How cold is TOO cold for a chicken?

[All about the EGG]

Quote:
I agree with that except...if all I had were some chickens and a cow, they would sleep inside with the family! Life or death!

 

[Melilem]

I strongly recommend you find a local chicken club and discuss coops with them. The reason being- what BYC experts recommend (I have not read ANY of the previous comments, and I am not talking about anyone in particular) is not what works in my area. It is a great guideline, but you should look around at local chooks.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
I agree that talking to locals will help fine-tune the coop. However, the original question was how cold it too cold... so I would think that a breed that does just fine without heat in my neck of the woods would also be fine in Maine.

Just a thought....

 

[All about the EGG]

I bought our sexlinks from the local feed store. The girl there said they order this breed because they are hardy for the area. She has chickens (they all do) so she is smart about it. I would see what the local feed store sells.

 

[BeardedChick]

I bow at the feet of Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain for knowledge about how much cold chickens can take.

Unless someone from the Artic circle comes along to set us straight...

 

[BJ]

Quote:
Ditto (ME TOO!!!)

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain has changed my way of thinking about winters with my chickens! I have had terrible luck in the past (almost 100% mortality) while providing several heat lamps and pampering, and I believe I have nothing to lose by trying something different after everything I have been through. I believe I will come out with happier, hardier chickens this year by "going natural".

 

[RW19290]

Quote:
wow!! here in southern california, it still feels like summer!!! today will be 91 F !

 

[mylilchix]

I wasn't planning on heating our coop, and we're in the foothills outside of Denver. When I stand in the coop on a windy day it isn't drafty, but I do want to put some plastic on the pop door to keep drafts fom coming in there (I have noticed drafts down at chicken level). I do need to run an extension cord out to the coop to give them some extra light during the day though. Hubby hasn't run electricity to the coop yet

. So far the coop has been staying 5-10 degrees warmer than the outdoor temp!

Sonja

 

[Mrs MIA]

Obviously -8F/-22C is not too cold for a chicken...

They're outside happily scratching away, no signs of discomfort!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

We have no lights in our coops, no heat or electric, except for the bantam coop. And it wasn't cold issues that made us run it out to the bantam coop. We were having predator issues. I installed a treble light via outdoor extension cord from outdoor pole light. I turn it off during the day and turn it on at night so the chooks can "see" to escape whatever was killing my young ones at night.

Since having done that, I haven't lost a bird yet.

As for the cold, they are out there now scratching in the snow and clucking up a storm.