How cold is TOO cold for a chicken?

[Beekissed]

Agreed! My birds are having the same temps in an open air coop and seem just as comfortable as when it's summer. Draft free at the roost level, deep litter, acclimated birds...and even one in deep molt, very little feathers to protect her.

I've also got a pen of roosters acquired yesterday that had been roughin' it in their old place and already had frostbit combs and wattles from where they had lived,crowded into airless coops. They are in an open air pen with the wind blocked on three sides and a foot thick layer of leaves and shavings under them. Doing fine as frog hair in the low teens.

 

[Katydid11]

I just wanted to comment that good weather tolerance also depends on the overall physical condition of each bird. Birds who are very thin or struggling with less-than-ideal health may need more protection. It is usually in the mid 20's at night during the winter here and my birds are fine without heat. I block the wind and give them extra bedding in the coop, but that's about it. We occasionally have stretches when the nighttime temps will go into the teens or single digits. When it gets below 22 degrees or so, I will bring in any birds who are underweight or who I have concerns about. I don't give them heat, but make them a warm, nutritious mash and put them in cages in my basement, which is very cold but not frigid. I put them back out during the day and bring them in at night until the temps go back up a little. The key seems to be to NOT let them get too warm indoors but to keep them from freezing and burning through their fat reserves. I do a lot of rescue, so my birds sometimes come to me older and/or in poor condition. A little planning ahead seems to help the winter go by more easily and with less health issues/deaths. Obviously, if a bird is truly ill, they may require long-term indoor care in a heated environment. The previous advice is for those birds who seem on the fence health-wise.

 

[chad-o]

In most cases heat in not the issue. Their body temp. is higher than ours. The big issue is keeping them clean and dry.

 

[merlotmudpies]

This Southen Ca girl who was worried about her ladies in the 46 degree "cold temp" tonight will now slink out of this thread and thank her lucky stars for the tropical climate. Hahaha. I will also not worry about the 32 coming up as a low on Saturday. The ladies are dry and in a well built coop so I think I'll stop worrying now. LOL

 

[off-grid hen]

. Good luck with your flock.

 

[alicemarie]

How about naked necks chickens? I was considering a turtleneck. Crazy right.

 

[TyMaFarms]

When you don't heat your coop, how do you avoid frostbitten combs? We have been getting to about 5 below the last couple of nights and up to about 25 degrees F during the day. My girls' combs are starting to look a little gray at the tips. So.... last night I set up a heat lamp for them.

 

[bobbi-j]

When you don't heat your coop, how do you avoid frostbitten combs? We have been getting to about 5 below the last couple of nights and up to about 25 degrees F during the day. My girls' combs are starting to look a little gray at the tips. So.... last night I set up a heat lamp for them.

Sounds like you need more ventilation in your coop. There is no reason they should get frostbitten at those temps. We have daytime highs lower than your night time temps and never had frostbite problems. Too much humidity in the coop will do that. Do your chickens a favor and shut the heat lamp off.

 

[Beekissed]

Ventilation is the key. Humidity is the cause of frostbit combs, not the cold. Cold and dry, combs stay red. Cold and wet, combs turn black. When you close up the coop too tight it causes humidity from their breath and bodies to rise and settle on the comb and wattles...a bird in subzero temps with a wet comb and wattles is the bird that's going to freeze.

I've got a rooster pen with all single comb, large comb breeds in it(Leghorn, RIR, BO, NH) and they've had some nights in the teens here...no frost bit combs...completely open air coop. The place I got them from a couple of weeks ago had them all cramped up and cooped up in pens with no ventilation and some came to me with blackened comb tips which are now healing up and looking much healthier.

 

[donnavee]

We were around 24Fa couple of weeks ago & my poor Dominique that was having a really bad molt wasn't in the coop at bed time. I searched and searched but couldn't find her. I expected to find a pile of feathers in the morning but happily I found a very cold, but very much alive chicken. Her body actually felt warm when I picked her up for some much deserved pampering in the house. No frostbite which surprised me - they can take a lot colder temps than I thought. Now I make sure to get everyone in and accounted for before dark.