you because we are having some pretty cold nights and they need some time to adjust, perhaps turn it down 5 degrees every other night until they are at 30 F? They need to build up their downy feathers.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
-12C = 10.4F

To convert take your celsius temp and multiply it by 1.8, then add 32.
(-12 x 1.8) + 32 = 10.4

 

[miss_thenorth]

Quote:
-12C = 10.4F

To convert take your celsius temp and multiply it by 1.8, then add 32.
(-12 x 1.8) + 32 = 10.4

Thank you!!!

 

[bulldog-girl]

We are in the 20's here also(unusal for Oregon). This is my first winter with the chickies but I had read that it is best not to heat the coop so I have not. They seem to be doing fine. They come out every morning to free range and only stayed in when it was really windy. I have brought out hot milk and cornbread one morning and Hot oatmeal and milk today. They thought they had died and gone to heaven. I know I am spoiling them but I can't help but feel that they could use a hot breakfast.

I have not noticed any frozen looking feet or combs. I have not lite my coop so I am only getting about 1-2 eggs a day.

Now all that said-I am ready for our normal weather. I am tired of freezing temps.

 

[moenmitz]

My chickens are in an unheated, uninsulated 100 year old barn. Last few nights have been -10, with a windchill factor of -30.

Everybody is just fine so far. I have a heater on their water, deep litter, and there are close to 50 of them (all heavy breeds) so they put off a fair amount of body heat. All still active, eating well and apparently not bothered by what I find unbearably cold temperatures.

 

[erinm]

Mine are also in an unheated coop. They do fine. They have wide roosts to keep their toes warm at night. ErinM

 

[joebryant]

Mine are in unheated, heavily insulated, well ventilated coops here in central Indiana. I'm printing out this thread, and if I get one word of complaint from any of them about how cold it is here outside, I'll read these messages to them. The prima donnas complain enough about everything else as it is.

 

[Brit4Shains]

Here in S. Central Michigan, we've been avg'ing 13 - 20 every night... we keep our girls in hoop houses with reg plastic tarps over them. The ends are loosed overlapped with the tarps and the door ends don't have any cover at this point and despite the wind, snow and ice, all of our birds are doing very well. Well... they've all quit laying since they're molting as well... but soon I hope.

As to the roosters and breeds with combs, I read in a magazine that vaseline applied to the combs helps deal with frostbite, but haven't tried on ours since the majority of our birds are rosecomb and we're not seeing that issue despite the temps.

As to running the heaters or heat bulbs, I agree with the previous poster about wasting electricity... I found out years ago, that all animals generate their own heat and heating a coop or barn can actually cause health issues. Our birds roost in a tightly packed group at night and also like a previous poster, ours are out running and scratching in the snow daily...

 

[Cindy in PA]

I got my first chickens (Barred Rocks) 15 years ago and then in January 1994 they went thru a blizzrd and a week of record temps, lowest being 24 below. They layed right thru it and the rooster had only a slight bit of frostbite on his comb. My coop is tight, but not insulated. It is 8 by 8 and housed 12 chickens. I think they can take quite a bit.

 

[LynneP]

There are so many variables. Those of us with cold-hardy birds raised in extreme temps will have well-feathered individuals, but even then we have to be careful. We're at -10 C with wind chill of -19C so I'm going down to the coop early today to close the pop door and settle the hens early. It's also a promise to myself to check them an extra time today. We have power and the heated dog bowl is working which is the key, but I'd rather not have frost bite on their combs. I can see them the odd time they come out and check the surroundings on their snow platform, but they're turning around rather quickly and going back inside. They're also eating tons of pellets today and some mixed seed, cabbage and apple that I left in the coop as treats. So long as they're exercising and not huddling I don't worry much.

But I lived in WA, BC or CA in a zone where the cold is new to my birds I'd be quite concerned.