How cold is TOO cold for a chicken?

[Beekissed]

My pop door is open 24/7, all year round, as is parts of my coop. The chickens come out in all weathers unless the snow is too deep to navigate. We are in the teens and 20s here too and they are out foraging. Chickens that are acclimated to the cold temps do very well in them, as with any animal.

Parrots..in the snow.

 

[SandyDawn]

Thats good info to know. I went out and opened the window on the screen door(screen was removed this summer to let chickens go in and out but KEEP dog out of coop) and my rooster ran for it! I guess he wanted outside pretty badly.

 

[LadyCluck77]

My pop door is open 24/7, all year round, as is parts of my coop. The chickens come out in all weathers unless the snow is too deep to navigate. We are in the teens and 20s here too and they are out foraging. Chickens that are acclimated to the cold temps do very well in them, as with any animal. Parrots..in the snow.

Thank you for the info, and those pictures of colorful parrots in the snow. Those photographs are completely beautiful! It's good to hear that they will acclimate. Maine is having a cold winter, I don't think we rose much above the single digits today. I do not heat my coop, just the waterer outside the coop.

 

[Clarebaxter]

I live in Idaho and even when it is below freezing a couple still sleep in the run on a branch perch. They don't like the snow but don't seem to worried about the cold.

 

[Beekissed]

In the teens here and will be subzero here in a couple of days.....the chooks don't seem to mind.

 

[crazyaboutchickens]

-4F here and none of my chickens seem to care. Even those where windchill factor should be a problem, they aren't even bothering to huddle. It's supposed to dip down to -13 tonight. People really underestimate a chicken's resistance to cold.... but I do start worrying at -5. :/

 

[Beekissed]

-4F here and none of my chickens seem to care. Even those where windchill factor should be a problem, they aren't even bothering to huddle. It's supposed to dip down to -13 tonight. People really underestimate a chicken's resistance to cold.... but I do start worrying at -5.

It's something, isn't it? How much we worry about these animals when they are designed for living outdoors in all weathers. I think they are doing vastly better than the wild birds as they at least have shelter, food and water provided for them....I think we often forget how difficult is the life of the wild animals that have to rustle grub each day in that kind of weather.

This is the kind of weather that performs natural selection, even on our domestic flocks.

 

[crazyaboutchickens]

-4F here and none of my chickens seem to care. Even those where windchill factor should be a problem, they aren't even bothering to huddle. It's supposed to dip down to -13 tonight. People really underestimate a chicken's resistance to cold.... but I do start worrying at -5. :/

It's something, isn't it?  How much we worry about these animals when they are designed for living outdoors in all weathers.  I think they are doing vastly better than the wild birds as they at least have shelter, food and water provided for them....I think we often forget how difficult is the life of the wild animals that have to rustle grub each day in that kind of weather. 

This is the kind of weather that performs natural selection, even on our domestic flocks. 

It is indeed. Occasionally I wish it didn't though. My pekins aren't particularly good at handling the cold, and have lost at 3 roosters over the years due to frostbite of the feet. Interesting how the same breed's hens didn't show any sign of it at the same time.


With some breeding, and a couple of generations of free-ranging in a proper environment, I have no doubt it is possible it establish a self-sustaining population of chickens, even in this NY winter.

 

[GertrudeLover01]

I live in TN and my chickens have never experienced single digit WIND CHILLS. Much less subzero wind chills, and near zero air temps. We're supposed to get those tonight and tomorrow.
I have a pretty open coop for my oldest girls. I worry about them, so I set up heat lamps in both my coops. There are three chooks in each small coop. I also used contractor trash bags to cover up the floor (which is a slatted floor with huge spaces) and the open spaces at the top which face the wind. I left a lot of ventilation spaces.
I only did this because I doubt their combs and water can stand those temps. My banty's comb gets frost bitten at 30F. I get worried about her!
The trash bags around the side are mainly to keep drafts and rain out. I'm considering taking warm oatmeal out there for them in the morning.
How do I slowly take away heat and some insulation after this freak weather event?

 

[jermoatc]

You wanna talk about COLD hardy? Last night when I went out to shut my coop door for the night it was 1 degree F. This morning when I went out to open the door and feed it was -9 F. I apparently didn't see one of my 15 week old white plymouth rock hens curled up in the snow last night. She came happily clucking over to me this morning after staying out side all night in -5 F - -10 F. That is what I call a tough bird. I never heat my coop and we have had several cold snaps into the negative teens. This is my first incidence of accidentally not getting all my birds in for the night in these temps. Amazing how tough they are.